The Founding Of Helena
The Four Georgians
in 1864 four men entered the Helena valley from the north. they were a group gold prospectors who had previously tried their luck in Alder Gulch.
they had left Alder Gulch (Virginia City) for the gold fields in Canada but enroute diverted to the areas surrounding the little black foot river after hearing the fields in Canada had dried up. after finding nothing near where deer lodge today is, they headed east to where the prickly pear valley is (which today is North of Helena). After striking out again, they then headed further north towards the rocky mountain front and after finding nothing started on their way back to Alder Gulch.
they were known as the Four Georgians; although it is unclear if this name came from their origin (only one came from Georgia) or because they practiced the Georgian method of mining.
They where about ready to give up but decided to give one last chance in the gulch. on July Fourteenth they dug two holes which revealed gold nuggets. they had struck it rich. they then began ferocisly mining, but eventually had to return Virginia City for supplies. Because of this other prospectors caught wind of their discovery others joined.
Last Chance Gulch
by September many in Virginia city were skeptical of the gulch’s fruit and predicted it would dry up iminently. however only weeks later the camp had grown to over 100.
however by January 14th the town had over 400 residents and the holes where being dug all over the gulch. by February 7 of 1865 a full on gold rush had ensued. everyone and their brother was making claims. 75 houses were built and claims were selling for 1000 dollars a peace.
the name of Helena came early. By the autumn of 1864, some visitors to the camp found “Last Chance City” unsuitable. according to legend; In October of 1864 , a group of men met in a cabin belonging to Capt. Wood’s to name the settlement and organize its layout. Early suggestions included “Tomah” or “Tonah,” in reference to an Indian chief who frequented the camp, but these garnered lukewarm support. The debate shifted when John Summerville, a Scotsman, proposed “HeLEENa,” inspired by a town in Minnesota. This sparked a heated argument, particularly among Confederate loyalists who associated the name “Helena” with Helena, Arkansas. Summerville took offense to any Confederate ties, emphasizing its Minnesota origins. putting aside the authenticity of this story, i find it unlikely that the confederate population of Helena, which was quite large in these early days, would have ever accepted the name “Heleena” and find it more likely that it was named Helena and pronounced in multiple ways until “Hell-en-a” became the dominate pronunciation. the current pronunciation was firmly established by 1882.
Helena then continued its rapid expansion, by April 15th it was the size of Nevada city and it was predicted then, that by fall, Helena would be the largest town in the territory of Montana. This prediction came true and it would remain so until 1900 when it was overtaken by Butte. in the spring of 1865 construction was completed on a canal that brought water from 10 mile creek to the camp. this was necessary to expand mining activities in the area, as sluice boxes were the main method of mining. the city of Helena still uses an updated version of the canal for its main water supply.
during this time the civil war was concluding and tensions where high between unionists and confederates in the camp. On April 25 after the surrender of Lee, the Unionists held a large gathering to celebrate in Helena. speeches were given by a unionist lawyer, some members of the community then called on a man who was a moderate on the issue named Mr. Owens (an ex Slave owner from missoura) to speak as well as a rabid secessionist. These event caused some degree of turmoil within the city a contingent of secessionists traveled to the newly discovered confederate gulch which was named accordingly to its founders.
At this time the town was still firmly at the edge of Indian country. In May of 1865, 2 white men were scalped by Indians within ten miles of Helena. in July, Indian raids on ships on the Missouri were reported just north of Helena. Multiple tribes were known to travel through the area seasonally with the inevitable conflicts with whites. This continued until the mid 1870s when the US government forced the Indians onto reservations.
During this time the gold discoveries kept on coming. over the summer of 1865 nuggets worth about 90 dollars ($12441 today) had been discovered in grizzly gulch. in July a gold nugget worth $107 was discovered in nelson gulch (Just north of MacDonald pass). Today this nugget would be worth $14785.
A rather unnoteworthy event which occurred that summer but as later will be seen important was that the county of Edgerton (later called Lewis and Clark after Sydney Edgerton abandoned the territory), which Helena was contained within, elected 6 delegates to send to a territorial convention. This is of note as ex confederates where not barred from participating. This would later become a large point of contention under the next territorial governor: Thomas Meagher.
1865-1875
Improvements To The City
Catholic Church
John M. Sweeney built the first Catholic Church; The Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1866 for a sum of $2,500. It was located on the eastern slope of Catholic Hill, and was a frame building 22 x 66 feet. On October 10, 1866 as the church was nearing completion, Father Francis X. Kuppens was assigned to Helena as pastor and Father Jerome D’Aste was assigned as his assistant. The church was completed and formally dedicated to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. On November 4, 1866, three days after the first Mass was said in the new church, a meeting was held. At that meeting they drew up and passed a resolution giving all right and title of the church buildings and lands then in their possession to the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). In 1874, this little frame church was moved back away from its original site while a new church was constructed. In time it was converted into a parochial school and meeting hall.
