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BANNACK STATE PARK
BANNACK GHOST TOWN
Bannack Road
Beaverhead County, Montana
All Photos Courtesy of Coldspot Paranormal Research
History
This town was founded in 1862 when gold was discovered nearby and named after a local tribe of Native Americans. It was very briefly the capital of the Montana Territory until that honor was passed to Virginia City. Although it was always very remote (only accessible via the Montana Trail) it actually reached of population of 10,000 during the gold rush.
The buildings were all built with logs and some of them sported false fronts as has become so famous in movies about the old west.
In the mid-19 Century, the local Sheriff was accused of leading a gang he was supposed to be tracking down. There are stories that his gang killed hundreds of people between Bannack and Salt Lake City but historical records only show 8 murders. Either way both the Sheriff and a number of members of the gang were hung to death while the others were banished and sentenced to death should they return.
By the 1970′s all the residents had left this town bringing its dwindling population to zero. In modern times, many of the town’s buildings still standing and well preserved.
The town is now protected inside the boundaries of Bannack State Park.
Paranormal Activity
The apparition of a woman dressed in a blue gown named Dorothy is often seen in the town, she drowned in the nearby Grasshopper Creek.
The apparitions of the former outlaw gang are still reported in the town site. People report phantom footsteps as well as reports of feelings of being watched and unease.
As with any other population centers in the 19th and early 20th centuries there were terrible epidemics that spread their way across this town. These widespread illnesses were especially hard on the newborns and the elderly and the phantom cries and babbles of babies are often heard in the town site as a testament to the hardships faced by the settlers of the west.
BUTTE
COPPER KING MANSION
(WA Clark Mansion)
219 West Granite Street
Status: Former Residence; Bed & Breakfast
By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Drown_Soda" title="User:Drown Soda">Drown Soda</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
History
Built between 1884 and 1888 this 34 room mansion was the home of William Andrews Clark one of Montana’s three famous Copper Kings (three industrial giants who fought – and won - brutal battles to gain control over the State’s copper mines).
The mansion had gas and electric chandeliers, hand carved fireplaces and staircases as well as stained glass windows.
Since 1953 the Cote family has owned – and lived in – the mansion. They now operate it as a bed and breakfast.
The mansion was renovated in 2012.
In the summer there are 4 guided tours a day; tours are also available during the winter if booked in advance.
Paranormal Activity
The owners do not believe the mansion is haunted.
People have reported a light colored misty form in the first floor hallway as well as the basement.
In the games room a presence that drains all the warmth out of the room is felt.
In the ballroom and old chapel there is a playful presence that likes to play tricks on people who do not believe in ghosts or the paranormal.
There is also one reported incident where a trunk – that was locked – suddenly flipped open in the ballroom while a tour was being given.
Other Reported Activity: doors opening and closing on their own; cold spots; light anomalies and the feeling of not being alone.
CROW AGENCY
LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL MONUMENT
I-90 Frontage Road
Status: Historic Battlefield
By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Winkelvi" title="User:Winkelvi">Winkelvi</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Natecation" title="User:Natecation">Natecation</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
History
On June 25-26, 1876 the 7th Calvary Regiment of the United States Army fought the combined army of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho Native America tribes. It was the most significant battle of the Great Sioux War of 1876.
It is also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass and Custer’s Last Stand.
It took place on the Crow Indian Reservation.
The US Army was there under invitation of the Crow Chief Blackfoot. They were bound by treaty with the Crow Nation to repel the invaders who had entered Crow land without permission. Most of the battles of the Great Sioux War took place on lands Native American tribes had invaded and seized from other tribes.
The battle resulted in an overwhelming victory by the Lakota, Arapaho and Cheyenne forces.
The 700 members of the US Calvary Regiment suffered 268 dead and 55 suffering severe wounds. Lt Col George Armstrong Custer – who led the regiment – was killed in the battle as were 2 of his brothers, a nephew and a brother-in-law.
5 of the 12 companies in the regiment were completely annihilated.
The bodies of the 50-100 Native Americans who died in the battle were removed by their families, however, the bodies of the US soldiers were mutilated and left in the rot on the prairie.
Immediately following the battle the widow of Custer, Libby, worked hard to make sure her husband was remembered as a hero and died bravely.
The modern day site has monuments both for the American and Native American soldiers who fell. There is also a cemetery – including a black stone showing where Custer fell – for the American dead and another for the horses of the cavalry who died in the battle.
Paranormal Activity
The Crow people called the superintendent of the monument the “ghost herder” as they believed when he lowered the US flag at dusk the dead walked the earth and they laid back to rest at dawn when the flag was once again raised.
