During the gold boom that began in Deadwood in 1876, bandits haunted the Cheyenne-Deadwood stage line as large amounts of gold were carried on weekly treasure runs to Cheyenne. By the end of 1877, gold seekers had removed more than ten million dollars worth of gold from the Deadwood area. Robber's Roost, at the Cheyenne River crossing near here, was a station of the Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage and Express Company built in 1877 on a new shortcut. The crossing was especially feared by stage drivers because steep riverbanks slowed coaches to a crawl and gave road agents cover to watch for victims. According to legend, Indians burned the station. In September 1878, near here, station agent D. Boone May and John Zimmerman caught desperadoes robbing a southbound coach; in the gunfire one outlaw, Frank Towle, was fatally wounded. Though outnumbered, May and Zimmerman got the cash to safety while the outlaws escaped. Towle was buried by his companions, and May later found the grave, removed Towle's head, and carried it to Cheyenne in a sack in an attempt to claim a reward.