On August 16, 1874, a building committee was appointed for the construction of a brick structure with cut granite facings, upon a stone foundation, 43 x 95 feet, with an 18 x 22-foot sacristy. The cornerstone of the new church was blessed on September 20, 1874. The church was completed on April 9, 1876, and dedicated to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; the cost was $28,413.22. This church became Montana’s first Cathedral in 1884. On November 1, 1914, Bishop Carroll preached the farewell sermon to the last Sunday congregation at the Old Cathedral of the Sacred Hearts. This first Cathedral has since been torn down.
Methodist Church
On March 26 of 1865, the Rev. E. T. McLaughlin, described as a man of about 25 years of age, single, a good singer and of great physical vigor, preached his first sermon from a pile of logs on Joliet St., at the current site of Cutler and Cruse Ave. These logs soon became the first church, a simple large cabin with a membership of eight, dedicated in July, 1865 before the town’s first anniversary. Around this nucleus was built a steadily enlarging congregation. this structure was destroyed during urban renewal
In 1869 a wood frame church was built to fit the growing congregation on Broadway directly below the Catholic Church. this structure burned in 1872 and was replaced by a stone structure. this structure was destroyed during earth quake of 1935.
St. Paul’s Methodist Church is the oldest church in the Helena and third oldest in the entire state of Montana. Over its history, St. Paul’s has spawned several sister churches and institutions throughout the city and surrounds, most of which still function, including Covenant UMC, The Intermountain Children’s Home and Rocky Mountain College (Billings)
Episcopal Church
on a visit to Helena, the episcopal bishop Daniel Sylvester Tuttle and The Rev. E. N. Goddard held their first Sunday services on August 11, 1867. the bishops were dismayed at what they perceived as anti Christian behavior and breaking of the sabbath.
On a subsequent visit, bishop Tuttle formed a bishop’s committee to create an Episcopal mission in Helena. He launched this effort by celebrating holy eucharist at the courthouse on March 28, 1869. Later that year, he paid $1,200 for property on which to build a church. At the intersection of Warren and Grand Streets, a stone church complete with a bell tower was soon finished for the price of $12,000. The original bell and brass altar rail are still at the current church located next to hill park today. You can find a painting of that first building in the stairway at the back of the church. holy eucharist was first celebrated there on October 19, 1879, and the building was consecrated on November 11, 1881.
Masonic Temple
Freemasonry was a popular secret society that was popular in the frontier. as will be discussed later in the vigilante section, it was a preferred way for settlers (specifically protestants, deists and jews) to exert control over the frontier. as will be discussed later, most of the vigilantes in Alder Gulch and Helena were part of this organization.
A Brief history of the Helena Lodge, from the Grand Lodge AF&AM of Montana:
Helena Lodge No. 3, Helena. The first meeting of Helena City (U.D) was conducted on August 17, 1865. The lodge was chartered November 7, 1865 by Grand Lodge of Colorado as Helena City No. 10. On January 24, 1866 the lodge united with Virginia City No. 43 (now No. l) and Montana No. 9 (now No. 2) to form Grand Lodge of Montana. This Lodge was chartered January 26, 1866 by Grand Lodge of Montana as Helena No. 3 at Helena.
Central Elementary
The original Central School was built in 1875-76. it lasted until 1915 when it was rebuilt. although not directly tied to the building in question, disputes over protestants influence in public education in the second half of 1860s was a contributing reason for the murder of Thomas Meagher.
The Guardian Of The Gulch
Helena faced frequent and devastating fires in its early years. Tightly packed wooden buildings and limited water supplies made controlling fires nearly impossible. Several major blazes in the 1870s destroyed much of the central business district and many homes.
Before the railroad era, supplies had to be transported over long distances, either 130 miles from Fort Benton via the Missouri River or 400 miles from the Union Pacific Railway in Corinne, Utah. Replenishing materials after a fire was slow and expensive.
To improve fire response, a watchtower was built on “Catholic Hill” in the early 1870s, replaced by a taller version with a shelter in 1874. An 1864 bell from the wrecked Missouri River steamboat Tacony was installed in 1871, replacing the iron triangle previously used to sound fire alarms.
Interesting Characters In Early Helena
E T Johnson
E T Johnson was a black barber that owned a barbershop from the years 1871-1877. From newspaper accounts he was an involved community member and was a marshal during a parade. Revisionist Marxist Historians have alleged that was the first black mayor in Montana in an attempt to make the state seem more diverse, however this claim is unfounded. The reason for this claim is this newspaper clip form 1773
The vote in question was weather the city should incorporate, and if so who should be the mayor. Although Johnson technically won, was never officially a mayor as the charter was denied by a 3 to 1 margin. In addition he was considered by his peers to be a joke candidate. He likely was only voted for as it was fairly obvious incorporation was impossible. Evidence of this can be seen here.
the next year the joke was continued with this article jokingly taking offence Johnson wasn’t listed as a candidate.
