Vigilante Story Reenacted at Bannack State Park
By Moosetrack Megan

Posted: January 20, 2018

Montana State Parks (stateparks.mt.gov) will host “Men do Your Duty”, a reenactment of Montana’s Vigilante past at Bannack State Parks on Saturday, January 20th at 2pm.

One hundred and fifty-four years ago, a group of Vigilantes captured and marched Sheriff Henry Plummer and his two deputies, Ned Ray and Buck Stinson to the gallows.   The gruesome events that occurred on this cold January evening were the work of a band of concerned citizens to end a reign of terror that enveloped the mining communities of Bannack and Virginia City.

Outlaws known as the Road Agents, secretly led by Sheriff Henry Plummer, were said to have murdered over one hundred miners and robbed countless others of their gold. Plummer and the Road Agents were not tried in an official court of law and today some believe that the Vigilantes were not justified in their actions.   However, the crime rate dropped drastically after the Vigilantes finished their task.

The Bannack Association sponsors this annual reenactment titled “Men do Your Duty”, directed by Stan Smith.  The Just-Us Old West Reenactors will perform the piece at the actual site of the hanging of Jan. 10, 1864.  Come and witness this historical event and decide for yourself if the Vigilantes were justified in their actions.

Winter hours at Bannack are 8:00am – 5:00pm seven days a week.  Bannack State Park is located 25 miles southwest of Dillon, just 4 miles off highway 278.  For more information, please call the park office at (406) 834-3413.

What:  “Men Do Your Duty”

When:  Saturday, January 20 at 2pm

Where:  Bannack State Park, 721 Bannack Rd, Dillon, MT
http://stateparks.mt.gov/bannack/

Bannack State Park, located near Dillion, MT., is a National Historic Landmark and the site of Montana’s first major gold discovery on July 28, 1862. This strike set off a massive gold rush that swelled Bannack’s population to over 3,000 by 1863. As the value of gold steadily dwindled, Bannack’s bustling population was slowly lost. Today, over 50 original buildings line Main Street and their historic log and frame structures recall Montana’s formative years.

Visit Montana State Parks (stateparks.mt.gov) and enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, boating and more and discover some of the greatest natural and cultural treasures on earth.

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