Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 1 64 BANNACK BANNACK is one of my favorite state parks, and always worth a visit. One aspect of the park that I haven't always visited, regretfully so, is Boot Hill. A difficult climb when I'm less in shape, though my husband seemed to bound up the hill when we last visited. Upon reaching the top he said, "That wasn't bad, it's like an elliptical!" Thankfully, his words carried downhill back to me, about 10 feet behind. A year in quaran- tine had me wheezing my way up, but the view at the top is the best reward. In one direction is an unob- structed view of Bannack's historic mill, and another holds the history of the lives and deaths of its residents. Montana's first contempo- rary-style funeral took place here, and the headstone of its celebrant is still intact today: a hand-carved stone with a Masonic symbol emblazoned on it. The funeral had 76 Mason attendants. The 77th Mason was buried that day. After about 20 years, the town decided to use a site that was probably a little easier to access with a wagon. A few miles outside of town, an equally historic yet slightly "new- er" cemetery sits among the flats. I first wandered this site in my youth. I remember asking my dad why some of the gravestones had small rocks on them, and why he himself was placing stones as well. He explained to me the Jewish custom of placing pebbles on the headstone, how the small stone is a sign of the living remembering the dead and an extension of the original monument. I proceeded to ask if we were Jewish, since as a child I had not been privy to our genealogy. "We are not," he replied, "but I still think it's a nice way to acknowledge those who came before us." SILVER STAR I pulled up to SILVER STAR on a Saturday morning and sat for a while, taking it all in before heading up the dirt road, winding uphill toward the patch of green oasis that can be seen from the state high- way. After parking in the much-appreciated shade of its bordering trees, I was finally free to explore the grounds before me. It was the first stop of a weeklong trip south, and a great first stop it was. Immediately I was intrigued by the wrought iron fencing that surrounds many plots, how the sites extend beyond the green grass, up into the sagebrush and cactus of the rolling hills. Graves marked with a simple "unknown" are tended to with the same care as expansive and charming family plots found in the same gardens. Elaborate headstones sit on the same lawn as simple granite rocks with just a name carved into them to tell you who rests there. New headstones alongside old, this cemetery tells of a tight-knit community with a rich history and a deep respect for its past inhabitants. SPRINGHILL SPRINGHILL BIG BIG TIMBER TIMBER BANNACK BANNACK SILVER STAR SILVER STAR S I L V E R S T A R B I G T I M B E R

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