Helena (IPA: /ˈhɛlənə/) is the
capital of the State of Montana. As of the 2000 census, its
population was 25,780, but with the surrounding area the population reaches 67,636 [1]. It
is the county seat of Lewis and Clark
County. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The
Helena Brewers minor league baseball team call the
city home. The city is served by Helena Regional Airport.
History
The town was established on October 30, 1864, following the
discovery of gold along Last Chance Creek by the "Four Georgians". Helena's main street is named Last Chance Gulch and follows the winding path of
the original creek through the historic downtown district.
The town was originally named "Crabtown", after John Crab, one of the "Four Georgians" later it was changed to
Pumpkinville then they changed it to Squashtown. As other miners arrived and the town expanded it was decided to change the name.
After many suggestions, John Sommerville suggested the name of his home town, Saint Helena,
Minnesota, but the pronunciation (Hel-E-na) did not suit the miners, who preferred HELL-en-a. Dropping
"Saint" from the name as unnecessary, the new name Helena was adopted (defeating the name "Tomah" by only two
votes).
The townsite was first surveyed in 1865 by Captain John Wood. However, most streets follow the
chaotic paths of the miners, going around claims and following the winding streambed. As a result, few city blocks match the
ideal of 30 x 60, rather they have an irregular variety of shapes and size causing many major streets to end abruptly.
By 1888, about 50 millionaires lived in Helena, more millionaires per capita than any city in
the world. About $3.6 billion (in today's dollars) of gold was taken from Last Chance Gulch, over a 20-year period. The Last
Chance Placer is one of the most famous placers in the western United States. Most of the production occurred before
1868. Much of the placer is now under the streets and
buildings of Helena (but even as late as the 1970s, when repairs were being made to a Bank, a vein
of placer gold was found under the Bank's foundation).
The official symbol of Helena is a drawing of "The Guardian of the Gulch", a wooden fire watch tower built in 1886, that still stands on "Tower Hill" overlooking the historic downtown district. This fire tower replaced a series of observation buildings,
the original being a flimsy lookout stand built in 1870 on the same site, built in response to a
series of devastating fires: April 1869, November 1869, October 1871, August 1872 and January 1874 that swept through the early
mining camp.
The state Capitol building, Helena, Montana
In 1889, railroad magnate Charles Arthur Broadwater opened his fabled
Hotel Broadwater and Natatorium
west of Helena. Damaged in the earthquake of 1935, it was closed in 1941. It was 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.
In 1902, the Montana State Capitol was completed. Helena has been the capital
of Montana Territory (since 1875) and the state of Montana (since 1889). A large portion of the
conflict between Marcus Daly and William Andrews
Clark (the Copper Kings) was over the location of the state capital.
The Civic Center and the
Saint Helena Cathedral[2] are two of many unique historic buildings in Helena.
Helena High School and Capital High School are both public high schools located in the Helena School District No. 1. Being the
state capital, a large number of Helenans work for the state government. When in Helena, most people visit the local walking mall
(built during Urban Renewal in the early 1970s), a three block long strip of stores following the original Last Chance Gulch.
There is a stream in a concrete bed running the length of the walking mall, simulating Last Chance Creek.
The Archie Bray Foundation, an internationally-renowned ceramics center
founded in 1952, is located just west of Helena.
Helena also has a local ski area, Great Divide Ski Area, northwest of town
near the ghost town of Marysville, Montana.
Geography and climate
Helena is located at 46°35′45″N, 112°1′37″W (46.595805,
-112.027031)1.
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 Gates of the Mountains Wilderness The Missouri
River, Canyon Ferry Lake, and The Elkhorn
Mountains.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 36.3 km² (14.0 mi²), all land.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F |
72 |
69 |
78 |
86 |
93 |
100 |
105 |
105 |
99 |
87 |
75 |
64 |
| Norm High °F |
30.5 |
37.3 |
46.8 |
56.9 |
65.9 |
75 |
83.4 |
82.5 |
71 |
58.4 |
41.5 |
31.5 |
| Norm Low °F |
9.9 |
15.6 |
23.5 |
31.2 |
39.8 |
47.5 |
52.3 |
50.8 |
41.2 |
31.2 |
20.3 |
11.3 |
| Rec Low °F |
-42 |
-42 |
-30 |
1 |
17 |
30 |
36 |
28 |
18 |
-8 |
-39 |
-38 |
| Precip (in) |
0.52 |
0.38 |
0.63 |
0.91 |
1.78 |
1.82 |
1.34 |
1.29 |
1.05 |
0.66 |
0.48 |
0.46 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [3] |
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 25,780 people, 11,541 households, and 6,474 families
residing in the city. The population density was 710.5/km² (1,840.7/mi²). There were
12,133 housing units at an average density of 334.4/km² (866.3/mi²). The ethnic makeup of the city is 94.78% White, 0.23%
African American, 2.10% Native
American, 0.78% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.66% from two or
more races. 1.67% 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 for the city was
$20,020. About 9.3% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Higher education
Carroll College, a Roman Catholic Liberal Arts college provides education
for 1,500 students. It first opened in 1909.
