Our first stop was Beaverhead Rock. According to textbooks, Sacajawea recognized this landmark and wagered that they were getting close to familiar Shoshone territory. A few days later they did indeed meet members of the tribe. I can't quite make out the beaver in the rock formation, but that might mean I lack an imagination.
Just a few miles down the road was Dillon, MT. Right inside town was another state park known as Clark's Lookout. A few miles after passing Beaverhead Rock, Clark had climbed this outcrop that gave him a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. He used the vantage point to create one of the first maps of the area.
By this point we realized we were "ahead of schedule" with our list of places to stop. We decided to go ahead and visit Bannack State Park that afternoon. We decided that if it took us more than 1/2 a day, we'd have more time the next morning.
Bannack started off as a mining town in the 1860's and was named the first territorial capital of the Montana Territory, after being split from Idaho. Today many of the buildings are still standing in various states of decay and preservation. The state park is set up with boardwalks/trails and you walk down main street of the town. You can bring a book guide with you and you read about the history for the buildings as you come to them.
One of the first larger buildings we came to was the Hotel Meade. It was pretty impressive from the outside, and very eerie on the inside. We were able to stroll the halls and old rooms on both lower and upper levels. Just imagining the people who stayed here, walked the halls, and the things the walls saw and heard. A rumor is that the Hotel Meade is haunted.
We also made a stop by the saloon...
The church...
The school...
The jail...
And the other scattered buildings throughout the old town. Overall it was a pretty neat experience. It was the first ghost town I ever remember touring, and it's in pretty good condition, all things considered. We were amazed to finish up the state park that afternoon, so we headed back into Dillon where we had rented an Airbnb for the night. It was a nice studio apartment above somebody's garage. We had a kitchen to cook dinner and internet so we could relax and watch a show before turning in for the night.
In the morning we would set out for our last major stop of the trip, Big Hole National Battlefield.
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