What’s the History?
If you are interested in history, Helena is definitely full of it! As you move through the city, you will come across buildings and places that have many stories behind them. Even people who have lived here their whole lives probably don’t know everything there is to know about Helena.
Below are a few snippets from Historic Montana by the Montana Historical Society that touch on some of the history of a couple of historic Helena landmarks. If you are interested in doing a deeper dive into some of the history in Helena, the Open Audio Tour app is a great free option! Another free option that is now open is the Montana Heritage Center, which houses Montana’s Museum – keep your eyes open for a full write-up next month!
“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 cabins, crowded together along the streets, created a constant hazard. In the mining camp at Last Chance, wind whipping through the gulch was an added danger. The wind could carry burning embers to distant neighborhoods; every miner’s cabin had a fire bucket hanging within easy reach. Citizens organized a warning system and built the first fire tower here in 1868. Volunteers took turns scanning the gulch for wisps of smoke where none should be. Ironically, fire destroyed the first tower. This structure, constructed using millwright techniques of beams bolted together, took its place in 1874. The city added a guardroom and bell in 1886. For many years, the bell rang the evening curfew for Helena’s youngsters. The “Guardian of the Gulch” served the community for nearly seventy years and has become a symbol of Helena’s early history and resilient citizens.”
“Pennsylvania brick mason Louis Reeder came to Helena in 1867 to practice his trade. Reeder invested in real estate and among his properties were these lots along the steep hillside of West Cutler Street. Between 1875 and 1884 Reeder constructed a series of apartments and bunkhouses offering single miners a comfortable alternative to log cabin accommodations. The simple masonry provided permanence and resistance to fire, a menace that plagued the early community. The complex included some thirty-five housing units in a collection of stone and brick buildings, including an existing log cabin Reeder ingeniously incorporated into the largest structure. The area was already known as Reeder’s Alley when Reeder died after a fall in 1884. The miners moved on, but over the years tenants remained mostly single and male. Twenty-three pensioners lived at Reeder’s Alley in 1961 when these buildings were rescued from demolition and rehabilitation begun. The narrow alleyway and closely spaced buildings nestled against the slope of Mount Helena today comprise the town’s most complete remaining block of the territorial period.”
Don’t forget, Reeder’s Alley is also home to Visit Helena and the Visitor Information Center. We would love to have you come and check it out!
“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 1893, but fire consumed that landmark in 1903 and it was razed. Soon after the disaster, club members hired Cass Gilbert, architect of the Minnesota State Capitol and New York City’s famed Woolworth Building to design a new building. Gilbert’s American Renaissance style plans incorporated a contemporary structural system but echoed the original building’s heavy first-floor stone arch design. Over the years members have included copper kings, millionaires, and politicians who hosted such notables as Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. Perseverance and adaptability have seen the club through hard times and change. In 1915, women were first invited to the New Year’s Eve celebration, and gender segregation eventually became a thing of the past. Today, the Montana Club is one of Helena’s most commanding anchors, an ambassador from another era, where tradition endures in grand style.”
Bluestone House
“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 property, which subsequently changed hands many times. Its curious location overlooking what was once the heart of Helena’s red-light district has led to much speculation and misidentification. Although some like to tell a different story, records show the building was never anything other than a residence. The 1935 earthquakes caused extensive structural damage, and for several decades the prominent landmark was considered an “attractive ruin.” Finally, the 1970s Urban Renewal Historic Preservation Committee secured funding that made restoration possible. (Each stone was numbered, dismantled, and put back together again.) Massive, blocky masonry contrasts sharply with the decorative tower, oriel window, and copper trim, making the Bluestone House a unique Helena treasure.”
“The Algeria Shrine Temple, completed in 1921, was built by the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine both for their use and for public events in Helena. George S. Carsley and Charles S. Haire, prominent architects of the era, designed this Moorish Revival building. Its minaret rises seventeen stories, and its façade six. Upon completion, the auditorium was ninth-largest in the nation, seating 2,608 people. The ballroom accommodates 500 dancing couples. The fire station, a 1939 addition, carries out the polychromatic design of the exterior brick. Severe damage by earthquakes in 1935 was beyond the financial means of the local Shrine to repair, yet the facility remained in demand for public use. The City of Helena purchased this structure in 1938, when it became the Civic Center, housing city government departments until 1979. The citizens of Helena, through local government and a Civic Center Advisory Board, have worked for the renovation and preservation of this building that serves many cultural needs of the Helena community.”
“The gentle rise overlooking the Helena Valley enhances the stately character of the “People’s House.” It is Montana’s grandest public space and a stunning example of high style public architecture. Iowa architects Charles Bell and John Kent designed the center portion in the Neoclassical style to reflect the “American Renaissance” of the late nineteenth century. The state had few financial resources, so mining magnate Thomas Cruse bought all the bonds that financed its construction. Completed in 1902, the Capitol embodies the optimism, financial reality, and political climate of the time. The soaring Rotunda, beneath the copper-clad dome and figure “Montana,” sculpted by Pennsylvania artist Edward VanLandeghem, serves as the real and symbolic axis of government. Montana architects John Link and Charles Haire designed the wings, added in 1909. Classical elements carry through the interior, but the artistic expression speaks distinctly to Montana. A kaleidoscope of details and stained and art glass set the stage for a theatrical “history pageant.” Exquisite paintings by Montana artists Charles Russell, Ralph DeCamp, and Edgar S. Paxson visually dramatize Montana’s colorful past.”