The Road Agents

by Sally H.

I am haunted, haunted by my past, haunted by Montana. Haunted by the ghost of Henry Plummer and the Road Agents. Let me explain: Henry Plummer and I spent the majority of our lives in Southwest Montana; in the two towns of Virginia and Nevada City. They are located between my aunt's house, at the mouth of the canyon, and my Grandma’s house in the heart of the valley. Today, they are ghost towns, full of tourists in the summer; while only a few of my family members keep the barstools warm in the winter. A far cry from the boom towns they were during the California Gold Rush and the days of Henry Plummer. Abandoned hotels, cabins, and train cars are filled with the ghosts of miners, prostitutes, and bandits that once densely populated the area. Piles of dredged gravel line the roads from the gold mining. Geographically the area is surrounded by mountains; the Tobacco Roots and Spanish Peaks. The Greenhorn Range behind my Grandma's house is particularly dark and mysterious, it has no roads in or out. The Greenhorns are surrounded by myths of bigfoot and alien activity, that even my uncles can verify. This is also where many, including me, believe Plummer and his Road Agents hid their gold. The gold that the very Sheriff of Virginia City had robbed himself.  That is where our story begins with Henry Plummer.

Henry Plummer came to Montana from New York, he came to make his fortune in the Gold Rush! When he arrived in Nevada City, he was in his early twenties. Plummer was so well liked and trusted that he quickly became Sheriff of the town for two terms. This was a going fine until Henry got into love trouble. He was accused of sleeping with another man’s wife, which of course led to a duel in the streets. Plummer won the duel, but lost his freedom.  He was sentenced to life in San Quentin Prison. Well, some might say Plummer is lucky, because a few years later he was released from prison when he tested positive for tuberculosis. He returned to Nevada City immediately, where he started having some trouble with money and friends. Plummer found more trouble when he fatally shot a man in a whorehouse brawl. With no money, and no support, Plummer left Nevada City. Then, he came across Bannack, another boom town in Montana, about ninety miles southwest of Nevada City.  Plummer’s past was unknown to the folks in Bannack, so he won their hearts and their votes for Sheriff in no time. This time being sheriff was would be different for Plummer. He brought a friend from San Quen, Cyrus Skinner. Skinner helped Plummer organize a group of bandits to rob the gold from stagecoaches. Being Sheriff was the perfect cover!  The group was called the Road Agents and included men like Jack Gallagher, Clubfoot George, Ned Ray, and Buck Stinson. They terrorized the area by shooting men and stealing their gold. The Winter of December 1863, was particularly successful for the Road Agents, but some were starting to grow suspicious. In an effort to stop the robbing and murder, a group of men, including Bill Sanders and John Bozeman, met in Virginia City to stop the Road Agents. They would be called the Vigilantes. The Vigilantes suspected Sheriff Plummer and his gang were responsible for the crimes. They wasted no time and set off to hang the Road Agents. The Vigilantes caught most of the Road Agents in Virginia City, where they were hung on Boot Hill. The others fled, but were caught and hung around Hellgate.  Henry Plummer, however, returned to Bannack. The Vigilantes wasted no time chasing him, he was caught and hung January 10, 1864 in Bannack Montana. The only problem, the Vigilantes hung the Road Agents without ever finding out where they stashed their loot. Plummer and his gang had been stashing gold for months, somewhere in the area. Still to this day Plummer’s gold has not been found.

Virginia City is a big part of Montana history. In the summer you can walk the old boardwalk, tour the old buildings, enjoy shows in the theatre, see Clubfoot George’s club foot in the museum and pan for gold. Virginia City is a part of my history as well.  My father was prosecutor in the same of old courtrooms from the west, my people warm the bar stools in the bars, and my family’s homes are built there. I am sure Plummer’s gold is in those creepy mountains behind Grandma's house, but from what I’ve heard, I’m not risking a trip up there! Plummer's gang continues to haunt me to this day. Everywhere I have gone Plummer has been there. Even as I sat in Tennessee Tech’s education department, far, far away from Montana, I couldn’t help but notice the picture of the Road Agents hanging in my advisor's office.