The KKK in the Intermountain West

Following factors such as the failure of reconstruction and the release of the film, Birth of a Nation, the Ku Klux Klan, which had been dormant since the Grant administration, resurged with country-wide popularity and influence during the 1920s. This new Klan possessed a more wide-ranging bigoty than their 19th-century counterparts. Instead of chiefly focusing on freedmen and slaves, the Klan extended its fight to Catholics, Jews, and immigrants. They also sought to promote what they believed was the proper American Protestant. This tour attempts to bring attention to an important, but unsavory, aspect of Intermountain history

This tour discusses five stories relating to five different Klan chapters in the Intermountain West and explores some of the different tactics the Klan employed to gain influence and spread its message during the 1920s. The sites highlight themes such as the Klan’s desire to be viewed in a specific, spectacular manner, its attempt to collaborate with other clandestine organizations, and its bigotry toward Catholic and Jewish people. It also highlights some of their difficulties in doing so and mentions backlash from local organizations and the general population, as well as some of the ways the Klan sought to dispel their unfavorable image.

Some of the Klan’s activities included in the tour are attempts at influencing organizations in Butte, Montana, the crashing of a Salt Lake County sheriff’s funeral, marching in a spectacular parade in Boise, burning a cross near Colorado Springs, and bigotry-fueled feminism in Denver. The Klan had a varying level of success in accomplishing their goals in the Intermountain West. Some chapters saw great difficulty in gaining influence and popularity, while others boasted membership in the thousands. The order of this tour reflects the varying success of popularity and begins with the site representing the least amount of influence, and ends with the site representing.