P a g e 4 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 With the election of a sheriff, Bannack had law, but it was not long until its citizens realized that they still lacked order. Crimes were as numerous as ever and if the outlaws were frightened, they showed little evidence of it. Despite the fear of the outlaws, people continued to swarm into Bannack. The lure of gold proved stronger than fear, and many believed that opportunity knocked but once. Men of all different trades competed with miners in their frantic search for the precious metal and men were judged by one thing—a full poke. Gold dust was quickly spent. There was no thought of tomorrow, for when it was possible to wash out from two to five hundred dollars in a day, tomorrow took care of itself. The daytime found hundreds of men wading in ice-cold water, shoveling frozen dirt into sluice boxes, and panning along the creek banks. Night would find them exchanging their day’s earnings for a few hours at the gaming table where they kept up their spirits with more than an occasional glass of powerful liquor, the like of which would kill an ordinary man today. It cost the drinker a dollar a shot to satisfy his thirst. The favors of the dance hall girls came exceedingly high also, but when a man was assured of a full poke again the following day, he did not regret his spending. Anyway, of what good was gold dust if not to have it to spend? The price of lumber ranged from $800 to $900 a thousand. Hay was $150 and $200 a ton while flour cost $150 a sack. Eggs were a luxury at $12 a dozen and tobacco (called a necessity in early days) went about $5 a chew. Shovels were $25 and a pair of boots were bought for $50. There are still stories of buried treasure, illegally gotten gold which supposedly lies in some secret cache in the old ghost town of Bannack. That it is stained with blood there is no doubt, and the stories say that dead men's curses are upon it. One cache only has been found and this in a crumbling old chimney where a raw hide poke, containing $10,000 in gold dust was found. Many have searched and continue to search for a treasure hidden by Henry Plummer, the popular sheriff of Bannack who was elected by a big majority to protect the people against dangerous outlaws and who was later proven to be the leader of these same outlaws he had sworn to get. Many terrible crimes were committed before a victim of a holdup dared to risk his life by declaring that the face behind the robbers mask had been that of Plummer, but once aroused the miners immediately took action, nor did they stop until they had ran down, convicted and hanged the outlaws and their sheriff leader, Henry Plummer. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Many years have passed since the discovery of gold in Grasshopper creek. Gone are those eventful and dangerous days of long ago. But never will fiction or future mining history surpass in excitement those boom days of the richest and toughest mining camp then known. -Accessed via: https:// chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
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