Pony was settled in the 1860s, and the last mines closed in 1922. It's amazing how the old masonry buildings held up to a century of Montana temperature swings -- I'd guess 50 below to 100 above most years.

Complain about then, curse them, and even fight them, but banks deserve some credit -- they were built to last. And not just in Pony or just in Montana. No raw wooden walls or shingles would do for a bank anywhere (although Shorpy might have an example or two). So some credit to perhaps the most stable elements in many urban scenes, Pony is just one more example.

[I'm not sure if Pony could ever have been described as "urban"! - Dave]

Are those the same two guys in every picture of Pony?

[The fellow on the right is Charles Morris himself. - Dave]

Did it really require those two big rocks to hold open the screen doors to the bank? Couldn't two painted cast iron cats curled up asleep (like at my grandma's house) have done the trick?

What was the purpose for that very long chain the one man has his foot on? Did the bank also use it for an overkill purpose?

Picture from my 2011 visit: