Robber’s Roost

Pete Daly built a log roadhouse at this site in 1863. Unlike most roadhouses of the time, which provided meals, companionship, and a place to stay for weary travelers, Daly’s was allegedly a hangout for Montana’s most notorious criminal gang – the “Innocents.” It was reputedly lead by Henry Plummer, the Sheriff of Bannack and Virginia City. His deputies were supposedly members of the gang. According to legend, the Innocents watched travelers stopping here on the Virginia City and Bannack Road. If they looked like easy targets to the crooks, there were plenty of places to rob them in the wilderness between the two mining camps. Although not a member of the Innocents, Daly was well aware of their activities. Most of the members of the gang, including Plummer, were killed by the Vigilantes in early 1864. This log building is traditionally known as Robber’s Roost. It was not, however, constructed until several years after Plummer’s gang met its grisly end. Unlike its predecessor, this building functioned more as a traditional stage stop. Pete Daly lived to a ripe old age and was one of the valley’s most prominent citizens at the time of his death in 1915.