George Ives Hanging Site

Updated: August 31, 2020

The aluminum historic marker on this site, which dates from the 1920's, pinpoints the spot where Ives was tried and hanged by the Miner's Court. The brave men who risk their lives to stand up against the murderous Plummer Gang at this trial were among the most courageous in Montana and Western history.

Ives was tried and convicted of robbing and killing the popular young German Nicholas Tabalt. The trial took place outdoors on the frosty 21st day of December in 1863. Two wagons served as the judge's bench and witness box. Twenty-four chairs from a nearby hurdy-gurdy house seated the jury. The trial, conducted by prosecutor Wilbur Fisk Sanders, lasted three days. Ives was hanged from the rafter of an unfinished building after the jury deliberated less than an hour. He was buried next to his victim.

Special acknowledgements to: John D. Ellingsen.

Updated: August 31, 2020