The Pioneer bar in Virginia City has seen it all. It has hosted outlaws, bounty hunters, cattle wranglers, fur trappers, snake oil salesmen, gold prospectors, loan sharks and presumably many working ladies. More recently we have escorted in the finer things in life like Cindy Crawford and Paris Hilton and a few wolves, some horses and indeed a bear.

But in the summer of 2026, we brought in the Pioneer’s most sizeable patron ever - an adult bison. These beasts carry 12 times the weight of an average human being and the ancient old floorboards stood the test well. He seemed totally comfortable with the surroundings but wished, like the rest of us, that the walls could talk. That would be a treat.

Bison of course survived an ice age or two, whereas many humans have not survived a night at the Pioneer. As a frontier town, Virginia City seemed to attract people with a weak moral compass and a capacity for violence; this is what makes the place more notorious. In 2026 a modicum of order has been established and all is good and calm - most of the time.

We are proud that across the road from the Pioneer there is now a museum of our work from both Virginia City, neighboring Nevada City, and indeed other parts of Western Montana. If you happen to be in the area, please go into the museum and say hello to our dear friends Rozy and Stacy and enjoy a drink on me. It was Rozy who was serving behind the bar the day the bison came in, but he has also seen most things in his life, hence the deadpan face.