Wender·Vista
Bannack ghost town State Park
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMontana
on Grasshopper Creek, west of Dillon in southwest Montana

Bannack ghost town State Park

— — the town the gold left behind.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Montana's first territorial capital, abandoned in slow stages once the placer gold ran thin. Sixty-some buildings still stand on Grasshopper Creek: a log saloon, the Hotel Meade, a schoolhouse, the gallows where Sheriff Henry Plummer was hanged in January 1864. The state took the town on in 1954 and has held it in arrested decay since. Walk-in only. Doors unlocked, mostly.

from the studio
Bannack ghost town State Park
— bring it home

Bannack ghost town State Park, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Bannack ghost town State Park

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Bannack sits on Grasshopper Creek in Beaverhead County, about 25 miles west of Dillon, Montana. John White's strike in July 1862 brought thousands of miners within a year, and the Montana Territory named Bannack its first capital in 1864. The capital moved to Virginia City the next year as the diggings shifted. The town held on through several revivals and emptied through the 1940s and 50s. The state took title in 1954 and has held the buildings in arrested decay since.

— the visit

The park is day-use, dawn to dusk, with a small per-vehicle fee. The visitor centre near the entrance has a walking map of the sixty surviving structures, including the Hotel Meade, the Masonic Hall and schoolhouse, and the log gallows where Sheriff Henry Plummer was hanged in January 1864. Doors are open and rooms are walkable; the state asks that nothing be moved or taken. Camping is available at the small park campground a quarter mile up the creek.

— the year

Bannack Days, held the third weekend of July, is the one weekend the town fills again. Volunteers run black-powder demonstrations, stagecoach rides, and the old schoolhouse opens for tours. The rest of the year the park is quiet, open dawn to dusk, with a small visitor centre at the gate. Winter access drops to the main street as snow comes in; the back lots and Boot Hill above town carry snow into April most years.

— where
United States · Beaverhead County, Montana
— within
Bannack State Park
— elevation
1,779 m · 5,837 ft
— position
45.1611° N · 112.9967° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
40 km E
Dillon
county seat and I-15 exit
95 km NE
Virginia City
second territorial capital
at the lake
Grasshopper Creek
the gold-bearing creek the town sits on
N
Bannack ghost town State Park
Dillon
Virginia City
Grasshopper Creek
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Bannack ghost town State Park — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On Grasshopper Creek in Beaverhead County, southwest Montana, about 25 miles west of Dillon by paved road and gravel spur. The nearest interstate exit is I-15 at Dillon.

Bannack was the site of Montana's first major gold strike, in July 1862, and the first capital of the Montana Territory in 1864. The capital moved to Virginia City the next year.

Around sixty, including the Hotel Meade, the Masonic Hall, the schoolhouse, several log cabins, and the gallows. The state holds them in arrested decay rather than reconstruction.

The elected sheriff of Bannack, hanged by a vigilance committee in January 1864 on suspicion of leading a road-agent gang. The original gallows still stand at the edge of town.

Daily, dawn to dusk, with a small per-vehicle fee. The visitor centre and building interiors open seasonally. Winter access narrows to the main street as snow comes in.

A weekend living-history event the third weekend of July with black-powder demonstrations, stagecoach rides, period crafts, and the schoolhouse open for tours. The only weekend the town crowds.

— about the piece in your home

It reads as a real Montana place rather than a generic frontier scene. Families with Beaverhead County or Bannack ties tend to know the Hotel Meade and the gallows on sight. A Small ships well.

Ranch-modern, library-traditional, and mountain-cabin rooms. The weathered log and creek-bench palette sits well against unfinished wood, leather, and warm metals. It also holds in a darker study.

Yes. Ranch-modern has moved toward place-specific art rooted in actual Western towns rather than mass-market cowboy imagery. A real territorial capital suits the direction.

A single Large above a console, a 4-tile Mural above a sofa, or a 9-tile Mural where the wall can hold a wider view of the town.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash. Glossy stays in dryer rooms where the sheen reads as a piece of art.

Microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ammonia cleaners. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it, so wiping does not lift it off.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our Knoxville studio, no licensing, no third-party stock. Reid Wender chooses each place and signs off on each finished tile.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.