Quick Draw in Bannack

I’m walking down a dusty road early one morning.   On either side are  rough hewn buildings leaning this way and that.  Blank  windows dare me to step back in time.   I can imagine that the townsfolk have run for cover and at any moment  Marshall Dillon will burst through the swinging saloon doors for a show down with a notorious outlaw. I’m in Bannack, Montana  where vigilantes and road agents once ruled the day.  Now, the only quick draw that will take place is my desire to sketch as much as possible in a day.

Bannack is a true ghost town.  It’s been deserted for nearly 50 years.     After flourishing briefly during the gold rush of the 1860’s, it gradually faded away, leaving 60 buildings as a testament to its colorful past.   Now a state park, on this sunny Saturday only a handful of visitors have come to explore.  It was, quite simply, a perfect place to draw.  Here’s a few samples.

I would have loved to stay for several days.  Maybe another time.  I took a lot of photographs and am looking forward to using them to develop some larger drawings with color.   Even my dog enjoyed our day there.