At the time there was no church in Bannack and a Methodist circuit preacher named William Van Ordsdel, used the Indian scare to convince the townspeople to build a church as thanks for God's deliverance. The church is still stands in Bannack today.

In 1881, nearby Dillon became the county seat and the courthouse was abandoned. The building remained empty until 1890, when it was purchased by Dr. John Meade, who remodeled it as a plush hotel. However, by this time Bannack was called home to only about 400 people, and the hotel was closed several times over the years, reopening whenever mining activity revived.

In 1895, Bannack was revived for a time when the first electric dredge was invented. In no time at all Grasshopper Creek supported five of them for the next ten years. Unfortunately, it was these very same dredging operations that destroyed several hundred of the many buildings that had been erected in the 1860s.

By the 1930s the businesses and social community had left Bannack and very few people remained. By the 1940’s there would be so few students that the school would have to close and Bannack became a ghost town.

Bannack survives due to the good graces of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks who saved the town from the elements and vandalism by making it a state park on August 15, 1954.

Today, over sixty structures remain standing, most of which can be explored. The staff preserve, rather than restore the buildings of this old town allowing visitors an opportunity to relive the American West.

Bannack State Park is open year round with winter operating hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and summer hours of 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. The Visitor Center is open seven days a week during the summer months from 10am to 6pm.

Bannack Days, with historic displays, activities and events, is held the third weekend in July each year. The visitor center is open from mid-May through September. A group picnic site is available. The park is 5,800 feet in elevation and is 1154 acres in size. There are 28 sites in the campground with vault toilets, grills/fire rings, firewood, picnic tables, trash cans, drinking water and access to Grasshopper Creek for fishing. Flush toilets are located in the visitors center and escorted and unescorted tours are available.

© Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated September, 2008