Bannack State Park Reopening Today

Bannack State Park is reopening today.  On July 17, 2013 a flash flood poured down Hangman's gulch and raged down the main street of Bannack, washing away boardwalks and one building and leaving mud and destruction in its wake.  I cried when I watched the news that night. Bannack has always been the place I have gone when I felt the need to get away.  Like a religious person needs a church as a tangible touchstone, I need my preserved and restored historic sites to connect with Montana's history.  I wish I could be in Bannack today to see for myself what has transpired in Bannack's latest page in history.

As devastating as the flood was to the town, it was just that, another page in Bannack's history.  Like every town that has ever existed, there have been periods of growth and prosperity and times of despair and disaster. The difference with Bannack is that there has been so much work preserving the past and it was all jeopardized by an act of nature.  I am sure that the Montana State Park personal responsible for the care of Bannack has done a fine job of getting the park ready to reopen.  I suspect there might be some new photos in the visitor center of the flood and it's aftermath.