The coldest official temperature ever recorded in the continental United States occurred at a mining camp near here January 20, 1954 when the temperature dropped to 70 degrees below zero. — — Map (db m73525) HM
The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through this canyon of "nearly perpendicular rocks" during its journey up the Missouri in July 1805. Although the men grumbled about mosquitoes and prickly pear cactus, the Corp of Discovery was clearly . . . — — Map (db m141859) HM
"To pass across the Traveler's Rest Creek to the Missouri at the Mouth of the Dearbourn's River is 400 miles nearer that the route we Came..." Captain William Clark, Written at Fort Clatsop
As the Corps of Discovery wintered with the . . . — — Map (db m141921) HM
"previous to our departure saw a large herd of the Bighorned anamals on the immencely high and nearly perpendicular clift opposite to us; on the face of this clift they walked about and bounded from rock to rock with apparent unconcern where it . . . — — Map (db m141922) HM
"...from the singular appearance of this place I called it the gates of rocky mountains." Captain Meriwether Lewis, Friday, July 19, 1805
After the difficult portage around the five falls of the Missouri River, the Corps of Discovery . . . — — Map (db m141856) HM
" at the distance of 2 1/2 miles we passed the entrance of a considerable river on the Stard. side; about 80 yds. wide being nearly as wide as the Missouri at that place. it's current is rapid and water extremely transparent; the bed is formed of . . . — — Map (db m141857) HM
Wherever you are in Montana, you stand in the pathway of Lewis and Clark. Their 1804-1806 expedition was a grand adventure to investigate the people and resources of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase and to seek a navigable passage across the . . . — — Map (db m141860) HM
The Missouri River Bridge, just southwest of here, is dedicated to the memory of Captain Michael John MacKinnon, who gave his life in defense of his county. A native of Helena, MacKinnon graduated from West Point in 1997 and was commissioned a . . . — — Map (db m141858) HM WM
...we passed the entrance of a considerable river on the Stard side about 80 yds wide being nearly as wide as the Missouri at that place... This handsome bold and clear stream we named in honour of Secretary of war calling it Dearborn's . . . — — Map (db m141923) HM
The Main Street and J.F. Kennedy Parks are for your enjoyment with tables, benches, rest rooms, swimming pool and playground equipment.
The American Smelting & Refining Company produced lead bullion from ores shipped in from Idaho, Montana, . . . — — Map (db m127499) HM
During the summer of 1864 a wagon train from Iowa heading west for the Oregon country stopped near this site to rest and repair their wagon before crossing the Rocky Mountains.
Among these pioneers were Jonathan and Elmira Manlove and their two . . . — — Map (db m141793) HM
Named for the daughter of a local rancher, Augusta was established on Fred Walrath's homestead in 1884. It prospered as a trade center for a vast cattle and sheep ranching area. By the 1890s, Augusta's main street included dwellings, hotels, . . . — — Map (db m157405) HM
The second cabin to your right is "The Pioneer Cabin". This cabin was built of hand-hewn logs in 1864, and is one the oldest cabins in Montana. It exemplifies a typical miner's residence of the gold rush era.
