To Be Livin' Poetry and Prose

To Be Livin' Poetry and Prose

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To Be Livin' Poetry and Prose
To Be Livin' Poetry and Prose
Bannack

Bannack

A ghost town and Montana State Park with some very memorable moments, and that cellular feeling that I've been there—long before.

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Wendy Gray
Jan 18, 2025
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To Be Livin' Poetry and Prose
To Be Livin' Poetry and Prose
Bannack
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Meade Hotel, Bannack. 1993 Also used as the bank and courthouse. Photo by Wendy Gray
Me imagining all those who descended and ascended the staircase inside the Meade Hotel. Oh, the stories… Photo taken in fall of 1993 and property of Wendy Gray.


Hello all and sundry!

Well, thanks so much for dropping in! Are you ready for a story?! Well, come on in and let me share this one. Grab a snack or two and, maybe a ‘spirited’ hot drink…you may want one by the end of this account!

This last week I have been prepping for this prose piece as well as the ‘places’ poems I will be sharing with you this month. While pulling out poems written about them and having memories surface about how they have impacted me, I recalled a story about one of these special spots and thought you may like to hear it.

I’ll give you some background about this place, and then, I am going to give you a short story about a specific trip made to Bannack State Park located in Beaverhead County just outside of Dillon, Montana. Bannack is a historical ghost town; Montana has many. This one is by far my favorite!

Should past lives be possible, I am very sure that I once lived there! Believe it or not, I have some proof of that!

Allow me to tell you about it.


Because it is the 18th of the month the rest of today’s post is for paid subscribers.

What does that mean?

Only this portion of this post is viewable to everyone and the rest is paywalled. Why? Well, because the prose piece posted on the 18th of every month is an EXTRA serving; one I devotedly promise to my paid Subscribers. If you are one of them, my undying gratitude and love for your generosity and encouragement!

Not a paid Subscriber? No worries! A large percentage of my posts are FREE to be viewed by everyone (see ‘the MENU!’ located in the navigation bar on my newsletter page for a description of pieces free and paid). Those who are Free Subscribers DO get many of my posts delivered directly to their email inboxes, so they never miss a free post! You can also get posting alerts for new free posts and view them with ease if you have the Substack APP.

STILL….

Should you decide you would like to get more here, the dessert and the Extra-EXTRA!, or are enjoying what I write and would like to extend some support for the work I do, joining this community of love-sponsors is as easy as treating me to a coffee once a month, or a couple sweet teas (I live in Texas, Y’all!). AND…you CAN get in on those special posts as well. Best yet, you’ll receive my undying gratitude and love! Now that’s a DEAL-DEAL!

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Main Street, the Saloon's bar, an old cabin on outskirts of town, and the school house had two stories: upstairs the meeting space for the Masons and downstairs the classroom. Photos by Wendy Gray
During Bannack Days 1994. Shootout reenactment and just outside of town a group of tepees. Photos by Wendy Gray

Now, for the story…


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