US trip (part 4): Montana ghost towns

After leaving Yellowstone we drove up into the hills in Montana.

First point of interest that we came across was Quake Lake. In 1959 there was a huge earthquake here causing part of the mountain to slide down. The landslide blocked the river near Hebgen dam, thus causing it to back up and create the lake. Some of the houses that were destroyed have been left as a memorial, and there's also a state park Visitors centre which is worth stopping at. (For some reason it wasn't mentioned in our guidebook but you can't miss it if you're going along Highway US287



Our next destination was Nevada City, a reconstructed ghost town about 5 minutes drive from Virginia City. There used to be a city here by that name, back during the goldrush at Alder Gulch nearby. However it mostly got destroyed over time, so this reconstruction has old buildings brought from all over Montana for preservation. As well as the old town, there's a museum of music hall instruments that was quite fun.



After Nevada City we backtracked to Virginia City, where we were spending the night. This short movie will give you a flavour of what it was like. It was quite odd - half ghost town, half tourist trap.



The next day we drove further west, saving the best till last. Bannack State Park is a ghost town and one of the few I've been to that actually had the right atmosphere. It was so refreshing that they'd left it alone, in a gentle state of decay, without fancy signs or "living history" re-enactments. You could just wander at your own pace, open doors and walk through houses with the plaster falling off, etc. It just felt very real and I loved it. I hope this movie gives you a flavour, but if you ever get a chance I recommend visiting in person.