"The Pioneer Cabin" has been . . . — — Map (db m187374) HM
On this site was located Helena's first Masonic Hall, owned by the Helena Lodges. Erected by Hartwell, Jurgens & Co., the second floor of the building was first used for Masonic meetings in December, 1866. The Fifth Annual Communication of the Grand . . . — — Map (db m188521) HM
In September 1887, the Helena Weekly Herald noted “nine first-class brick residences” under construction on South Rodney Street. Among them were three nearly identical duplexes, called Galen Estates after one of the development’s principal . . . — — Map (db m188209) HM
A small L-shaped dwelling with a full-length front porch stood on this lot by 1875 according to an early bird’s-eye map of Helena. German Catholic rancher Herman Rosenbaum and his wife Mary purchased the house in 1879. The neighborhood was perfect . . . — — Map (db m188210) HM
An early one-story wooden dwelling stood here by 1884, replaced by 1888 with a two-story brick residence, set slightly back from the street. The home soon found itself ensconced in a busy commercial district. Neighbors included saloons, grocery . . . — — Map (db m188329) HM
Jacob T. Gove, a miner and assayer, developed the Bonanza Chief gold mine near Montana City in 1883, netting over $9,000 from three carloads of ore. With his small fortune, he opened an assay office, built the house next door at 229 for his family, . . . — — Map (db m188180) HM
Mining required back breaking labor and, after the easy pickings were gone, substantial capital. How did prospectors decide whether to continue working particular veins? They brought ore samples from their claims to an assay office, where they were . . . — — Map (db m188179) HM
Two distinct front porches attest to the separate histories of these two nineteenth-century homes, combined into one in the late twentieth century. The older of the two at 490 West Main was built between 1865 and 1875. Segmentally arched windows and . . . — — Map (db m187480) HM
Senator T. C. Power met A. C. Johnson in Chicago and, taking a liking to the young man, offered him a job out west. The nineteen-year-old came to work as chief clerk at Power’s Fort Benton Mercantile in 1879. Power and Johnson became friends and . . . — — Map (db m187736) HM
George and Anna Pascoe, both natives of England, moved to Helena from Butte in 1908. George died soon after the couple purchased this home in 1911. Although he was not long a resident of Helena, George, “with a cheery smile and a good word for . . . — — Map (db m187740) HM
The fanciful façade of this nineteenth-century showcase was intended to convey a powerful message. Completed in 1889 for the insurance company of Samuel J. Jones at a cost of $40,000, the vivid imagery is an advertisement, showing how insurance . . . — — Map (db m186556) HM
Charles Hendrie opened Helena’s first iron foundry on this site before 1868. The property’s third owner, Benjamen K. Tatem, built this two-story residence circa 1875. Wide eaves, low hipped roof, and tall arched windows proclaim Italianate . . . — — Map (db m187475) HM
An octagonal tower, decorative brickwork, one-story open porch, and hipped roof identify this appealing Queen Anne style residence built circa 1883. That year launched a period of neighborhood expansion and prosperity, kindled when the tracks of the . . . — — Map (db m188086) HM
Gold discoveries at Last Chance Gulch in 1864 brought a diverse population to the booming settlement of Helena. In 1870, Lewis and Clark County Commissioners established this ten-acre cemetery to serve the growing population. The first interments . . . — — Map (db m141794) HM
Legend has it that architect James F. Stranahan built this striking residence of locally quarried blue granite for his bride, Leona, in 1889. Stranahan died, however, leaving the home unfinished. Records do show that Leona briefly owned the . . . — — Map (db m188520) HM
Established by the state legislature in 1901, Montana’s Board of Health was originally housed in two small offices in the capitol building. As the state devoted more attention to public health during the Progressive Era, the Board’s responsibilities . . . — — Map (db m186778) HM
Historic maps and early directories reveal that this splendid business block was constructed circa 1890. Morris Auerbach, in business with Israel L. Israel and Adolph Marks during the 1890s, was the original occupant. Their Boston Clothing Company . . . — — Map (db m186610) HM
Newlyweds Isaac Boyer and Carrie Feldberg Boyer moved to their new home within a year of their 1907 marriage. The refined, hipped-roof residence may well have been built to order. The two-story house features popular Colonial Revival style details, . . . — — Map (db m187660) HM