The University of Montana - Helena College of Technology (formerly Helena Vo-Tech and now
known as the James Institute or JI)), a two-year, affiliate campus of The
University of Montana, provides transfer and technical education for nearly 1,000 students. It opened in 1939.
Media
Helena's Designated Market Area is 206th
in size, as defined by Nielsen Media Research, and is the fourth smallest media
market in the nation.
- Newspaper: Helena Independent-Record (daily, morning)
- KTVH (NBC, channel 12)
- KMTF (CW, channel 20)
- KBLL (99.5) (country)
- KZMT (101.1) (classic rock)
- KHKR (104.1) (pop hits)
- KMTX (105.3) (adult contemporary)
- KGR (680) (oldies)
- KMTX (950) (oldies)
- KBLL (1240) (talk)
- KCAP (1340) (talk)
Notable residents (past and present)
- Governors of Montana and other Montana state officials
- Stephen Ambrose, historian, author of Band of
Brothers and Undaunted Courage
- Nick Andrews, amateur filmmaker, lives in Helena.
- James Presley Ball, African-American daugerreotypist, worked here for over twenty
years.
- Max Baucus, Montana's United States Senior
Senator
- Samuel Beall, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, later practiced law here.
- Dirk Benedict, actor (A-Team)
- Brand Blanshard, philosopher, lived here for a time.
- Thomas Henry Carter, United States Senator from Montana.
- Lane Chandler, actor, graduated from high school here.
- William H. Clagett, U.S.
Representative from Montana Territory
- Gary Cooper, actor
- Walter A. Coslet, figure in science
fiction fandom and Bible collecting
- Margaret Craven, author, was born here.
- World Archery Record Holder Katie Deyerle
- Charles Donnelly, later president of the Northern Pacific Railway, served as an attorney here.
- Pat Donovan, Dallas Cowboys
offensive tackle, was born here.
- Rebecca Ferratti, former Playboy
centerfold, was born here.
- Casey FitzSimmons, TE, Detroit Lions
- Jake Flaherty, prominent archaeologist
- Cory Fong, Tax Commissioner of North Dakota, was raised here.
- John Gagliardi, College Football Hall
of Fame coach
- Julia Hayes, glamour model, was born here.
- Rick Hill, United States Congressman from Montana, lives here.
- Norman Holter, biophysicist and inventor of the Holter monitor.
- Esther Howard, actress, was born here.
- L. Ron Hubbard, author and founder of the Church of Scientology
- Matt Johnson, author of "Theothanatopsis"
- Christine Kaufmann currently represented Helena in the Montana House of
Representatives.
- Lisa Larsen, noted botanist
- Nicolette Larson - singer.
- James F. Lloyd, United States Representative from California, was born here.
- Myrna Loy, actress
- Martin Maginnis, U.S.
Representative from Montana Territory
- Tony Markellis, bassist and record producer, was born here.
- Thomas Francis Meagher, Irish rebel, US Civil War Brigadier General, Acting Governor of the new
Territory of Montana
- Dave Meier, Major League baseball outfielder, was born here.
- Colin Meloy, lead singer of The
Decemberists
- Maile Meloy, writer
- Bobby Petrino, current head football coach
of the Atlanta Falcons
- Country Music legend Charlie Pride.
- Ernest W. Retzlaff, physiologist and author who helped develop craniosacral therapy, was born here.
- Henry H. Schwartz, later a United States Senator from Wyoming, served as Chief of
the U.S. General Land Office here.
- Leo Seltzer, creator of roller derby, was born
here.
- George G. Symes, later a United States Congressman from Colorado, worked as an
attorney here.
- Robert L. Templeton, Olympic Gold Medalist in rugby, was born here.
- Decius Wade, the "Father of Montana Jurisprudence", practiced law here.
- Thomas J. Walsh, United States Senator from Montana, resided here.
- William F. Wheeler, U.S.
Marshal, Civil War officer, Minnesota territorial Librarian and secretary to two Governors, founder of Montana Historical
Society, first in the West
- John Patrick Williams, former member of the United States House of
Representatives from Montana.
- Samuel Baldwin Marks Young, American general, retired to Helena.
- Alan "Scooter" Zackheim, reality
show contestant on the third season of Beauty and the Geek.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Coordinates:
46.595805° N 112.027031°
W
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