Bannack, Montana was the first territorial capital and site of one of the first gold dredges in the United States. The document discusses the efforts of the Bannack Association and its volunteers to preserve the historic town of Bannack through public archaeology projects like excavating the historic Hotel Mead and recovering artifacts to display in Bannack State Park and educate visitors about Bannack's gold rush past as the capital in the 1860s-1880s.