Ghost Adventures – Bannack Ghost Town – S09E04

Zak, Nick and Aaron head out to Bannack Montana to investigate an old mining town with a checkered past and tales of the paranormal. The mining town was established in 1862 and hundreds of millions of dollars were pulled from the ground. As with so many gold rush towns it was lawless, harsh and riddled with disease. The claims of the paranormal extend from small children afflicted with scarlet fever to a sheriff that caused more chaos than he came to solve. So much in fact that he was hanged by an angry mob.

The death toll in the area is quite high with many children being boarded up in the Crying Baby House to quarantine their disease and the Sheriff is rumored to have killed over 100 men in 8 months. There is also the story of Dorothy who lost her life while swimming in a dredge pond. This has lead many to feel they’ve had experiences of crying children, the sound of footsteps, being pushed or touched and seeing figures moving around.

Things start off with Zak getting very excited at the idea of capturing a shadow forming out of the wall.

Our trio investigate multiple buildings and gets the usual bangs, knocks and footsteps. A lot of this should be attributed to the wood popping as it expands and contracts, although the sounds of someone walking outside on the boardwalk outside the saloon is pretty interesting. It’s quite loud and sounds like a set of heavy boots on wood.

Other evidence they gather includes a couple of voices coming through the Spirit Box. They get the words "hate" and "hurt" right at the same time Zak feels a sense of paralysis at the top of the stairs. This is apparently the same spot where Franciso says he felt someone pushing at his back as though trying to shove him down the stairs. Zak feels this is a demonic energy and feels it may be the corrupt Sheriff, Henry Plummer.

The group brings in a couple of triggers objects – an old style crank phone and very old radio. When Billy cranks up the phone he feels he’s seeing balls of light and energy around him. When Zak and Nick use the radio they feel they get the sound of a little girl saying, "momma".

They also capture the sound of what might be a piano playing in the saloon.

When they split up to check different buildings Aaron gets a couple of words on the Ovilus – Six, Men, Apart. Is this once again referring to them and the sprit of Sheriff Plummer?

While I don’t think they nailed anything solid – I discount the bangs, pops and orbs, they did get some voices that are worth investigating. The footsteps outside, while completely explainable as someone walking or just boards cooling, makes for an interesting sound outside the saloon.

However, there was the sound of piano and the voice. Is this proof positive they captured something? Not really. To me it means there is something worth investigating. I don’t really jump on board with these orbs and streaks of light. Zak can discount lens flare and dust particles all he wants, but that doesn’t make it spirit energy. And while I think the footsteps are neat, I hear those same sounds all the time in my house as the wood handles the heat and cold. It sounds like someone moving around all the time and I know damn well and good there aren’t any spirits lurking in here. Perhaps it is ethereal footsteps, but there are real world explanations too.

So, an interesting investigation with a couple of neat events. Plus, the place is wonderfully scenic with mountains, steams and deer. That makes the visit worthwhile.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Ghost Adventures – The Copper Queen Hotel and The Oliver House – S06E03
• Ghost Adventures – Goldfield Hotel – S04E16
• Ghost Adventures – Battle of Perryville Field Hospital – S08E11
• Ghost Adventures – Palace Saloon – S13E03
• Paranormal Cops – Stirring Up The Dead – S01E03
• Paranormal Lockdown – Franklin Castle – S01E03
• Ghost Adventures – Thornhaven Manor – S08E10
• Ghost Adventures – The Pioneer Saloon – S08E01
• Ghost Adventures – Virginia City – S05E07
• Killer Contact – Mayan Empire – S01E05