The exotic Broadwater Resort is a good example of the tastes of gold rich Helena in the 1890's. The naturally heated "natatorium", Byzantine in design was billed as the "largest
bath in the world under one cover." The pool was 100 feet wide, over . . . — — Map (db m186675) HM
The home of territorial Governor Benjamin Potts sat on this property from the 1870s until this grand residence was built for prominent Helenans Charles B. and Mable Power circa 1907. Power’s father was merchant prince and early U.S. Senator T. C. . . . — — Map (db m188332) HM
Prominent Helena investor and real estate developer Charles W. Cannon commissioned the firm of Wallace and Thornborgh to construct this building for $10,000. Completed in 1890, the building reflects expansion and urbanization in the downtown area . . . — — Map (db m187145) HM
Most of Helena’s earliest commercial buildings fell victim to the fires that plagued the gulch. This simple 1860s commercial building, originally a single story of stone construction, was a notable exception, surviving a disastrous conflagration in . . . — — Map (db m186670) HM
According to reminiscences of the Butts family, builders of the Pioneer Cabin next door, two cabins stood on this lot in 1865. William Davenport likely built one for his family and the William H. Parkinsons occupied the other. Sallie Davenport, . . . — — Map (db m187373) HM
Helena entrepreneur William Chessman built these exemplary Queen Anne style townhouse apartments in 1891 while in residence across Sixth Avenue at 304 North Ewing. Gables, bays, and a rounded turret handsomely demonstrate the architectural . . . — — Map (db m188458) HM
William C. Child came to Montana from Iowa in 1870 as an agent for the Wells Fargo Express Company. President U. S. Grant soon appointed him territorial land office registrar and Child made a small fortune in mining investments. This two-story barn, . . . — — Map (db m188331) HM
John B. Sanford was born on a farm in Maine to Quaker parents. His father, then retired, had been captain of a whaling vessel. Sanford came to Montana in 1864 at the age of 29. On the journey west he formed a partnership with 24-year old Christmas . . . — — Map (db m187589) HM
Following World War II, Montana’s growing state agencies desperately needed all types of space. Consequently, in 1946 the Montana State Postwar Planning and Construction Commission recommended building a laboratory where all testing for state . . . — — Map (db m186915) HM
The Colorado Building is a rich illustration of Helena’s commercial blossoming during the early twentieth century. The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company built the structure in 1922, thereby completing this block in the town’s more . . . — — Map (db m187243) HM
This reproduction of the Liberty Bell was presented to the people of Montana by direction of The Honorable John W. Snyder Secretary of the Treasury
As the inspirational symbol of the United States Savings Bonds Independence . . . — — Map (db m128486) HM
On this placer mining claim, gold was discovered on July 14, 1864 by John Cowand and John Crab of Georgia, Bob Stanley of London, England and D.J. Miller of California known as "The Georgians" who were returning from an unsuccessful prospecting . . . — — Map (db m187078) HM
Before the discovery of cold this valley knew only the Indian or the occasional trapper; however by 1867 nearly 7,000 people had poured into the gulch, Last Chance Mining Camp, became Helena, and a new city was born.
Helena truly became a . . . — — Map (db m186485) HM
Reputedly the first two-story building on Main Street and one of Helena’s few remaining structures dating to the 1860s, this stone building originally housed offices and furnished lodgings. Miner and prominent merchant E. M. Dunphy purchased the . . . — — Map (db m186607) HM
Many of Helena's significant landmarks, like the old Land Office, were destroyed by the devastating Earthquakes of 1935, The first shock occured (sic) on the evening of Oct. 3, and for a period of weeks over 2,000 tremors, some violent, did millions . . . — — Map (db m187412) HM
Locally quarried blue-gray granite complements the shingled upper stories in this commanding nineteenth-century home. Both this residence and the one next door are stellar examples of the eclectic Shingle style. The wide porch and asymmetry are . . . — — Map (db m187674) HM
Elisha Poad arrived in Helena in 1867 by way of mining camps in California and Nevada. Poad was a native of Cornwall, England, an area with over two thousand years of mining history. Attracted to Helena’s placer mines, he was later associated with . . . — — Map (db m187478) HM
Lydia Jane English was recently widowed when she and her family moved into this substantial Italianate style residence, built in 1888. Her husband, miner Harvey W. English, was a prominent Helena pioneer who served in the territorial legislature, as . . . — — Map (db m188181) HM
