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March 23, 2023
Historic gunfight to be reenacted this Saturday
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
On Saturday, March 25, the Bandera Cattle Company Gunfighters will recreate an Old West gunfight that took place on the streets of Bandera 143 years ago.
The shootout occurred at the Old Hay Saloon, located behind the present-day Bandera County Convention and Visitors Center, steps away from where the Bandera Cattle Company performs shootouts every Saturday.
According to witness statements and historical documents, the gunfight happened March 23, 1880. Four men were present, two died.
Those men were:
~ Arthur Ventress Pue served as a major in the 8th Texas Cavalry. He moved to Bandera in 1865 after the war.
~ Not much was known about O.C. Marsh, other than he was a gambler.
~ George Hay was born in Scotland, and moved to Bandera in 1854. He built a home in 1870, which is now part of the Convention and Visitors Center. This building also served as a school, a post office and a makeshift jail.
~ An unidentified man known as Mr. Smith, who may have been a saloon patron or employee.
This inaugural reenactment, based on the historic event, will take place at 11 a.m. Admission is free, and the public is invited to visit with the gunfighters, view the period weapons used, and take photos in the fictional Old West town of Rattlesnake Ridge.
A privately-funded historical marker will also be unveiled, marking the location of the gunfight at the Old Hay Saloon.
The shootout occurred at the Old Hay Saloon, located behind the present-day Bandera County Convention and Visitors Center, steps away from where the Bandera Cattle Company performs shootouts every Saturday.
According to witness statements and historical documents, the gunfight happened March 23, 1880. Four men were present, two died.
Those men were:
~ Arthur Ventress Pue served as a major in the 8th Texas Cavalry. He moved to Bandera in 1865 after the war.
~ Not much was known about O.C. Marsh, other than he was a gambler.
~ George Hay was born in Scotland, and moved to Bandera in 1854. He built a home in 1870, which is now part of the Convention and Visitors Center. This building also served as a school, a post office and a makeshift jail.
~ An unidentified man known as Mr. Smith, who may have been a saloon patron or employee.
This inaugural reenactment, based on the historic event, will take place at 11 a.m. Admission is free, and the public is invited to visit with the gunfighters, view the period weapons used, and take photos in the fictional Old West town of Rattlesnake Ridge.
A privately-funded historical marker will also be unveiled, marking the location of the gunfight at the Old Hay Saloon.