Hangings, fires, fish, oh my!: Vigilante Parade stampedes through downtown Helena

Hangings, births, victory, tragedy, election battles, devastating fires and more — Helena’s annual Vigilante Parade rolled through the Queen City on Friday, flooding the streets with iconic moments in Montana history as portrayed by high school students.

The parade, which was started by Helena High Principal Albert J. Roberts in 1924 as a means to stop a fast-growing and dangerous class rivalry, has become a staple for Helena Public Schools students — current ones and graduates alike.

Ahead of the noon kickoff, gaggles of backpack-bearing kids who got out early for the parade flocked to the downtown route, attended by parents pointing out their old themes and haunts from when they were students.

Crowd engagement is a big plus. Elementary students clamored to be sprayed with water by pretend firefighters, and adults cheered with the successful hanging of a criminal. A member of SWAT, patrolling a float depicting the capture of the Unabomber, leered at attendees through his sunglasses.

“I’ve got my eye on you,” he said, menacing a grinning elderly woman in a lawn chair.

Beyond being a symbol of Helena, the parade is an educational opportunity. Students have to write a brief essay on their topic, and if they choose one outside a preapproved list of themes, they have extra homework to explain why it’s worthy.

There are some classics Helenans see every year: riding fake broncos for the Last Chance Stampede, throwing dough at Eddy’s Bread and spraying blood on a St. Peter’s Health operating table.

A team of Capital High freshmen offered their take on one of many famous area wildfires, Mann Gulch.

To represent the 1949 blaze that killed 13 smokejumpers but kicked off the push for better fire safety research, the boys borrowed jackets and tools from the Helena Interagency Dispatch Center. In the days leading up to the parade, they burned trees under a dad’s watchful eye, built a set on a trailer and secured a smoke machine.

With soot smeared across their faces and water guns in hand, the seven 15-year-olds battled the fire on the float.

“We wanted to do our best to honor the people who died and the history of Helena,” Keller Schmidt said.

“And we want to win!” Teagan Murphy shouted.

The Capital High Science Club, made up of students from a mix of grades, aimed for something fresh.

Donned in costumes and fake mustaches, their eight-student-strong float depicted the election of 1894 in which Montanans would choose Helena as the state capital over Anaconda.

The twist? Legend has it stolen ballots were later found that would have tipped the vote in Anaconda's favor. Results aside, the battle was fought by two of the notorious Copper Kings: Marcus Daly in favor of Anaconda and William A. Clark in favor of Helena.

Beyond handing out fake ballots to attendees (and Monopoly money to win their favor), two students dressed as Daly and Clark battled with canes to portray the fight, each with student-played cronies inspired by actual propaganda peddlers.

The whole thing is a little mindboggling, the students said.

“It’s nuts to think that Anaconda could’ve been the capital, and Helena would be, like, smaller,” said 15-year-old Capital freshman Emmett Forsythe, who played Daly.

"I love this tradition," 18-year-old senior and pretend news reporter Sydney Harman said. "It's a great break from AP exams and studying, and it's a really fun way to dive into history. This was super fun to make."

Keeping to the spirit of its competitive origins, each parade has categories each float can win. Here are this year’s victors:

Grand Champion

Siebrand Brothers Circus and Carnival 1953: Isabella Hall, Breanna Connell, Elecea Duncan, Aurora Miller, Lila Miller, Taylor Northrop, Katie Ridle and Cassidy Woods.

Most Historically Accurate (Montana Historical Society)

The First Special Service Force: Melissa Klatt, Sam Klatt and Anna Rosenkrans.

Best Lewis and Clark County

1. Belmont Mine: Cash Neal, Wesson Stein, Adaric Davenport, Robert Wheeler, Luke Battiste and Edwin Jerstad.

2. KTVH TV, First Television Station in Helena (1958): Kami Pippin, Maggie Arnold, Madeleine Austria, Taylor Burton and Annabella Ness.

American Indian

Storytelling: An Ancient Tradition: McKenzie Berry, Zemirah Across The Mountain, Kayla Acuna, Sophia Acuna, Hailey Brown, Eli Hacker-Antelope, Isaac Hall, Mark Jolley, Nevaeh Trujillo and Sasha Wilson.

Historic Helena

1. Ted Kaczynski (Unabomber): Emeline Jefferies, Colin Fontenot, Jessica Farrel, Shelby Heller, Gavin McLure, Elena Richardson, Elaina Edwards, Aiden Atwood, River Mary, Sadie Styren, Kadee Frankforter and Willow Murphy.

2. Archie Bray Foundation: Elinor Clancy, Camile Certain, Meeka Demers, Evelyn Eller, Sophia Eller, Hana Field, Rylee Fish, Erin McNeil, Kendal Simpson, Isabelle Stembridge, Adela Sund and Marlee Williams.

3. Last Chance Stampede: Evelyn Harris, Harper Johnson, Myla Dahlke, Eisley Bushilla, Malin Ryerson, Kenley Higgins, Emma Mozer and Addison Schanz.

Pioneer Life

1. Siebrand Brothers Circus 1953: Isabella Hall, Breanna Connell, Elecea Duncan, Aurora Miller, Lila Miller, Taylor Northrop, Katie Ridle and Cassidy Woods.

2. Elkorn Ghost Town: Mining Town in the 1870's: Treyson Christman, Siri Fitterer, Leila Henry-Jackson, Jocelyn Pritchard and Letty Richardson.

Helena Business

1. Sky-Hi Drive-In Theater: Hayley Rice, Cayla Black, Amy Mergethealer, Makinzy Komeotis, Mokinlee Cline, Kaylee Chartier and Isabelle Holmland.

2. Eddy’s Bakery: Cole Harris, Luke Foster, Mei Boedecker, Maddox Collier, Ivy Kyle, Coleton Davenport, Malcolm Duelter, Peter Gill and Soren Smith.

3. MT Fishing Guides: Maren Fox, Jaden Bartell, William Kriessler, James Tran, Esme Soller, Joel Elton, Mary Clement, Elsie Munson, Astoria Holzer and Eva Villalva.

Famous People

L. Ron Hubbard: Trey Peterson, Jack McNeil, Garret Hinderman, Eddie Wolf and Sam Amsbaugh.

Mining and Transportation

Belmont Mine: Cash Neal, Wesson Stein, Adaric Davenport, Robert Wheeler, Luke Battiste and Edwin Jerstad.