Montana’s leading architectural firm of Link and Haire designed this attractive building for Charles George Eybel in 1922. Stuccoed walls and a raftered cornice along the roofline, reminiscent of the Spanish Colonial Style, combine with a smooth . . . — — Map (db m187136) HM
A probate judge deeded brothers Anton and Martin Holter this property in 1872. The prominent and wealthy Holters operated milling, hardware, real estate, and construction companies. The Holters set up a lumber yard here, which they operated until . . . — — Map (db m187142) HM
Emphasizing balance, symmetry, and restraint, the Renaissance Revival style organizes large buildings into horizontal layers, with each floor becoming increasingly more refined. Designed by James Knox Taylor, the Federal Building achieves this . . . — — Map (db m187314) HM
The Helena branch of the Federal Reserve Bank opened in 1921, the result of lobbying by Norman B. Holter and other farsighted local businessmen. It distinguished Helena as the smallest town in the country to host such a bank. When the 1935 . . . — — Map (db m187311) HM
Entrepreneur T. H. Kleinschmidt was the original owner of this early Italianate style dwelling, built as investment property circa 1884. Kleinschmidt, three times elected mayor of Helena, had diverse local business interests including utilities, . . . — — Map (db m188237) HM
The welfare of the community depended upon this prominent landmark, strategically placed atop the town’s most prominent hill. Fire was the grim reaper that stalked all western mining camps, and Last Chance Gulch was no exception. Hastily built log . . . — — Map (db m188517) HM
This magnificent structure was the second home of Montana Territory’s first bank, chartered in 1866. Combining Romanesque, French Second Empire, and popular Victorian-period stylistic elements, the talented St. Paul firm of Hodgson, Wallingford and . . . — — Map (db m186486) HM
Outstanding architecture and a long history of community service make this stunning landmark much beloved. It is the only known example of prominent architect C. S. Haire’s work in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Magnificent round arches, a . . . — — Map (db m187312) HM
Rodney Street was prime residential real estate when developer Richard Lockey sold this lot to Francis Pope in 1872. Pope, one of Helena’s first druggists, built a modest home on the property. He and his wife Hannah were prominent in the community . . . — — Map (db m188376) HM
"In commemoration of the intrepid explorers, comprising the Lewis and Clark Expedition who discovered this canyon and encamped here July 19-1805 on their westward voyage of trans-continental exploration enroute up the Missouri River bound for the . . . — — Map (db m148173) HM
George and Esther Grossberg built this Craftsman style bungalow in the early 1920s. The mix of multi-colored brick and stucco blends beautifully into the surrounding landscape. Tucked between two Victorian-era homes, this charming 1920s residence . . . — — Map (db m187738) HM
The steamboat Alone brought Stephen Gilpatrick to Montana on the cusp of the 1863 gold rush to Alder Gulch. When mining proved a disappointment, Gilpatrick moved on to Last Chance where he and a partner established the camp’s first stationery store. . . . — — Map (db m187662) HM
On July 16, 1928, a devastating fire swept between the Granite and Gold Blocks (note inscription, second story center). The structure was rebuilt by then-owner Charles Benton Power and was the last major downtown commercial building constructed by . . . — — Map (db m186483) HM
This building is an excellent example of transitional Western Commercial architecture before the advent of more ornate styles. The simple, narrow plan enhanced by decorative windows is typical of the 1870s and early 1880s. A pressed metal cornice . . . — — Map (db m186482) HM
Territorial Governor Preston Leslie was a resident of this early Helena home, constructed in the late 1870s. Originally built in the Gothic Revival style popular during Helena’s townsite period, later remodeling added classical details. The two . . . — — Map (db m188330) HM
Meriwether Lewis’s Masonic apron and an O. C. Seltzer mural depicting the first Masonic meeting in Montana are among the treasures displayed in “the home of Montana Masonry.” A dynamic political and social force since early territorial days, the . . . — — Map (db m187310) HM
Lime manufacture was an essential industry for building in brick and stone in the nineteenth century. The Grizzly Gulch outcrops and the kilns below them supplied the entire region with lime of the highest quality. Joseph O’Neill built the first of . . . — — Map (db m187580) HM
