Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Henry Hay Homestead

West Main Street Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 15, 2021

1. Henry Hay Homestead Marker

Inscription. English immigrants Frances and Henry Hay came to Helena in the mid-1860s and were among the first to settle on West Main where Hay mined a claim. Their log cabin became the center of the present residence, built circa 1870. A switchback path leads to a small mother-in-law house. Hay and neighbors Joseph Poad and Benjamin Benson operated the New Water Company from 1883 until circa 1888 when the City of Helena bought their water rights extending to Reeder’s Alley. Hay ran a fuel business, employing five of his six sons as teamsters. The Hays kept a watering trough out front for teams passing by. The family kept horses and dairy cows in the board-and-batten barn and used the shed as a creamery. Like many of their neighbors, the Hays built the shed into the hillside to keep their dairy products cool. The Hay homestead well represents the self-sufficiency and industry of early Helena pioneers. In 2004, property owner and Hay descendant Margie Broderick, local preservationists, and the Montana Conservation Corps worked together to stabilize the historic barn.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list.

Location. 46° 34.689′ N, 112° 3.103′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is on West Main Street near Grizzly Gulch Drive, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 684 West Main Street, 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 Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Helena West Main Street Historic District (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Grizzly Gulch Lime

Henry Hay Homestead Barn and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 15, 2021

2. Henry Hay Homestead Barn and Marker

Kilns (about 700 feet away); Lawrence and Amanda Beaver Residence (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kluge House (approx. ¼ mile away); 488-490 West Main Street (approx. 0.3 miles away); Elisha and Joseph Poad House (approx. 0.3 miles away); Samuel Dempster House (approx. 0.4 miles away); B.K. Tatem House (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Helena.

Henry Hay Homestead Barn image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 15, 2021

3. Henry Hay Homestead Barn

Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 203 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 6, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.