Helena (; ) is the
capital city of
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
, United States, and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Lewis and Clark County.
Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...
, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would become a wealthy city, with approximately 50
millionaires
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short sc ...
inhabiting the area by 1888. The concentration of wealth contributed to the city's prominent, elaborate
Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...
.
At the 2020 census Helena's population was 32,091,
making it the
fifth least populous state capital in the United States and the
sixth most populous city in Montana. It is the principal city of the Helena
Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lewis and Clark and
Jefferson counties; its population is 83,058 according to the 2020 Census.
The local daily newspaper is the ''
Independent Record
The ''Independent Record'' (often abbreviated to ''IR'') is a daily newspaper printed and distributed in Helena, Montana. The newspaper is part of the Lee Enterprises group.
History
The roots of the ''IR'' lie in two newspapers that were foun ...
''. The city is served by
Helena Regional Airport
Helena Regional Airport is a public airport two miles northeast of Helena, in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States. It is owned by the Helena Regional Airport Authority.
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011– ...
(HLN).
History
The Helena area was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples. Evidence from the McHaffie and Indian Creek sites on opposite sides of the Elkhorn Mountains southeast of the Helena Valley show that people of the Folsom culture lived in the area more than 10,000 years ago. Before the introduction of the horse 300 years ago, and since, other native peoples, including the
Salish and the
Blackfeet
The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Mon ...
, visited the area seasonally on their nomadic rounds.
Early European settlement and gold rush
![Helena mo 1870](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Helena_mo_1870.jpg)
By the early 1800s, people of European descent from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and British
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
began arriving to work the streams of the Missouri River watershed looking for fur-bearing animals such as the
beaver, undoubtedly bringing them through the area now known as the Helena Valley.
Gold strikes in
Idaho Territory in the early 1860s attracted many migrants who initiated major
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...
es at Grasshopper Creek (
Bannack
Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon, Montana, Dillon. ...
) and
Alder Gulch
Alder Gulch (alternatively called Alder Creek) is a place in the Ruby River valley, in the U.S. state of Montana, where gold was discovered on May 26, 1863, by William Fairweather and a group of men including Barney Hughes, Thomas Cover, Henr ...
(
Virginia City
Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Virginia City developed as a boom ...
) in 1862 and 1863 respectively. So many people came that the federal government created a new territory called
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
in May 1864. The miners prospected far and wide for new
placer gold discoveries. On July 14, 1864, the discovery of gold by a prospecting party known as the "
Four Georgians
The Four Georgians were a group of gold prospectors who are traditionally credited for discovering the Last Chance placer gold strike of Helena, Montana. They were John Cowan, D. J. Miller, John Crab, and Reginald (Robert) Stanley. Of the four, ...
" in a gulch off the Prickly Pear Creek led to the founding of a mining camp along a small creek in the area they called "Last Chance Gulch".
By fall, the population had grown to over 200, and some thought the name "Last Chance" too crass. On October 30, 1864, a group of at least seven self-appointed men met to name the town, authorize the layout of the streets, and elect commissioners. The first suggestion was "Tomah," a word the committee thought had connections to the local Indian people. Other nominations included Pumpkinville and Squashtown (as the meeting was held the day before
Halloween). Other suggestions were to name the community after various
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
towns, such as Winona and Rochester, as a number of settlers had come from Minnesota. Finally, a Scotsman, John Summerville, proposed ''Helena'', which he pronounced , in honor of
Helena Township, Scott County, Minnesota
Helena Township is a township in Scott County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,440 at the 2000 census.
History
Helena Township was organized in 1858, and named for the famed Helen of Troy.
Geography
According to the United States ...
. This immediately caused an uproar from the former
Confederates in the room, who insisted upon the pronunciation , after
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the n ...
, a town on the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
. While the name "Helena" won, the pronunciation varied until approximately 1882 when the pronunciation became dominant. Later tales of the naming of Helena claimed the name came from the island of
St. Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constit ...
, where Napoleon was exiled, or was that of a miner's sweetheart.
Helena was surveyed by Captain John Wood in 1865 for the first time. The original streets of Helena followed the paths of miners, thus making the city blocks of Early Helena various sizes and shapes.
In 1870,
Henry D. Washburn, having been appointed Surveyor General of Montana in 1869, organized the
Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition in Helena to explore the regions that would become
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...
.