Two major areas comprise the Helena Historic District. The first area is roughly bounded by Hauser Boulevard, Monroe Avenue, Stuart Street, Dearborn Avenue, Flowerree Street, and Madison Avenue. The second area is roughly bounded by Neill Avenue, . . . — — Map (db m186276) HM
This first permanent settlement of the gold camp at Last Chance Gulch offers a glimpse of early Helena from the late 1860s to the 1890s. By the 1870s, a Catholic cathedral, St. John’s Hospital, two schools, and dormitories presided over the district . . . — — Map (db m188182) HM
This first permanent settlement of the gold camp at Last Chance Gulch offers a glimpse of early Helena from the late 1860s to the 1890s. By the 1870s, a Catholic cathedral, St. John’s Hospital, two schools, and dormitories presided over the district . . . — — Map (db m188519) HM
The physical link between the earliest settlement of Helena and the ceaseless efforts to fully exploit the area’s mineral potential is nowhere more clearly apparent than in this narrow district, settled on mining claims. After the first local gold . . . — — Map (db m187582) HM
By 1876 Helena was firmly established as the financial center of Montana. Nine banks were organized by 1890 and were equipped to handle "dust" which was the prime medium of exchange. Gold scales served as the cash register of the day. The gold, . . . — — Map (db m186557) HM
Before the coming of the automobile, horseshoers were an important part of Helena's business community. Wagons needed repairs, wheels required replacement of rims or spokes and horses must have shoes. Fall was a particularly busy time of year. . . . — — Map (db m187244) HM
Danish immigrants Henry and Matilda Blase settled on this property in the 1880s. Like other working-class Europeans who lived in the neighborhood, Blase was a man of many occupations: bartender, saloon keeper, jailer, miner, and landscape gardener. . . . — — Map (db m188113) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m187578) HM
Professor T. F. Campbell built a log cabin on this corner where he opened Helena’s first public school in 1865. Druggist Henry M. Parchen founded his long-time Helena apothecary that same year. Parchen acquired this property circa 1872 and . . . — — Map (db m188231) HM
Pioneer businessmen Anton and Martin Holter made fortunes in hardware, construction, mining investments, and real estate development. The brothers owned a number of lots in south central Helena, including three adjoining lots here on Broadway. The . . . — — Map (db m188111) HM
Contractors Anton and Martin Holter, who operated Helena’s first sawmill, built this frame residence as a rental investment in 1888. Developers like the wealthy Holter brothers built a number of south-central residences during the prosperous 1880s, . . . — — Map (db m188178) HM
Helena architects Heinlein and Matthias designed this elegant European-style hotel, formerly the Windsor House. Built in 1888, it is Montana’s only known example of a prefabricated iron façade. The locally pre-cast façade represents a building trend . . . — — Map (db m187148) HM
During his second term of office in 1903, Montana’s first governor J. K. Toole commissioned Eugene Fisk to build this magnificent home of locally quarried red porphyry and brick. Fisk, who also designed the 1880s Unitarian Church (now Grandstreet . . . — — Map (db m188461) HM
Livery stables rented and boarded horses, providing a critical service in the nineteenth century when transportation depended upon reliable mounts. Allen Livery is Helena’s best preserved reminder of this vital business and also recalls the . . . — — Map (db m188232) HM
n May of 1890, Montana’s first governor, Helena trial lawyer and territorial statesman Joseph Kemp Toole, brought his bride, Lilly, to live in the family home on Rodney Street. The territorial brick residence had been constructed before 1880 for . . . — — Map (db m188204) HM
he western gold rushes not only lured miners but entrepreneurs seeking business opportunities. Armed with blacksmithing and wagon-making skills, adventurer Joshua Armitage and his wife Martha arrived at Alder Gulch in December 1863. They moved to . . . — — Map (db m187075) HM
The 1982 Justice Building and Montana State Library, designed by Page-Werner and Partners of Great Falls, was the last building constructed under the ambitious 1972 Capitol Campus Master Plan. Designed to house the Supreme Court, Attorney General’s . . . — — Map (db m187069) HM
Entrepreneur Reinhold H. Kleinschmidt built this block with five storefronts and upstairs lodging rooms circa 1892. Among his first commercial tenants was Charles Grossman, a wallpaper hanger and painter, whose business was in the corner storefront. . . . — — Map (db m188460) HM
