Distinguished by statesmen and magnates, Helena's history is colored with many other compelling characters and episodes nearly lost to time. Before achieving eminence in Deadwood, Sheriff Seth Bullock oversaw Montana Territory's first two legal hangings. The Seven Mile House was an oasis of vice for the parched, weary travelers entering the valley on the Benton Road, despite a tumultuous succession of ownership. The heritage of the Sieban Ranch and the saga of "King Kong" Clayton, "the Joe...

"With a ghostly twist on history, Baumler captures Montana's cultural heritage and brings the state's supernatural past to life." — Humanities MontanaMontana's past embodies the rough, unforgiving and often vicious nature of the old Wild West. Unscrupulous gold camps and railroad expansion attracted the good, bad and ugly from all across the Union and as far as China. Many a soul shed blood under the Big Sky, leaving restless spirits to linger. Discover the...

A look at the supernatural history of this Western town—includes photos!Helena was born of the gold rush, nurtured by the wealth of its financiers and raised on its political struggles. The lawless gold camp and its vigilante hangings left an indelible imprint on the modern community, and restless spirits from Helena's turbulent past still linger around town.Historian and award-winning author Ellen Baumler blends history with the supernatural as she expertl...

The Life of the Afterlife in the Big Sky State is a groundbreaking history of death in Montana. It offers a unique, reflective, and sensitive perspective on the evolution of customs and burial grounds. Beginning with Montana’s first known burial site, Ellen Baumler considers the archaeological records of early interments in rock ledges, under cairns, in trees, and on open-air scaffolds.Contact with Europeans at trading posts and missions brought new burial practices. Later...

A covered wagon on a dim road, the promise of a long journey, and the wonder of what lay ahead filled the shadowy spaces of Mary Sheehan Ronan’s earliest memories. By the time she was a married woman in her twenties, she was a well-seasoned pioneer, having crossed most of the country and retraced her steps back across a third of it. In this highly readable, entertaining account, Ronan tells the story of one woman’s life in the West during the second half of the nineteenth century.T...

Forget dreary dates and boring facts. More Montana Moments serves up a fresh batch of the most funny, bizarre, and interesting stories from Montana’s history. Meet the colorful cast of the famous and not-so-famous desperadoes, vigilantes, madams, and darned good men and women (and a few critters) who made the state’s history. Best of all, each vignette takes about two minutes to read. So have fun exploring Montana—and enjoy a little history as you go.

Floorboards creaking. Inanimate objects flying off walls. Fleeting glimpses of ghostly figures moving in solemn grace through the halls and walls of our homes and offices. We all recognize these telltale signs of haunted places, and in this delightful collection of stories from Montana's legendary mining towns the state's supernatural history comes to life.Ellen Baumler has tracked down descendants and participants, searched out historical records, and interviewed hundreds in her p...

Montana is alive with things that go bump in the Big Sky night. A World War II serviceman who lingers in a Billings business, a dearly departed priest who still hitchhikes around Helena, and a Hamilton socialite who adorns her mansion with the scent of roses--these are a few of the creepy tales from across the state collected in Beyond Spirit Tailings. Passed down through generations, these "spirit tailings" illustrate the subtle presence of the past in the everyday lives of moder...

Forget dreary dates and boring facts. Montana Moments distills the most funny, bizarre, and interesting stories from Montana’s history into pure entertainment. Meet the colorful cast of the famous and not-so-famous desperadoes, vigilantes, madams, and darned good men and women (and a few critters) who made the state’s history. You’ll get a laugh from the story of the transient vaudevillian who wrote Montana’s state song. Captain James C. Kerr’s tale of the Flathead Lake monster might make ...

Unearth a gold mine of spooky history and meet the spirits that haunt this South Dakota landmark—photos included.The Wild West may be tamed, but Deadwood's notorious past has not relinquished its hold on its corner of the Badlands or its place in popular imagination. And no wonder. If Wild Bill Hickok found its streets a little too rough, it should come as no surprise that the gamblers, gunslingers, and general mischief-makers who put down roots at Deadwood's saloo...

Trapped miners from cave-ins long ago still calling for help.Ghostly women lurking in the shadows of city streets.Spectral holy men and outlaws from America's Spanish past making appearances in our modern age.They are all citizens of Haunted America, and this isHAUNTED HOMELAND.From a haunted castle in the wilds of Alaska to phantom clergymen in the Southwest and mysterious bouncing lights on the East Coast, this latest volume covers the places, the peopl...

"[Burlington's] Ghost Guru . . . is responsible for keeping alive those things that are dead but still floating around, sometimes quite literally" ( Ravenous Monster).The vibrant city of Burlington is a perpetual hub of activity, with hordes of shoppers strolling up and down Church Street and groups of college students scattered about the lawns of UVM. Stop and listen to the stories of Queen City Ghostwalk guide Thea Lewis, and discover the ghostly shapes ...