Mount Washburn, within the park, is named for him. Members of the expedition included Helena residents:
*
Truman C. Everts, former U.S. Assessor for the Montana Territory
* Cornelius Hedges, U.S. Attorney of the Montana Territory
*
Samuel T. Hauser, president of the First National Bank, Helena, Montana; later a Governor of the Montana Territory
* Warren C. Gillette, Helena merchant
*
Walter Trumbull, son of U.S. Senator
Lyman Trumbull
Lyman Trumbull (October 12, 1813 – June 25, 1896) was a lawyer, judge, and United States Senator from Illinois and the co-author of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Born in Colchester, Connecticut, Trumbull esta ...
(Illinois)
*
Nathaniel P. Langford, then former U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for Montana Territory. Langford helped Washburn organize the expedition and later helped publicize the remarkable Yellowstone region. In May 1872 after the park was established, Langford was appointed by the Department of Interior as its first superintendent.
Wealth boom
![Helena Cathedral](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Helena_Cathedral.jpg)
By 1888 about 50 millionaires lived in Helena, more per capita than in any city in the world. They had made their fortunes from gold. It is estimated about $3.6 billion in today's money was extracted from Helena during this period of time. The Last Chance Placer is one of the most famous
placer deposit
In geology, a placer deposit or placer is an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by gravity separation from a specific source rock during sedimentary processes. The name is from the Spanish word ''placer'', meaning "alluvial sand". Placer mi ...
s in the western United States. Most of the production occurred before 1868. Much of the placer is now under Helena's streets and buildings.
This large concentration of wealth was the basis of developing fine residences and ambitious architecture in the city; its
Victorian neighborhoods reflect the gold years. The numerous miners also attracted the development of a thriving
red light district
A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...
. Among the well-known local
madams was
Josephine "Chicago Joe" Airey, who built a thriving business empire between 1874 and 1893, becoming one of Helena's largest and most influential landowners. Helena's brothels were a successful part of the local business community well into the 20th century, ending with the 1973 death of Helena's last madam,
"Big Dorothy" Baker.
Helena's official symbol is a drawing of "The Guardian of the Gulch", a wooden fire watch tower built in 1886. It still stands on Tower Hill overlooking the downtown district. The tower, built in 1874, replaced a series of observation buildings, the original being built in response to a series of devastating fires that swept through the early mining camp. On August 2, 2016, an arson attack severely damaged the tower and it was deemed structurally unstable. The tower is to be demolished but will be rebuilt using the same methods as in its original construction.
![Helena capitol](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Helena_capitol.jpg)
In 1889, railroad magnate
Charles Arthur Broadwater opened his Hotel Broadwater and Natatorium west of Helena. The Natatorium was home to the world's first indoor swimming pool. Damaged in the
1935 Helena earthquake
The 1935 Helena earthquake occurred at in Montana, with an epicenter near Helena. It had a magnitude of 6.2 on the surface wave magnitude scale and a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (''Severe'') on the Mercalli intensity scale. The temblor ...
, it closed in 1941. The property's many buildings were demolished in 1976. Today, the Broadwater Fitness Center stands just west of the Hotel & Natatorium's original location, complete with an outdoor pool heated by natural spring water running underneath it.
Helena has been the capital of
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana.
Original boundaries
...
since 1875 and the state of Montana since 1889. Referendums were held in 1892 and 1894 to determine the state's capital; the result was to keep the capitol in Helena. In 1902, the
Montana State Capitol
The Montana State Capitol is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Montana that houses the Montana State Legislature which is located in the state capital of Helena at 1301 East Sixth Avenue. The building was constructed between 1896 and 1902 w ...
was completed. Until the
1900 census, Helena was the most populous city in the state. That year it was surpassed by Butte (with a population of 30,470), where mining industry was developing.
Among the settlers the city's prosperity attracted were Blacks fleeing racism in the
South. Many found work in the mines or on the railroads and established a middle class that supported Black-owned businesses,
Black churches, Black newspapers and a Black literary society. A Black police officer patrolled the town's wealthiest (white) neighborhood. But in the later 1900s new discriminatory laws, such as a ban on mixed marriages and the establishment of many
sundown town
Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminator ...
s, along with the attendant racist attitudes that led to them drove many Blacks out not just Helena but the state, to the point that the city's Black population today is a small fraction of what it was in the early 20th century.
In 1916, the
United Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...
commissioned the construction of the
Confederate Memorial Fountain in Hill Park. It was the only Confederate memorial in the
Northwestern United States
The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. ...
.
The fountain was removed on August 18, 2017, after the Helena City Commission deemed it a threat to public safety following a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
1980s–present
The
Cathedral of Saint Helena and the
Helena Civic Center are two of Helena's many significant historic buildings.
