Bannack and Virginia City, Montana

Bannack
In the history of the Old West, there is no better example of vigilante justice then in the events that took place in and around the Montana town of Bannack in 1863. After reading The Vigilantes of Montana, I had to see Bannack where Sheriff Plumber operated his criminal enterprise before he was strung up



This rafter was used to hang five robbers. At the time of the hanging, the small building under construction did not yet have a roof, but it had these large rafters installed. You can see the rope burn on this one. Th building is now open to the public and a section of the ceiling is open so visitors can view it.




Charles Beehrer was one of the original vigilantes, actually, the last surviving member. He posed for this photo at age 92.