James Stuart and his brother Granville set up the first sluice boxes in the northern Rockies in 1852. Delaware native Walter B. Dance came to Gold Creek in 1862. James Stuart and Dance opened their mercantile in November 1863. One of Virginia City’s most complete and respected shops, Dance and Stuart also briefly housed the post office. Club Foot George Lane, reputed member of the infamous Plummer Gang, lived at the store and was arrested there by the Vigilantes in 1864. A year later, the Montana Historical Society was founded in the building. The original Dance and Stuart was demolished circa 1925, and Charles Bovey built this replica of vintage logs in 1950.
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