The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed this way on their westward trek across the continent. Expedition members camped on the west side of the Missouri River on July 25, 1805, a short distance upstream from present day Toston Dam.
It was near this . . . — — Map (db m192879) HM
This Plaque Commemorates the Courage and Strength of the Early Pioneers.
Lorentz Homestead
In 1884, William B. Lorentz and his wife Malvina Lorentz moved to this area of the Montana Territory and in 1887 filed a Declaration of . . . — — Map (db m188780) HM
Norwegian immigrant Tom Toston established a ranch and ferry near here in 1871. Strategically located at the junction of the Helena-Gallatin Valley Road and the road to Radersburg, a settlement quickly grew up around Toston’s ranch. Soon the town . . . — — Map (db m188779) HM
Its Beginning
Significant production of gold-rich pyrite ores in the Radersburg District of the Elkhorn Mountains during the 1870s eventually lento the construction of the Toston Smelter in 1885. The Toston Smelter Company - incorporated in . . . — — Map (db m188778) HM
Shortly after the discovery of gold in Confederate Gulch, freighters established a road between Helena and Diamond City. The Missouri River was a barrier to travelers until John Oakes established a ferry in Black Rock Canyon in 1865. A small . . . — — Map (db m141733) HM
"See out at sunrise, the current very strong; passed a remarkable bluff of a crimson coloured east on Starboard intermixed with Stratas of black and brick red slate..."
Imagine canoeing against the Missouri's current, never sure of . . . — — Map (db m192881) HM
J. P. Kearns came to Townsend from Benton, Wisconsin, in 1899. Business-educated and experienced, Kearns astutely recognized the town’s need for a new financial institution and founded the State Bank of Townsend only three months later. The bank was . . . — — Map (db m141732) HM
In 1864, prospectors discovered promising placer gold deposits in Confederate Gulch, named for their political sympathies during the Civil War. This led to a huge gold rush that brought thousands of people to the gulch and the discovery of some of . . . — — Map (db m141735) HM
On December 5, 1875, Masons in Meagher County chartered Valley Lodge No. 21 (A.F. & A.M.) in Centerville, a farming community just north of present-day Townsend. The lodge moved to Townsend in 1884, shortly after the Northern Pacific Railroad . . . — — Map (db m188781) HM
York (ca. 1770-1831) is the only name given for Captain William Clark's slave in the journals of Lewis and Clark (Moulton, 1988).
Lewis and Clark's journals frequently refer to York, a black slave to Captain William Clark. York played an . . . — — Map (db m141726) HM
(Three historical panels are located at this informational kiosk:)(Panel 1:)
Winston - A Town with Dreams of Striking it Rich
Winston History
Welcome to the community of Winston and this area of the . . . — — Map (db m188668) HM