Many working Helenans (approx. 18%) work for agencies of the state government. When in Helena, most people visit the local walking mall. It was completed in the early 1980s after
Urban Renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
and the
Model Cities Program in the early 1970s had removed many historic buildings from the downtown district. During the next decade, a three-block shopping district was renovated that followed the original Last Chance Gulch. A small artificial stream runs along most of the walking mall to represent the underground springs that originally flowed above ground in parts of the Gulch.
The
Archie Bray Foundation, an internationally renowned ceramics center founded in 1952, is just northwest of Helena, near Spring Meadow Lake.
A significant
train wreck
A train wreck, train collision, train accident or train crash is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an acci ...
occurred on February 2, 1989, in which a 48-car runaway freight train slammed into a parked train near Carroll College, setting off an explosion that blasted out windows up to three miles away, causing most of the city to lose power and forcing some residents to evacuate in subzero weather.
With the mountains, Helena has much outdoor recreation, including
hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
and
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
.
Great Divide Ski Area is northwest of town near the
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
of
Marysville. Helena is also known for its
mountain biking. It was officially designated as an
International Mountain Bicycling Association
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit educational association whose mission is to create, enhance and preserve trail opportunities for mountain bikers worldwide.
IMBA was formed in 1988, when five California-based ...
bronze level
Ride Center on October 23, 2013.
Helena High School
Helena High School is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Helena, Montana, United States. It is part of the Helena Public School District. Founded in September 1876, it is the oldest high school in the state of Montana. and
Capital High School are public high schools in
Helena School District No. 1.
In 2017, Helena voters elected as mayor former
Liberian refugee
Wilmot Collins
Wilmot Collins (born October 15, 1963) is a Liberian-born American politician serving as the mayor of Helena, Montana. He defeated four-term incumbent mayor James E. Smith in the 2017 mayoral election on November 7, 2017, with 51% of the vote. ...
, who was widely reported to be Helena's first black mayor. The ''Independent Record'' reported contested research indicating that in the early 1870s one E. T. Johnson, listed in the city directory as a black barber from Washington D.C., had been elected mayor, before Helena became an incorporated town.
Geography
![Sleeping Giant 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Sleeping_Giant_2010.jpg)
Helena is located at (46.595805, −112.027031),
at an altitude of 4,058 feet (1,237 m).
Surrounding features include the
Continental Divide,
Mount Helena City Park,
Spring Meadow Lake State Park,
Lake Helena,
Helena National Forest, the
Big Belt Mountains
The Big Belt Mountains are a section of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. Situated mainly in the Helena National Forest, the mountains are used for logging and recreation for the surrounding residents. Nearby are the cities of Hel ...
, the
Gates of the Mountains Wilderness,
Sleeping Giant Wilderness Study Area,
Bob Marshall Wilderness
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area is a congressionally-designated wilderness area located in Western Montana region of the United States. It is named after Bob Marshall (1901–1939), an early forester in the federal government, conservationist, a ...
,
Scapegoat Wilderness, the
Missouri River,
Canyon Ferry Lake,
Holter Lake
Holter Dam is a hydroelectric straight gravity dam on the Missouri River about northeast of Helena, Montana, in the United States.''Upper Missouri River Reservoir Fisheries Management Plan, 2010-2019,'' Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and ...
,
Hauser Lake, and the
Elkhorn Mountains
The Elkhorn Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Montana, part of the Rocky Mountains and are roughly 300,000 acres (1200 km²) in size. It is an inactive volcanic mountain range with the highest point being Crow Peak at , right n ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
Helena has a
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''BSk''), with long, cold and moderately snowy winters, hot and dry summers, and short springs and autumns in between. Snowfall has been observed in every month but July, but is usually absent from May to September, and normally accumulates in only light amounts. Winters have periods of moderation, partly due to warming influence from
chinooks. Precipitation mostly falls in the spring and is generally sparse, averaging only annually.
The hottest temperature recorded in Helena was on August 24, 1969 and July 15, 2002, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 31, 1893, January 25, 1957 and February 2, 1996.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 28,190 people, 12,780 households, and 6,691 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was . There were 13,457 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.4%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 2.3%
Native American, 0.7%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.6% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.8% of the population.
There were 12,780 households, of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were
married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.6% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.77.
The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 29.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,780 people, 11,541 households, and 6,474 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,840.7 people per square mile (710.5/km
2). There were 12,133 housing units at an average density of 866.3 per square mile (334.4/km
2). The ethnic makeup of the city is 94.8% White, 0.2% African American, 2.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 1.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 11,541 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,416, and the median income for a family was $50,018. Males had a median income of $34,357 versus $25,821 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $20,020. About 9.3% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Helena has a long record of economic stability with its history as being the state capital and being founded in an area rich in silver and lead deposits. However, this situation has resulted in a slow growing economy. Its status as capital makes it a major hub of activity at the county, state, and federal level. According to the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce, the capital's median household income is $50,889, and its unemployment rate stood at 3.8% in 2013, about 1.2% lower than the rest of the state. Education is a major employer, with two high schools and accompanying elementary and middle schools for K–12 students as well as
Helena College. Major private employers within the city of Helena include
Carroll College and the medical community.
