Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Unionville
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 16, 2021
1. Unionville Marker
Inscription.
Unionville. . Helena owes its existence to gold-bearing quartz lodes in the hills south of town. The gold washed out of the hills into Last Chance Gulch where the "Four Georgians" discovered it in 1864. The fabulously rich strike drew hundreds of men and women to this area, including James Whitlatch, the discoverer of Helena's "mother lode". His Whitlatch-Union Mine spawned Unionville. The camp included stores, saloons, a Chinese laundry, boarding houses, and school as well as an extensive complex of stamp mills and warehouses. The largest producer of gold bullion in the United States by the early 1870's, the Unionville district was well on its way to prominence when several events reversed its fortunes. In 1897, the gold-bearing lode in the Whitlatch-Union Mine disappeared under a fault. Efforts to relocate it failed and the company abandoned the mine. Other mines in the district survived for a time before they also closed down. By the early 20th century, fewer than one hundred people remained in the area. Unionville's proximity to Helena has saved it from obscurity. Today, it thrives as a bedroom community with its mining heritage still everywhere evident.
Helena owes its existence to gold-bearing quartz lodes in the hills south of town. The gold washed out of the hills into Last Chance Gulch where the "Four Georgians" discovered it in 1864. The fabulously rich strike drew hundreds of men and women to this area, including James Whitlatch, the discoverer of Helena's "mother lode". His Whitlatch-Union Mine spawned Unionville. The camp included stores, saloons, a Chinese laundry, boarding houses, and school as well as an extensive complex of stamp mills and warehouses. The largest producer of gold bullion in the United States by the early 1870's, the Unionville district was well on its way to prominence when several events reversed its fortunes. In 1897, the gold-bearing lode in the Whitlatch-Union Mine disappeared under a fault. Efforts to relocate it failed and the company abandoned the mine. Other mines in the district survived for a time before they also closed down. By the early 20th century, fewer than one hundred people remained in the area. Unionville's proximity to Helena has saved it from obscurity. Today, it thrives as a bedroom community with its mining heritage still everywhere evident.
46° 32.475′ N, 112° 5.329′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. Marker is on Oro Fino Gulch Drive near Black Alder Gulch, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2058 Oro Fino Gulch Drive, Helena MT 59601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 22, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 195 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 22, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.