The author Charles Kuhlman – who wrote the book Legend Into History – claims to have been visited by the spirit of Custer and to have communed with the dead at the battle site. His book has an incredibly detailed story of the battle, so it certainly is possible.
Many other people have had contact with the ghosts of the battlefield and have given facts they could not possibly have known beforehand. One lady even called from Canada stating she had a dream and could name a Native American warrior and the US soldier he killed.
There are multiple accounts of time slips where people were suddenly transported back to the time of the battle. This experience has been so vivid for some people they suffered anxiety and panic attacks as well as forms of PTSD.
The apparitions of soldiers on both sides are frequently seen on the battlefield.
Sudden cold spots – and the feeling that someone just passed through you – are reported quite often with the cemetery being the most common spot for these experiences.
Disembodied voices are heard ranging from soft whispers to yells and screams. Phantom sounds of the battle are also frequently reported.
One band of Native American warriors who entered the battle near the end dressed in full war paint are still seen galloping toward the battle site. They are thought to be the “suicide boys” who gave their lives to save their people.
Inside the Stone House – which was built in 1894 as the superintendent’s house – which is now the White Swan Memorial library many people have had paranormal experiences including: shadow figures; unexplained noises; disembodied voices; lights turning on and off on their own; doors unlocking and locking on their own; phantom footsteps and feelings of being watched.
The house was used for the storage of bodies awaiting internment in the cemetery.
glacier national park
Many Glacier Hotel
1147 Route 3
Status: Historical Hotel
The Many Glacier Hotel in 2019 by Christopher Michel
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
History
This gorgeous hotel was built in 1914-15 and opened on July 4, 1915.
It was built by the Great Northern Railway as part of an effort to make Glacier National Park a tourist destination. As well to sell tickets on the trains going west.
At the time it was the biggest hotel in all of Montana.
The area was promoted as being the “American Alps” and the hotel as the “Gem of the West”.
The hotel was constructed in the Swiss style to provide the true Alps experience to the tourists. Many guest reviews say they felt like they were in the ‘Sound of Music’.
Numerous more rustic cabins and campgrounds were built near the hotel for customers seeking a more back country experience. These sites were very popular in the first have of the 20th century when horseback riding was the area’s main attraction.
The hotel was closed in 2020 season due to the Covid epidemic but reopened on June 24, 2021.
Paranormal Activity
The apparition of a lady dressed in 1920’s attire is often seen at night – usually by the staff – looking out of the lobby windows towards the lake.
One guest had the apparition of a little girl suddenly appear in the shower with him. He and his wife are reported to have checked out swiftly afterwards.
In Room 308 guests and staff have seen numerous apparitions that disappear as quickly as they appeared. There’s also numerous reports of unexplained sounds in that room.
The apparition of a woman in a red dress has been seen in one of the rooms.
The phantom smells of cigarette smoke and perfume are reported throughout the hotel.
A night auditor felt invisible fingers move through his hair.
All the lights in one of the hallways turned red in front of witnesses.
The phantom sounds of a couple arguing on one of the balconies is heard when there is no one on the balcony.
The cabins are also haunted with a mischievous ghost named Bob who steals room keys and likes to make guests jump haunts the Belton Chalet. Bob’s ghost is also seen as a man in a top hat and tails.
Room 37 is said to be the most haunted at Belton and has a tendency to lock itself without the benefit of a key.
Belton Chalet has also gotten reports of phantom screams; disembodied voices and a little girl’s laughter; unexplained noise of a ball bouncing in the middle of the night and chairs rocking with no one visible in them. Other people report phantom footsteps coming right to their door and the feeling as if someone not visible is in the room with them.
The Belton has been cleansed in a Blackfoot ceremony, but the ghosts don’t seem to want to move on.
In Cabin 2A a nasty smell is reported as well as one gunshot sometimes in the middle of the night. Objects have moved on their own in 2A as well.
A winter caretaker reported coming across an empty wine bottle on the floor and the door to the wine cooler standing open. He was the only one on site and there were no footprints in the snow outside.
Another caretaker – this time a couple – reported there were places in the hotel that made the hair on the backs of their necks stand up and other places where the feeling of danger was so intense they started visibly shaking. The same couple reported hearing music playing in the empty hotel and searched and searched until they found a cassette player playing the music in the gift shop.
HELENA
CARROLL COLLEGE
1601 N Benton Avenue
St Charles Hall & St Albert’s Hall
Status: Private Catholic College
By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:RCraig09" title="User:RCraig09">RCraig09</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
History
This Liberal Arts Catholic College was founded in 1909 by John Patrick Carroll and was originally called Mount St Charles College. In 1932 the name was changed to honor its founder.
It was originally an all male school teaching such vocations as priesthood, law and medicine.
The college is now co-ed and is considered one of the best schools in the United States ranking #1 as the best school for value of its tuition.
