Missoula History Minutes
36. Vigilantes
In 1863, a stranger named Cyrus Skinner came to Hellgate with a stock of liquor and opened the old Bolte saloon. Skinner had owned a saloon in Bannack but when vigilante justice made life too uncomfortable for him and his companions, he had moved to Hellgate. Some people believe he brought with him a treasure of stolen loot, which he supposedly buried on one of the islands in the Clark Fork River.
Skinner and his friends thought they were out of the danger of vigilante justice, but on January 15, 1864, 21 vigilantes left Nevada City, and traveled through three feet of snow to Hellgate. Three of Sheriff Plummer's gang were captured - Skinner, Aleck Carter and Johnny Cooper - and taken to Higgins' and Worden's store, where their three hour trial took place. Found guilty, they were taken to Higgins' corral and hung.