HELENA, MONTANA

Debbie and I are taking a trip to Helena, Montana in July.  Helena is a historical city.  It is the city where my sister and I were born.  I have always wanted to see where I was born.  I'm in the process of finding places to see in Helena and nearby.

                A little history about Helena------

Helena was founded with the July 14, 1864 discovery of gold in a gulch off the Prickly Pear Valley by the "four Georgians".  The city's main street is named "Last Chance Gulch" and lies close to the winding path of the original gulch through the historic downtown district.
     The townsite was first surveyed in1865 by Captain John Wood.  However, many of the original streets followed the chaotic paths of the miners, going around claims and following the winding gulch.  As a result, few city blocks are consistent in size, rather they have an irregular variety of shapes and sizes.
      By 1888, about 50 millionaires lived in Helena, more per capita than any city in the world. (About 3.6 billion in today's dollars.)
      The Last Chance Placer is one of the most famous placer deposits in the Western United States. Much of the Placer is now under the streets and buildings.  As late as 1970 when repairs were being made to a bank a vein of Placer


Helena in 1870

Gold was found under the bank's foundation.
       The official symbol of Helena is a drawing of "The Guardian of the Gulch", a wooden watch tower that still stands on "Tower Hill" overlooking the historic downtown district.
        In 1902, the Montana State Capitol building was completed.  Helena has been the Capitol of Montana Territory since 1875 and the State of Montana since 1889.


Capitol Building

City of Helena today

Watch Tower

        Helena is located at an altitude of 4,058 feet.  The population of Helena is 28,592. I am excited about going and it will be fun to go on a trip with Debbie again.

There is a tourist train that I want us to ride. We should see several of the historic sites including the watch tower.

Helena in 1920