Hell Gate Pageant – August 2, 1960 – 850 Amateur actors perform Hell Gate Holidays at fairgrounds
Hell Gate Pageant Opens in Missoula
Missoulians of the last century were fond of pageants. A Spokesman Review article on August 3, 1960 takes note of a Missoula pageant, Hell Gate Holidays, which involved 850 actors at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. In celebration of Missoula’s first century, the pageant began with ‘black robes’ led by Father De Smet at St. Mary’s Mission in the Bitter Root Valley. Then came the peace treaty signed by Governor Stevens and the “red men” in July of 1855. This was followed by the Missoula Mills of Higgins and Worden, noting that Christopher Higgins had been wagon master for Governor Stevens’ party. The inception of the telegraph, a brief appearance of the Pony Express, the completion of Fort Missoula, and the arrival of the Northern Pacific in 1883 were also celebrated. Growth into the 20th century noted Missoulians’ participation in WW1, the lean years of the depression, and then the advent of WW2.
A link to the article appears below: