Royalty free images by Mike¹ – No. 55

Combined Lodge and Schoolhouse, Bannack, Montana, July 30, 2010. 

The first schools in Bannack, Montana, were subscription schools – essentially private schools with parents paying tuition for their children to attend.

In 1874, Bannack Masonic Lodge No. 16 built a combination lodge and school building. The school was a public school serving students in K through 8th grade. It finally closed in the 1950s. The school was on the bottom floor and the lodge on the second.

Image shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “Combined Lodge and Schoolhouse.”

1. Only images specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.

Royalty free images by Mike¹ – No. 54

Skinner’s Saloon, Bannack, Montana, July 30, 2010. 

Skinner’s Saloon²

Founded in 1862 and named after the local Bannock Indians. It was the site of a major gold discovery in 1862, and served as the capital of Montana Territory briefly in 1864. At its peak, Bannack had a population of about ten thousand. Extremely remote, it was connected to the rest of the world only by the Montana Trail. There were three hotels, three bakeries, three blacksmith shops, two stables, two meat markets, a grocery store, a restaurant, a brewery, a billiard hall, and four saloons. Skinner’s Saloon is the only one left in today’s Bannack.Though all of the businesses were built of logs, some had decorative false fronts.

Skinner’s Saloon was built in 1862 by Cyrus Skinner down in Yankee Flats. In 1863 the saloon was moved to it’s present location. Nice people did not wander into Skinner’s. This was where the most dangerous, meanest and ruthless men in the territory congregated. It was not safe to walk down the street of Bannack after dark and sometimes in the daylight. Shooting and killing was a normal standard here. The demise of Road Agent George Carhart happened in this very building. One evening when gambler George Banfield’s love of winning got the best of him and he was discovered cheating. Both men emptied pistols at each other inside this saloon, missing on every shot.

At first the only effect of their impromptu fray seemed the shooting of “Toodles” a small local dog. While lamenting the loss of the community dog, it was discovered that George Carhart was shot in the stomach. He died a short time later in extreme agony. So much shooting and violence occurred daily in this saloon that the barber in the corner wouldn’t miss a stroke with a straight edge razor when the bullets started flying. In 1869, after the Road Agent’s reign had ended, the building became a mercantile and remained so for nearly 60 years.

Image shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “Skinner’s Saloon.”

1. Only images specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.
2. Spirit of the West – Montana Outdoors, July–August 2003

Royalty free images by Mike¹ – No. 53

Hotel Meade, Bannack, Montana, July 30, 2010. 

Hotel Mead²

The Meade Hotel is a Bannack landmark and one of the town’s most widely recognized buildings. Built in 1875 as the Beaverhead County Courthouse, it was an example of immense civic pride. Little expense was spared, and over the years much of its splendor—like the winding staircase, stately courtroom, and several big iron safes—has survived. Just a few years after the courthouse was built, however, the county seat was moved to Dillon, and the building was converted into a hotel.

Though no longer lodging guests, the hotel still attracts thousands of visitors each year. During special events, its old dining room rings to laughter and the clink of dishes as volunteers heap breakfast plates with biscuits, eggs, and ham.

Image shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “Hotel Meade.”

1. Only images specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.
2. Spirit of the West – Montana Outdoors, July–August 2003

Royalty free images by Mike¹ – No. 52

Masonic Lodge and School House, Bannack, Montana, July 30, 2010. 

The first schools in Bannack, Montana, were subscription schools – essentially private schools with parents paying tuition for their children to attend.

In 1874, Bannack Masonic Lodge No. 16 built a combination lodge and school building. The school was a public school serving students in K through 8th grade. It finally closed in the 1950s. The school was on the bottom floor and the lodge on the second.

Image shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “Masonic Lodge and School House.”

1. Only images specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.

Royalty free images by Mike¹ – No. 51

White Sands Adobe, White Sands National Monument,  Visitor Center, New Mexico, October 13, 2011. 

Image shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “White Sands Adobe.”

1. Only images specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.

Royalty free images by Mike¹ – No. 50

Black Eyed Susan, West-central Arkansas, July 18, 2018.

Image shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “Black Eyed Susan.”

1. Only images specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.

Royalty free photos by Mike¹ – No. 49

Graeter House, Bannack State Park (ghost town and first territorial capitol), Montana, July 30, 2010.

Photo shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “Graeter House.”

1. Only photos specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.

Post-processing #41 |

Buffalo crossing river at Nez Perce Ford, Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, August 7, 2010 (Pentax K10D)

Nez Perce in Yellowstone¹

During the 1877 Nez Perce War, several bands of the Nez Perce tribe refused to give up their Pacific Northwest ancestral lands and be moved to a reservation in Idaho. After the first armed engagement in June, 1877, they undertook an arduous 1,170 mile trek to find sanctuary with other tribes.  Pursued by elements of the U.S. Army, they fought a series of battles and skirmishes along their June to October journey. Passing through Yellowstone National Park, between August 23 and September 6, the Nez Perce had several hostile and deadly encounters with park visitors, killing at least two and wounding several.  To prevent news of their location from reaching the army, after leaving the park across the Absaroka Mountains, the Nez Perce hunted down and killed white prospectors and hunters.

Nez Perce Ford is the location of Chief Joseph’s crossing of the Yellowstone River on August 25, 1877. First named by superintendent Philetus Norris in 1880, the ford has also been known as Chief Joseph’s Crossing and Buffalo Ford (1946).

Reference:

1. Wikipedia (accessed June 2, 2018)

Note:

Post-processing – Image editing to enhance the photo closer to what the eye “saw.” Images in this series are usually selected within a day or so of being edited and are either posted at the time or scheduled for posting at a later date.

Royalty free photos by Mike¹ – No. 48

Crinum Lily blossoms, west-central Arkansas, July 2, 2018 

Photo shared as public domain on Pixabay and Flickr as “Crinum Lily Blossoms.”

1. Only photos specifically identified as such are public domain or creative commons on our pages. All other images are copyright protected, creative commons or used under the provisions of fair use.