This rare example of European half-timber construction in the midst of a Montana mining camp beautifully illustrates how pioneer buildings often reflected the cultural traditions of their builders. After distinguished service as an infantryman in . . . — — Map (db m187484) HM
A small rectangular gabled dwelling built against a one-room log cabin stood on this spacious corner in the 1870s. The property had changed hands several times when Austrian immigrant Franz Koch, a bookbindery foreman, purchased it in the late . . . — — Map (db m188115) HM
In 1892, a small Chinese laundry was the sole occupant of the block’s south side. Nearby, booming Rodney Street boasted a mix of businesses, tenements, boardinghouses, and single family homes. Fifth Street, however, had begun to take on a purely . . . — — Map (db m188084) HM
The city of Helena started as a group of placer miners' cabins and Main Street follows the bottom of Last Chance Gulch. The gulch is formed by the convergence of Oro Fino and Grizzley Gulches and its colorful history began when gold was discovered . . . — — Map (db m188672) HM
Early settlers along the gulch made use of the natural landscape by building their homes into the hillside for convenient, climate-controlled storage and maximum space. This gable-front-and-wing style home, built circa 1893, follows this practice. . . . — — Map (db m187586) HM
During the first decade of statehood legislators met in downtown Helena where lawmakers enjoyed a variety of options for “lunch arrangements.” When lawmakers transitioned into the new Capitol in 1902, downtown Helena was a mile away. A small . . . — — Map (db m186904) HM
Concerns about communicable diseases and unsanitary slaughterhouse conditions prompted the creation of the Livestock Sanitary Board in 1907. Originally housed in the new State Capitol, its duties quickly expanded and the need for laboratory and . . . — — Map (db m186780) HM
The Lyman-Neel Residence and its many occupants reflect the ever-changing character of the North Rodney Street neighborhood. Soon after Helena’s first county courthouse opened in 1867, merchants and professionals established Helena’s first . . . — — Map (db m188375) HM
The flamboyant Second Empire style is exceptionally well articulated in this grand residence, showcasing the considerable talent of its builder and original owner, Martin M. Holter. One of only a few well-preserved examples of this style in Montana, . . . — — Map (db m188208) HM
Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, state government grew to meet the increasing demands of Montana’s citizenry. In 1945—following a hiatus wrought by the Great Depression and World War II—the legislature established a Montana . . . — — Map (db m186906) HM
Time stands still within the quiet confines of this nationally renowned social club, the oldest in the Northwest. A group of Helena’s elite founded the Montana Club in 1885 “for gentlemen only.” Members built a seven-story building on this site in . . . — — Map (db m187135) HM
Montana’s original Highway Department building reflects the ascendancy of the automobile in twentieth-century America. As drivers began lobbying for good roads, state government responded, forming the Montana Highway Commission in 1913. Five years . . . — — Map (db m186913) HM
Montana’s governmental landscape is an evolving political and cultural expression with deep roots. The seeds of the capital city were planted with local gold discoveries in 1864. Helena became territorial capital in 1875. Upon statehood in 1889, the . . . — — Map (db m186907) HM
The desire to memorialize the contributions of Montana pioneers and veterans and the need for a state museum converged in 1941. That year, veterans groups, the Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers, and the Montana Pioneers joined together to . . . — — Map (db m128478) HM WM
Montana Territory was created by Congress on May 26, 1864. The first Legislature sat in Bannack but was moved less than a year later to booming Virginia City. Ten years later, the capital was located in Helena and despite effort of Silver Bow mining . . . — — Map (db m186560) HM
Grasshopper Creek, where gold was discovered in 1862 in what would later be named Bannack, became the first territorial capital. The territorial legislature moved the capital to Virginia City on February 7, 1865. While Virginia City enjoyed the . . . — — Map (db m187066) HM
Historic maps show that the area above Reeder’s Alley, known as Reeder’s Gulch, was long undeveloped and virtually inaccessible. The city gave in to local pressure in the early 1890s and began construction of this bridge, first known as the Howie . . . — — Map (db m187408) HM
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