Helena, Montana

by Michele Kadison

Helena, Montana is a great Montana city. As the state capital, it offers plenty of options for Montana hotels, dining and sight seeing. It is also close to the continental divide, and is surrounded by beautiful peaks, vast public lands, and has an enormous reservoir for you to play in. Close by, you’ll find the Great Divide ski resort, an awesome winter playground. Helena is also a great place for Montana weddings.

A fall day in Helena, Montana.

Way back in 1864, Helena, Montana was known as the “Queen City of the Rockies” when the mining boom hit and gold, silver, quartz gold, and lead was found in the area.  The rush actually started in 1862 with a major strike at Bannack after the initial word got out in 1852 that gold was found in Deer Lodge Valley.  It was in 1864 that the “Four Georgians,” prospectors from out of state, found gold in what now is Helena’s main street.  The four staked their claim and named the area the “Last Chance Gulch,” working it for ore until they decided to move back east in 1867.

As the gulch became more and more populated, the local miners decided to give the area a better name.  It was originally called Crabtown, after John Crab, one of the Four Georgians.  The new name was given after a town in Minnesota pronounced Saint Hel-E-na.  Eventually the Saint was dropped and the town was pronounced Helena, with the first syllable getting the emphasis.

Helena became the capital of Montana Territory in 1875.  When Montana became a state there were differences of opinion regarding the locale of the state capital, but eventually Helena won, with the erection of the State Capitol Building in 1898.

Helena is Montana's capital city.

Downtown Helena speaks of this early time, with most of the city located in a deep gulch opening to higher areas sitting on overlooking hillsides.  A wide valley opens to the north, with the State Capitol building sitting on the upper eastside.  The building is a testimonial to Greek Renaissance architecture, with murals on the inner walls that illustrate the history of the region.  The historical downtown area features wonderful 19th century mansions and many restored pioneer dwellings.  Take the Last Chance Tour that begins at the Montana Historical Society, an hour’s train ride that runs through the city giving visitors an in-depth look at Helena’s past and present.

Make sure to visit the Montana Historical Society, which was founded in 1865 and contains much of cowboy artist Charles M. Russell’s work in the Mackay Gallery.  Frontier photographer F. Jay Haynes’ work can be seen in the appropriately named Haynes Gallery.

Other points of interest include a tour of the 1988 Governor’s Mansion with its intact antique furnishings that complete the 20 rooms and seven fireplaces that speak of turn-of-the-century elegance and style.  Visit the Museum of Gold at the Norwest Bank where you will see everything from gold dust to 244 ounce size nuggets.  Helena is known for its sapphires as well as its gold.  Take a look at the Spokane Bar Mine to see one of the area’s main digging sites as well as other mines and settlements that dot the nearby landscape.

Head over to the Archie Bray Foundation, which is situated in an old brick factory.  The studios were established in 1951 and attract some of the most interesting ceramic artists from around the world.

Helena has several great reservoirs for swimming, fishing and boating.

Just outside of Helena you can enjoy some of the best that big nature can offer.  With the Missouri River as well as the Holter and Hauser Lakes created by two of the three dams on the river, swimming, fishing, waterskiing, and boating await you.  Canyon Ferry Lake is a large reservoir on the Missouri River where you can also enjoy abundant water activities.  If you enjoy ice boating during the winter months, here is the place to do it.  Boat tours are also worthwhile, where you can see the Gates of the Mountains, the steep canyon walls named by Meriwether Lewis, that make the area so dramatic.  Tours are available just 16 miles north of Helena off Interstate 15 at the Gates of the Mountains.

Only eight miles from the Continental Divide, Helena is surrounded by imposing mountains and vast landscapes.  The land is managed by the National Forest System and includes the Elkhorn Wildlife Management Area, a 129,000 acre region that is known for its abundant wildlife.

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