Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Reeder's Alley
Helena Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 15, 2021
1. Reeder's Alley Marker
Inscription.
Reeder's Alley. Helena Historic District. Pennsylvania brick mason Louis Reeder came to Helena in 1867 to practice his trade. Reeder invested in real estate and among his properties were these lots along the steep hillside of West Cutler Street. Between 1875 and 1884 Reeder constructed a series of apartments and bunkhouses offering single miners a comfortable alternative to log cabin accommodations. The simple masonry provided permanence and resistance to fire, a menace that plagued the early community. The complex included some thirty-five housing units in a collection of stone and brick buildings, including an existing log cabin Reeder ingeniously incorporated into the largest structure. The area was already known as Reeders Alley when Reeder died after a fall in 1884. The miners moved on, but over the years tenants remained mostly single and male. Twenty-three pensioners lived at Reeders Alley in 1961 when these buildings were rescued from demolition and rehabilitation begun. The narrow alleyway and closely spaced buildings nestled against the slope of Mount Helena today comprise the towns most complete remaining block of the territorial period.
Pennsylvania brick mason Louis Reeder came to Helena in 1867 to practice his trade. Reeder invested in real estate and among his properties were these lots along the steep hillside of West Cutler Street. Between 1875 and 1884 Reeder constructed a series of apartments and bunkhouses offering single miners a comfortable alternative to log cabin accommodations. The simple masonry provided permanence and resistance to fire, a menace that plagued the early community. The complex included some thirty-five housing units in a collection of stone and brick buildings, including an existing log cabin Reeder ingeniously incorporated into the largest structure. The area was already known as Reeders Alley when Reeder died after a fall in 1884. The miners moved on, but over the years tenants remained mostly single and male. Twenty-three pensioners lived at Reeders Alley in 1961 when these buildings were rescued from demolition and rehabilitation begun. The narrow alleyway and closely spaced buildings nestled against the slope of Mount Helena today comprise the towns most complete remaining block of the territorial period.
Location. 46° 35.099′ N, 112° 2.61′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is on Reeder's Alley near South Park Avenue. Reeder's Alley is limited to foot-traffic only. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 105 Reeder's Alley, Helena MT 59601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically entral Montana in Gold West Country. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 3, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 321 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 3, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
