NOVEMBER 2023 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter From The Sanders County IndependentLedger, Nov. 11, 1925 HISTORY OF THE BANNACK CHURCH -by Mrs. R. M. Gregg (From The Dillon Examiner Newspaper, Aug. 25, 1954) A study of the history of this church reveals many interesting things. Not being a Montana Pioneer or a Daughter of a Montana Pioneer, I became Interested in reading and studying the history of Bannack in order to find certain important facts about this church. In fact, I am still reading early Montana history. However, I was surprised to find little about this specific church. The most striking fact I discovered, was that this church has a long history of many religious faiths worshipping and holding services here. This is true even today. And it is our hope that such will be true in the future when Bannack is a Montana State Monument. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Accessed via: montananewspapers.org As you all know, gold was discovered in Bannack in July, 1862. Many people came here soon afterwards in search of potential wealth. In June, 1864, the Rev. George G . Smith, a young and newly ordained Presbyterian minister, came to Bannack. Rev. Smith had intended to go (so he wrote in later years) to Gabon, Africa, as a missionary; but he found that the Board of Presbyterian Missions could more easily obtain missionaries for Africa than for Montana, so he elected to come to Montana Territory. He reveals that no church or Sabbath for that matter was in evidence when he arrived. He brought only a few pounds of luggage with him on the stage. So he served only 18 months with only a small English Bible, without note or comment. He wrote later, however, that in Bannack he found the most intelligent and wide-awake congregation he ever encountered in a rich and full life as a minister of the gospel. He held services in many different buildings in Bannack. The same pattern was followed by many ministers representing
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