HELENA — The doors to Frontier Town have been closed to the public for decades, but that could soon change. The site of the once-bustling tourist attraction atop the Continental Divide near Helena has new owners.
The Hays family recently bought the Frontier Town property and has a new vision for the replica Old West town.
“This is one of those properties where you have to be a little bit crazy, and then also know a little bit about construction,” Kirby Hays said. “Luckily, I’m both of those, me and my family are both of those.”
(See what Frontier Town used to look like)
A little history—John Quigley started building Frontier Town in the late 1940s. According to a brochure from 1964, as many as 2,000 people would visit the town in a day.
“Ultimately, I think he wanted a place where people could come together, and have a good time, and make some priceless memories,” Taegan Walker said of her grandfather’s vision.
Walker still lives in the Helena area, and she has cherished memories of the town her grandfather built.
“I think, especially as a little girl growing up in that time, I was so incredibly lucky to have those experiences,” Walker said. “I think that it has really shaped who I am.”
Frontier Town—its entrance towers, main street, chapel, and famous bar—it was all designed and hand-built by Quigley.
“He was every bit as master carpenter,” Hays said. “The integrity of the buildings—they’ve stood the test of time.”
Hays is a builder and has experience fixing up older properties. He said he hopes to get Frontier Town open to the public again, but there is a lot to do between now and when that could happen.
“We’ll do a full survey and everything and hold up what we have against what current code requirements are,” he said. “We’ll see what it’s going to take to fill that gap to be where we want to be to host the public again.”
The Hays family bought Frontier Town in the fall of 2024. The old buildings are not the only remnants of the former old west attraction, inside them are tables, chairs, menus, pictures and more from its heyday.
“The previous owners were great stewards of the property,” Hays said. “They took care of it, they put their heart and soul into it.”
For Walker, the possibility that Frontier Town could once again open to the public is a dream-come-true.
“I am so grateful that they want to honor my grandfather and still share that story with everyone,” Walker said.
For now, Hays is waiting for snow to melt to begin a full assessment of work that needs to happen, and Frontier Town sits quietly overlooking the Helena Valley, as it has for decades.