In 1989 the Helena Train Wreck damaged many parts of the campus, forced an evacuation, but resulted in no deaths.
Paranormal Activity
It is said that the frequency of reports goes up during both mid-term and final exams when student stress goes up.
In a 4th floor mens bathroom in St Charles Hall a drunken student died of a cerebral hemorrhage after falling and hitting his head on a sink. The apparition of the student has been seen in the bathroom and the phantom blood stains have been seen on the sink. There are also reports of feeling as if you are being watched and of unease.
This bathroom is reported to be locked up now because of the level of paranormal activity.
The apparition of a student who jumped to his death down a stairwell is also seen in St Charles Hall.
In St Albert’s Hall the apparition of a nun is seen wandering the top floor of the building. It is said that she died of influenza shortly after the college was founded.
Reports of feeling like you are not alone and of unease are also reported.
VIRGINIA CITY
BONANZA INN
308 West Idaho Street
Status: Former Courthouse; Former Hospital; Hotel
History
This building was originally constructed in the mid-1860’s as the Madison County Courthouse; a position it served until 1875.
In 1876 three nuns in the Sisters of Charity from Leavenworth, Kansas arrived in town and converted the building to the St Mary’s Hospital for Miners. In the hospital the sisters fought cholera, typhoid and tuberculosis break outs as well as victims of mining accidents and gunshot wounds from saloon brawls.
When the mine began to dry up and the miners, naturally, moved on and the need for the hospital went with them. In 1879 the Sisters packed up and moved on.
Its unclear when the building became a hotel but the reports of paranormal activity didn’t start until the 1950’s.
Paranormal Activity
The apparition of a woman who can be identified as a nun, but otherwise remains in shadow, has often seen sitting on the side of the bed of those who have been upset or depressed and stayed in the building. She is thought to be the same ghost as the shadowed nun seen in the Episcopal Church and wandering Idaho Street.
Many believe the ghost to be that of Sister Irene an 18 year old novice who worked in the hospital and was known for her kindness.
While filming The Missouri Breaks with Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson in the town one of the crew stayed in Room 1 of the Inn. He was ill and slept through dinner only to be awakened by loud knocking on the room door. He opened the door to find no one there and the knocking moved to the window; also no one there. The knocking moved from door to window over and over again until the man went outside and slept in his car.
The building was then closed down until 1997 when Montana opened it again to house State workers. A woman staying in Room 1 woke up in the middle of the night to see a male figure standing over her bed wearing a wide brimmed hat and a duster. He faded away right before her eyes.
A few years later another woman staying in Room 1 became sure that someone was standing outside the window watching her. When she opened the curtains there stood a man in a wide brim hat and a duster.
Also, in Room 1, a man – who was working on renovations in the building – had a frightening sleepless night as someone under the bed kept snapping the bed springs.
Sister Irene – or whoever the shadowed nun is – favors Room 2 and is most often seen and felt there. One paranormal investigator had an injured knee and asked the sisters for help in Room 2. He felt a warming healing sensation spread over his knee and a large light anomaly was photographed over his head at the same time.
Phantom soft female footsteps have been heard outside of Rooms 1 and 2 followed by the sound of a lock turning. In the same area an EVP was captured of a woman saying “help you?”
In Room 7 people have described a very unpleasant smell most of them associate with nursing homes or geriatric wards. The phantom sounds of water splashing like in a bowl or bucket has been heard; quite illuminating when you realize the nuns washed patients from bowls filled with water.
VIRGINIA CITY
FAIRWEATHER INN
305 East Wallace
Status: Operational Seasonal Historic Hotel
History
This hotel was built in the 1880’s and originally called the Anaconda Hotel and Saloon.
It went through a number of owners; of note is Frank and Amanda Mckeen as after Frank died in the early 20th century Amanda ended her own life on the property. In the 1940’s Charles and Susan Bovey bought the hotel and changed the name to the Fairweather Inn. It was named after Bill Fairweather who discovered gold nearby.
It is a small hotel – only 8 rooms – and only open seasonally (mid-June to Mid-September) but is filled with antiques and perfect for anyone looking to go back in time to a century ago.
Paranormal Activity
The hotel can become so active more than a few guests have left in the middle of the night.
It is said to be haunted by the multiple ghosts of children. They can be heard running back and forth in the hallways in the night. Reports indicate they will open and close your room’s door whether it is locked or not. They’re known for moving your personal items around your room. They flick the lights on and off and generally behave as you’d expect small children to.
If you bring your children for the stay the ghosts have been known to show themselves to them and encourage them to play.
The apparition of a woman – thought to be Amanda Mckeen - has been seen. She more frequently makes her herself known by phantom footsteps and the sounds of her dress swishing as she walks.