Bannack was made famous by its sherriff, Henry Plummer. Henry Plummer was an outlaw that escaped the law in Nevada and California. He came to Bannack and pretended to be an ordinary, law abiding citizen. He convinced the citizens to elect him sherriff. Once elected, he and his gang went to work. There was only one stagecoach route between Bannack and Virginia City. It went through a mountain pass. It had been the scene of a few holdups before this time.
He decided to have his gang rob many of the stagecoaches and muder their occupants. This went on for some time before people finally figured out that Henry was the head of this gang. By this time, he was responsible for over 100 murder and countless robberies. The townspeople from Bannack and Virginia City decided to organize a group for some good old fashioned vigilante justice. They constructed a gallows behind the saloon. Henry and his gang were soon hung. In the incident about two dozen people were hanged.
Bannack is in southwest Montana. From Dillon, Montana, take highway 278 west. You will go about 15 to 20 miles when you see a road going to the south that goes to Bannack. Go down this road about 5 miles to Bannack.
