Sheridan in Madison County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Robber's Roost

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2016

1. Robber's Roost Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

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 Bannock 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 Bannock 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

Robber's Roost Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 17, 2016

2. Robber's Roost Marker (wide view)

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prominent citizens at the time of his death in 1915.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Notable Places • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1863.

Location. 45° 23.559′ N, 112° 8.788′ W. Marker is in Sheridan, Montana, in Madison County. Marker is on State Highway 287, 0.6 miles south of Ramshorn Creek Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in the middle/median of the unnamed crossroad/private drive leading off to the west from the highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sheridan MT 59749, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. William O'Brien House (approx. 4.9 miles away); Bethel United Methodist Church (approx. 4.9 miles away); Sheridan Montana - The Heart of the Ruby Valley (approx. 5.1 miles away); Garnets, Vigilantes and Gold Dredges (approx. 6.1 miles away); Adobetown (approx. 9.7 miles away); Gold in Alder Gulch (approx. 9.7 miles away); Finney House (approx. 10.4 miles away); Montana’s Oldest Standing School (approx. 10½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sheridan.

More about this marker. Marker is a large, composite "billboard-style" marker, suspended from a heavy wooden frame, and in good condition.

Also see . . .
1. Road agents and the Plummer gang.
In their writings about the vigilantes, Thomas Dimsdale and Nathaniel P. Langford estimated that at least 102 travelers were killed by robbers in the fall of 1863. Many more travelers left the region and were

Additional Robber's Roost Marker image. Click for full size.

Thomas B. Brook (courtesy of the Thomas Brown Brook Photographs Collection - Montana State Univ.), 1950

3. Additional Robber's Roost Marker

An earlier version of the marker, albeit with different wording.

never heard from again. As this became a more frequent occurrence locals began suspecting that these crimes were being carried out by a single group of outlaws, known as "road agents", under the control of Bannack sheriff Henry Plummer. The gang became known as the Innocents because of their passwords, I am innocent. (Submitted on May 2, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Robber's Roost: Inside a Stagecoach Station.
(This link presents several photographs of Robber's Roost, exterior and interior.)
Daly's, it was called, but when the reputation of an earlier outpost at this site attached to it, Robber's Roost it became. Outlaws, they were, and from that earlier building, they'd kept an eagle eye out for hapless travelers on the road from Virginia City, capital of Montana Territory, and the gold at Bannack. Pete Daly managed to survive the invasion until the Vigilantes of Montana ended the lives of many of his guests. Daly swore himself a victim, thus avoiding the noose, and rebuilt. (Submitted on May 2, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Robber’s Roost.
Because events supposedly connected to Sherriff Henry Plummer and his suspected gang occurred near the Daly ranch in 1863 and 1864, mystery, legend, and mistaken identity have long been part of the history of the stage stop called Robber’s Roost. Although it never served as a gathering place for

An additional Robber's Roost Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Doreen Thomson, July 26, 2015

4. An additional Robber's Roost Marker

the road agents and no early-day murders have been documented there, the inn is historically important as a link between the two territorial capitals—Bannack and Virginia City—and one of few surviving log stage stations of this very early territorial period. (Submitted on May 2, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

<i>Woman and Boy Stand in Front of the Robbers Roost a Two Story Log Cabin 1905</i> image. Click for full size.

Thomas B. Brook (courtesy of the Thomas Brown Brook Photographs Collection - Montana State Univ.), circa 1905

5. Woman and Boy Stand in Front of the Robbers Roost a Two Story Log Cabin 1905

Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 504 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 2, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. submitted on May 4, 2018. 4. submitted on October 6, 2020, by Doreen Thomson of Calgary, Alberta Canada. 5. submitted on May 4, 2018. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.