![Fort Harrison](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Fort_Harrison.jpg)
Helena's economy is also bolstered by
Fort William Henry Harrison
Fort William Henry Harrison is the Montana National Guard training facility. It is also home to the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center and Montana State Veterans Cemetery, located adjacent to the military installation.
History
Fort William Henr ...
, the training facility for the
Montana National Guard
The Montana National Guard consists of the Montana Army National Guard, and the Montana Air National Guard.
Structure and mission
When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-in-Chief. The federa ...
, located just outside the city. Fort Harrison is also home to
Fort Harrison VA Medical Center, where many Helena-area residents work.
Education
Higher education
![20030826CarrollCollegeFromMtHelena](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/20030826CarrollCollegeFromMtHelena.jpg)
*
Carroll College, a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...
which opened in 1909, enrolls 1,500 students.
*
Helena College University of Montana, a two-year affiliate campus of
The University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fa ...
, provides transfer, career, and technical education for more than 1,600 students. It opened in 1939.
Primary and secondary education
List of schools in Helena, Montana
Library
Helena has a
public library, a branch of the Lewis & Clark Library.
Media
Helena's
Designated Market Area
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
is 205th in size, as defined by
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
, and is the fifth smallest media market in the nation.
Notable people
Gallery: modern day
20030823MountHelena.jpg, View of north face of Mount Helena and west side of city
20050420MountHelenaSnowline.jpg, Mount Helena snowline (April 2005)
20030822MtHelenaTrail165.jpg, Walking/biking trail between downtown and Mount Helena's peak
20030822MountHelenaBicyclists.jpg, View from Mount Helena's peak, accessible by bike and foot
Algeria Shrine Temple (2012) - Lewis and Clark County, Montana.png, Helena's Civic Center (Algeria Shrine Temple)
20030823HelenaMontanaTrainStation.JPG, Former Northern Pacific (aka Union) Depot, Helena Avenue
20030826CarrollCollegeFromMtHelena.jpg, View of Carroll College from Mount Helena
Helena Tour Train.jpg, A "Tour Train" on the walking mall that was designed during 1960s urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
MontanaCapitolDeer2006.jpg, Deer are common within the city limits
Guardian of the Gulch.jpg, The Guardian of the Gulch fire tower
Gallery: historical
1860s Helena, Montana - Main Street.jpg, Main Street, 1860s
1865 Street scene - Helena, Montana Territory (probably S Park Ave looking East).jpg , An 1865 photograph taken from today's S. Park Ave., looking east
Vigilante Lynching Helena 1870.JPG , The lynching of Arthur Compton and Joseph Wilson (1870)
1870+ Front-page banners of early newspapers in Helena, Montana.jpg, Banners from some of Helena's early newspapers
Helena (Montana) 1875.png, Cartographer's visualization — 1875
Helena (Montana) 1883.png, Cartographer's visualization — 1883
Helena (Montana) 1890.png, Cartographer's visualization — 1890
1891 Power Block building - Helena, Montana.jpg , An 1891 image of the 1889 Power Building, named after magnate Thomas C. Power
NPHelenaMT1904.jpg , Union Depot (later Northern Pacific Depot) ca. 1904
1900s Helena, Montana - Main street.jpg, Postcard of Main Street, 1900s (decade)
1900s Helena, Montana - Mount Helena postcard.jpg, View of Mount Helena from old high school, 1900s (decade)
VIEW OF SOUTH FRONT - Great Northern Depot, 100-110 Neill Avenue, Helena, Lewis and Clark County, MT HAER MONT,25-HEL,13-2.tif, Former Great Northern Depot, Neill Avenue (since replaced)
References
Further reading
* Wood, Anthony. "After the West Was Won How African American Buffalo Soldiers Invigorated the Helena Community in Early Twentieth-Century Montana." ''Montana'' 66.3 (2016): 36–50.
External links
*
Vintage images on HelenaHistory.org*
{{Authority control
Cities in Montana
Cities in Lewis and Clark County, Montana
County seats in Montana
Populated places established in 1864
Helena, Montana micropolitan area
Mining communities in Montana
Gold mines in the United States
1864 establishments in Montana Territory