Immigrant ranchers and state lawmen faced off against a private army hired by cattle barons in the Johnson County War, one of the most famous and dramatic events in early Wyoming history. 

Italian Oscar-winning director Michael Cimino tells the tale in a sweeping cinematic epic, Heaven’s Gate, which critics panned upon its release in 1980 but is now considered a masterpiece. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges, and John Hurt.

Join High Iron for a screening of the Criterion Collection director’s cut of Heaven’s Gate (run time 03:36), preceded by a brief discussion of the Johnson County War moderated by local writer Nate Martin. Please bring a chair or blanket! 

Martin’s reflective essay on High Iron and the Johnson County War appears in the forthcoming book, Monument Lab Re:Generation.