Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Rodney Street News
Helena Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 16, 2021
1. Rodney Street News Marker
Inscription.
Rodney Street News. Helena Historic District. Gambling that Helena would continue to grow, Eliza Roush purchased this lot and several others in 1869. Her bet paid off, and by 1875, Rodney Street was crowded with buildings, including a small wooden dwelling on this site. A series of wooden structures occupied this corner, and by the time real estate developer Richard Lockey purchased the property in 1895, German immigrant Daniel Bahnsen had opened a dairy here. Like many Rodney Street business owners, he lived on the premises. The dairy closed in 1900. John and Elizabeth Ryan opened a confectionary here in 1922. In 1927, they bought the lot and built this one-story brick veneered building, with a store in front and living quarters in the rear. Six schools within a six-block area made the site a prime location for a candy store. The Ryans sold the business in 1937, but the store continued as a confectionary through the 1940s. By 1950, it had become Rodney Street News. The soda fountain, lunch counter, and newsstand remained a neighborhood institution into the 1990s.
Gambling that Helena would continue to grow, Eliza Roush purchased this lot and several others in 1869. Her bet paid off, and by 1875, Rodney Street was crowded with buildings, including a small wooden dwelling on this site. A series of wooden structures occupied this corner, and by the time real estate developer Richard Lockey purchased the property in 1895, German immigrant Daniel Bahnsen had opened a dairy here. Like many Rodney Street business owners, he lived on the premises. The dairy closed in 1900. John and Elizabeth Ryan opened a confectionary here in 1922. In 1927, they bought the lot and built this one-story brick veneered building, with a store in front and living quarters in the rear. Six schools within a six-block area made the site a prime location for a candy store. The Ryans sold the business in 1937, but the store continued as a confectionary through the 1940s. By 1950, it had become Rodney Street News. The soda fountain, lunch counter, and newsstand remained a neighborhood institution into the 1990s.
Erected by Montana Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed
Location. 46° 35.182′ N, 112° 2.062′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is at the intersection of North Rodney Street and 5th Avenue on North Rodney Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 122 North Rodney 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 Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 203 North Rodney Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Fifth Avenue Apartment House (within shouting distance of
Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 14, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 296 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 14, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
