It didn't arrive by Western Union but, rather, over a fax machine. The intent was the same -- a universal invitation to the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Association's annual Territorial Ball.

Calling it an "annual" event may be a touch misleading given how this year's festival marks just the second time in a century the ball will take place in Helena.

Last year, of course, was the first.

"Virginia City has one every year," said honorary Capt. Vince Pontillo, the stoic regimental adjutant for the 2nd Cavalry Association. "Last year we thought it would be a great idea to hold one in Helena as the state capital. We held the first ball, and it was successful."

This year the Territorial Ball will bring its elegance to the historic Placer Hotel, kicking off a weeklong celebration that culminates with the inaugural History Fair on the downtown Walking Mall the following weekend.

The History Fair has already drawn more than five dozen historical groups and causes from across the state, each looking to promote their niche and, perhaps, enlist new members.

"Our first list had 70 groups or organizations," said Paul Putz, the city-county historian. "We were impressed by that, and we thought we could have something pretty spectacular. We're continuing to recruit people and get their ideas into our package."

Putz described the list of participants as long and getting longer. It includes a working blacksmith from Grant-Kohrs Ranch and representatives of the Mai Wah Society.

Members of the Montana Living History Organization will also be on hand, playing such historical characters as "Lilly Cigar," a 19th Century prostitute-turned-business woman.

"Lilly Cigar was the sort of working name for a soiled dove who worked in San Francisco in the mid-1800s," said re-enactor Melony Bruhn. "She was a young housemaid in Ireland before she was shipped to the U.S., because she got pregnant by the master of the mansion."

In those days, Bruhn noted, there weren't many career options for women in the West. In the case of Lilly Cigar, she eventually married a wealthy man and found a better life, becoming one of the largest landowners in the Baja Peninsula.

Most of the group's re-enactors -- be it a grizzled gunslinger or a swank woman after-hours -- do personas based on historical facts. The group claims 60 members across the state. Many of them will roam the city's dusty streets during the History Fair.

Bruhn, who runs Habitat for Humanity by day, noted that American Cowboy Magazine recently voted Helena one of the top 25 western towns in America. The magazine attributed the Living History Program as one of the reasons why.

Helena remains close to its historical past, much of which lies intact throughout the downtown core where the History Fair takes place. For an eccentric Lilly Cigar, it's the perfect place to roam, and for Bruhn, the perfect place to play the part.

"We need a renaissance here for our roots," said Bruhn. "I think there's a push to turn us into a cosmopolitan kind of city, and in the process, our Western history and culture has sort of gone by the wayside."

Like the Living History Program, the 2nd Cavalry also aims for realism. Pontillo described the group as one of the oldest serving regiments in the army.

Today, members work to preserve the customs and traditions of the rugged troopers who rode the Montana plains and valleys from 1865 to around 1901.

But it wasn't always that way. In their day, armed and mounted, the real troopers performed a wide variety of jobs. They built roads and houses. They provided security, civil law, and served as a police force.

"They were at the Battle of the Big Hole, and they showed up a couple of days after Little Big Horn," said Pontillo. "The 2nd Cavalry offered Custer two batteries of Gatlin guns and he turned them down."

Many regimental members are considered experts in Western history. Pontillo's claim to fame involves the antique weapons carried by cavalry troopers, including cap and ball revolvers and Springfield trapdoor carbine rifles, all dating back to Helena's founding.

A gold camp in 1864, Helena boomed to become one of the richest Western cities. Metal prices crashed in 1893, but Helena went on to win a battle with Anaconda to become the official state capital in 1894.

Now, if the History Fair pans out as supporters believe it will, the city will also become home to the largest historical event of its type in Montana.

"We have this common love of the Western experience," said Bruhn. "The fair is finally bringing it all together in one place."

Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com