Bannack State Park – Montana

This week I got to go on an adventure photoshoot with nearly 50 other individuals to Bannack Ghost Town in Montana. We arrived at the state park at 9am, and photographed different angles, subjects and perspectives until 5pm that evening. What en exhausting day it was, as we had specific themed assignments to accomplish in that eight hours, but it was more than worth the energy expended, as my personal skills, and undoubtedly the skills of my peers, were strengthened dramatically. For an assignment we were to shoot a photo series of the same subject, or similar subjects. I chose the town as my subject with the old Meade Hotel as my focal point. Ladies and gents, Bannack Ghost Town.

Bannack Ghost Town was an old gold-mining town that rose to life in the mid-to-late 1800’s after gold was found in the creek passing through (seen just left of town in this photo). Gold huntsmen soon took to the surrounding hills to dig mineshafts in search of pockets of ore to strike it rich. This photo was taken atop one the highest hillside just west of town.

Coming down an old road, converted into a hiking trail, the town comes closer into detail, and we see more clearly the main street on which the majority of the buildings lay, including the old Meade Hotel, which was once the courthouse and city hall of town.

With the remnants of a spring storm looming in the east, Bannack stands as a monument to those who settled in a harsh environment to make their life’s wages on gold.

With heavy clouds and green hills as a backdrop, every angle of Bannack Ghost Town looked new and exciting as I roamed the hillsides, Meade Hotel stands out almost always as it is the largest building in town.

As you continue along this old road you see the creek, in the foreground on the right, and some of the fenced lands that were once tilled and dug up by the long-gone residents.

After a long day, this is the final picture I took. I stood next to a bend in the creek and saw the composition of thick clouds, blue sky, varying colored buildings, and brush in the foreground. This shot of old Bannack is my favorite of the series.