Dillon has two documented haunted places, new index finds

With Halloween approaching, Dillon has two documented haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index of Montana's most haunted places, though neither ranks among the state's top ten. The index ranks 61 Montana sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Bannack State Park, Montana's most famous haunted site, is one of Dillon's two documented places, though it misses the state's top ten. The town grew up after John White discovered gold along Grasshopper Creek on July 28, 1862, the first major strike in what became Montana Territory, and it briefly served as the territory's first capital before mining shifted to Virginia City. More than 50 log and frame buildings survive along its original main street, including the 1875 schoolhouse and the Masonic lodge. Visitors to the schoolhouse have reported disembodied children's voices in the empty classroom.

The other is Hotel Meade, within the same preserved townsite. Built in 1875 as the Beaverhead County Courthouse, it stood vacant after Dillon took the county seat in 1881 before its 1890 remodel into a hotel, which operated into the 1940s; the state park has preserved the building since 1954. Visitors and rangers have reported cold spots in the empty upper rooms and unexplained infant cries carrying through the cottonwoods nearby.

Statewide, Virginia City ranks #1.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Bannack State Park, 4200 Bannack Road, Dillon, is a state park with self-guided walking access to more than 50 preserved buildings, open daily year-round.Hotel Meade, 721 Bannack Road, Dillon, is part of the same state park grounds and open to the same self-guided walk; visitors may enter the building's lower floors.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/montana/The fact sheet, with Dillon numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/montana/Venue contact: fwp.mt.govA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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