P a g e 3 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r communities and the grateful citizens of Bannack and as a result the building in which we are meeting today was constructed. All gave of their money and time to accomplish this goal. The plot of ground on which this building was erected was purchased from the Trask family for $50 by the Methodists and a deed to this effect, dated November 12, 1877 is recorded in the courthouse in Dillon. The first services to be held in this building was a memorial service for those murdered by the Indians on Horse prairie. -Accessed via www.montananewspapers.org Thanksgiving in December President Andrew Johnson, courtesy Library of Congress The first official observance of Thanksgiving after the creation of Montana Territory came in 1865. Although President Lincoln had established the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day, following Lincoln’s assassination, President Johnson chose December 7 as the day of official observance. Residents of the mining camps paused in their relentless search for golden treasure and gave thanks for their good luck and for the end of the Civil War. Virginia City businesses closed. There were private celebrations and culinary preparations in many homes and restaurants. The Montana Post reported that sleighs were gliding merrily around town all day, men hobnobbed at the bars, and there was a singing party in the governor’s office. The next year, 1866, at Last Chance, celebrations were more community oriented. Young ladies put on their pretties and attended the Firemen’s Ball on Thanksgiving Eve at the Young America Hall. Markets were well supplied for Thanksgiving Day feasts. Shoppers could choose elk, deer, bear, sage hens, grouse, and pheasant. There was no mention of turkeys, however, at Thanksgiving tables on that particular holiday. – Ellen Baumler Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz This Helena meat market on Bridge Street offered mostly wild game in 1869. Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives, 954-179 Ellen Baumler is an award-winning author and Montana historian. A master at linking history with modern-day supernatural events, Ellen's true stories have delighted audiences across the state. She lives in Helena in a century-old house with her husband, Mark, and its resident spirits. To view and purchase Ellen’s books, visit: http://ellenbaumler.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html
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