Monday, October 19, 2015

Robbers Roost

Ennis, MT  High 78  Low 31

We took a drive up to Virginia City and Nevada City. During the summer these two towns are really happening places but this time of year they are pretty much shut down.

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Virginia City got its start when gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863. Within a year, some 10,000 people were living in a number of mining camps lining the gulch.

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Rapidly becoming the territory’s social center and transportation hub, the shanties and tents were replaced by permanent buildings and Virginia City became home to Montana’s first public school, newspaper, and telegraph.

During the summer, a train rums between the two towns.

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As with most gold mining towns, as the gold ran out the towns were deserted and most fell into ruin. Captivated by the historic city, Charles and Sue Bovey began to raise money for preservation, collected artifacts, bought buildings which they preserved, and reconstructed others which had been destroyed.  Nevada City which had been almost totally obliterated by dredge mining, was entirely rebuilt.

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In 1997 the Montana Legislature voted to purchase the Bovey properties in both Virginia City and Nevada City. The Montana Heritage Commission was formed to manage the properties.

Robbers Roost

Pete Daly built a roadhouse here in 1863 which became a hangout for Montana’s most notorious criminal gang – the “Innocents” – which was led by Henry Plummer, the Sheriff of Bannock and Virginia City.

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Definitely time for us to move further south.

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9 comments:

  1. An interesting visit today, but like here it's getting colder time to head to the southwest too.

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  2. Funny how deserted the place is. Like you said it's very different in the summer. Come on down. . .

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  3. Funny how deserted the place is. Like you said it's very different in the summer. Come on down. . .

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  4. What? Another blog from Sandie? I can tell you're moving along when those blogs start coming. :)

    We were heading to Virginia City once but the weather was so bad and wind so strong that RVs were prohibited from using the road up there.

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  5. We stayed in Dillion and day tripped over. The train was running and they had some kind of celebration and free food. Loved both towns.

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  6. We were there in October a couple of years ago and found the same deserted place you did.

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  7. Those are some cool temps, thank goodness you have wheels to move you South! :c)

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  8. Take your time, although better it is still warm here

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Thanks for visiting today. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a beautiful day.