The
Vigilante Parade
THE FAMOUS MONTANA HISTORY PAGEANT
BEGAN IN 1924 TO PREVENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Vigilante
Parade Float on Main St., May 12 1950
COLLECTION
OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG
Around the
turn of the 20th Century, Helena High School had a tradition
called "The Senior-Junior Fight". It was a bloody
and destructive springtime affair, the object of which was for
the juniors to take down and desecrate a senior-class flag,
which seniors would run up a flagpole located between the High
School and adjacent Central School.
The fighting
got so bad that the School Board eventually had the flagpole
removed from the grounds. The problem was that seniors in subsequent
years simply ran their flag up the pole located atop the High
School building, and the fight continued on the roof.
A crackdown
came, and all aspects of the event were banned from the school
grounds. This had the effect of spreading the conflict all over
town, with a further escalation in violence and property damage.
Authorities
tried organizing alternative senior-junior competitions over
the years, including a baseball game, a tug-of-war and a wrestling
match. These events were seen by students as being too tame
and controlled.
There were
other unauthorized student actrivities during those years, including
"Sneak Day" in which truancy was widespread, and "Old
Clothes Day", when students would wear ragged clothes stuffed
with hay and straw. There was also "Costume Day",
which was held only once, but likely furnished the basic idea
for the Vigilante Parade.
In 1924,
meetings between students and administrators set into motion
a plan for the parade: a grand pageant of historical floats,
involving almost every student in a creative competition, and
having at its heart the theme of the tough pioneer spirit.
As former
(1907-1933) HHS Principal Albert J. Roberts said in a 1939 Helena
Independent story about the origins of the parade:
"This
parade, so little thought of at the time, and then only
as a splendid substitute for several lawless activities,
has more than any other Institution distinguished the city
of Helena and its high school. From It also thousands of
our citizens have obtained a knowledge of the life and customs,
of the thrilling story of the early days in the Treasure
state."
Because
so many photographs of the parade have been taken over the decades,
those presented here are necessarily limited to a representative
sample. If you have good color photos from the 1940s-60s, or
an unusually interesting parade photo, please
let me know.
1928/29
"Wolf Creek Fire Department" Novelty Entry
COURTESY
OF SHANNON MATTHIES-CALLAHAN
L. H. Jorud Footage of the 1930 Vigilante Parade
Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society
Reel 1
NOTE: This footage is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.
Reel 2
NOTE: This footage is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.
L. H. Jorud Footage of the 1935 Vigilante Parade
Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society
Parade footage starts at 6:00
NOTE: This footage is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.
L. H. Jorud Footage of the 1937 Vigilante Parade
Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society
High School on Wheels
NOTE: This footage is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.
L. H. Jorud Footage of the 1939 Vigilante Parade
and Visiting Norwegian Royalty
Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society
NOTE: This footage is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.
L. H. Jorud Footage of the 1940 Vigilante Parade
and Students / Cheerleaders on the HHS Campus
Courtesy of the Montana Historical Society
NOTE: This footage is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.
Four Photos from the Early 1930s
"Montana
- The Land Before You"
Winner
of the 1949 Vigilante Parade Hllger Sweepstakes Prize
COLLECTION
OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG
The float
was by Diana Connors, Bill Bradford and Bob Painter. Diana, dressed
as Sacajawea, points to the Land of the Shining Mountains, showing
the way to explorers Lewis and Clark, Bill and Bob.
"Road
Agents" Float, Sixth and Main, May 12 1950
COLLECTION
OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG
"King
Winter" Float, Sixth and Main, May 12 1950
COLLECTION
OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG
"Prayer
by Jedediah
Smith" Float, Sixth and Main, May 12 1950
COLLECTION
OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG
"Tribute to the Pioneer Mother" Float, Sixth and Main, May
12 1950
COLLECTION
OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG
Queen's
Float, Sixth and Main, May 12 1950
COLLECTION
OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG
1953 Floats Collection of Kennon Baird
CLICK ON IMAGES TO OPEN BIG VERSIONS IN NEW WINDOWS
The
sweepstakes winner for the 1953 Helena High School Vigilante Parade
was "Buffalo Trading and Pressing of Skins at Fort Lewis",
by Jean Painter and Nancy Lichtwardt. It was chosen for authenticity,
originality and interest. It rated tops among 174 entries.
Color Home Movie Footage of the May 3, 1957 Vigilante Parade
Courtesy of Bob & Susie Lindeberg
1967 Sweepstakes Winning Float
This early
Yellowstone Park train won the Sweepstakes prize in the 1967 parade.
It was created by Steven Moody, Robert Yerby, Neil Horne, Jerry
Schutt, Steven Mackey, Robert Salisbury, Daniel Hollow, Robert Olson,
Ron Robinson, Bryant Reber and Dennis Ellington. The prize was 150
silver dollars. Photos courtesy of Steven Moody. Thanks, Steve!
Video clip
of the 1972 Vigilante Parade
COURTESY
OF KITTY ANN QUIGLEY TAALER
From the
promotional film "Helena-City of Gold", produced in
1973 by the Helena Chamber of Commerce.
