A publication by Ghost Towns & History of Montana Aug. 17th –Aug. 23rd 2025 Montana Stories, Photos & Fun! Please share this with a friend Elk Park Skinner’s Saloon Bannack, Montana While destined for the gallows in Montana Territory in Elk Park, Montana was once home to several Italian-Swiss Dairies that served the Butte area. It also served the mining operations in the area by providing housing for miners, a school for the children and necessary supplies for the work day. In addition, the valley was known for cattle ranching, logging and ice making. Many residents had a “copper cow” in the early days, meaning they had stills for making liquor. The three local ponds collected spring water and in the winter, men would chip the ice to be shipped by rail to locations all around the state. The first post office opened in 1889. From the 1910s through the 1960s, working women in Montana taught school, staffed hospitals, kept factories running, and fed children. They danced and Famous Montanans Dirk Benedict (actor - Helena) Gary Cooper (actor - Helena) Patrick Duffy (actor -Townsend) Myrna Loy (actress- Helena) Michelle Williams (actressKalispell) Dana Carvey (actor/comedianMissoula) David Lynch (director-Missoula) Jeff Ament (musician- Havre) Evel Knievel (stunt performerButte) Phil Jackson (NBA player and coach- Deer Lodge) Jesse Tyler Ferguson (actorMissoula) ©2025 Ghost Towns and History of Montana, LLC. All rights reserved. loved and paid the rent; they stirred up trouble and talked back. As they navigated cultural constraints and economic limitations, working women left few records, but they profoundly shaped modern Montana. Based on wide-ranging research, Dr. Jennifer Hill uses the overlooked experiences of ordinary women to explore historical trends in work, organizing efforts like the Women’s Protective Union, and pragmatic strategies of working-class resistance. 1862, Henry Plummer ran into his old cell mates, Cyrus Skinner, Club Foot George Lane and Bill Bunton. They finally ended up in Bannack where Cyrus Skinner built a saloon in the location known as "Yankee Flats". After moving Skinner's Saloon to its current location, Cyrus Skinner was not only the saloon keeper, but a Road Agent who was a fence and a spy for Plummer's gang. This saloon was the "headquarters" of the Road Agents. Skinner left Bannack late in 1863 and went to Hellgate (Missoula). He was sought out by the Vigilantes and hanged January 25, 1864 OUT AND ABOUT The Chinese in Montana Saturday, August 23, 2025 •3:00 PM •Bannack State Park presents The Chinese in Montana with Mark Johnson. Mark is a Montana native and will bring this interesting and important story to life. 721 Bannack RD, Dillon, MT Phone: (406) 834-3413 Tidbits Take a drive to Marysville to visit the museum. Open Saturdays and Sundays 12 - 4pm. Immerse yourself in what life would be like in 1880, when Marysville was established. Gift shop too! pioneersmarysville@yahoo.com Unequal and Unruly - A Lecture with Jennifer Hill Bozeman Public Library Aug. 19th 6pm-7pm
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