The Bonneville Apartments under demolition, NE corner of Park and Lawrence, 1988. The Bonneville was built in 1875, and remodeled around 1926 in the Mission Style. Colorful mosaic tiles decorated the floor of the Park Ave. entryway, and several light wells brightened the interior. There was no elevator; a wide central stairwell served three floors, and a long flight of narrow back stairs led down to the parking lot on the east side. Coal for the large furnace in the basement was delivered via a chute on the Lawrence (south) side of the building.

This great view was taken from the City-County (old Federal) Building by Jeff Sherlock.

The 1897 Helena Public Library and auditorium, located at 7th and Warren. It was heavily damaged by the 1935 earthquakes, at which time the books and other materials were moved to the vacant Unitarian Church at Park and Lawrence. That building subsequently served as the library for over 30 years, and is now the Grandstreet Theatre.

The adjacent 1908 Seventh Avenue Gym, the red-roofed building seen in the satellite image below, still survives.

The flower-bedecked lobby of the old Federal Reserve Branch Bank, Park Ave. at Lawrence. Photo taken on the bank's opening day, June 17, 1938.

The building was constructed in 1937 and served as the Federal Reserve Bank until 1990. It was remodeled in 1991 to accommodate offices on the upper and lower level, and First Montana Title Company on the main level. The remodeling process was careful to preserve the character and detail of the building. Now called the Reserve Financial Center, it is still home to 4 major vaults and 34 smaller vaults throughout the building.

In 1935, Mr. Clarke opened Radio Service Engineers at 352 N. Main, pictured below. This brick building was located where the entrance to Wells Fargo (once the Union Bank & Trust Co.) is today.

About 1938, J. H. Clarke sold the business to his sister and brother-on-law, Virginia and Earl Charlton. The Charltons operated in Helena for many years selling radios, pianos, organs, and appliances.

Above is a 2008 photo of what remains of the Broadwater Grocery. From 1935 to 1967, it was a handy stop at the Highway 12 / Williams St. intersection west of Helena, supplying groceries, beer and, for a time, gasoline. Only the rear residence part of the building remains, the front retail section having been removed when the highway was widened in the 1960s. Thanks to preservation-minded Scott Nelson for this photo!

The intersection has long been a lively one. It was across the road from the Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium, and a mile from Fort Harrison -- which made it a handy R&R stop for military men. Two raucus roadhouses, several service stations and two restaurants operated near the crossroads over the decades. Like almost everywhere in Montana before the 1940s, gambling was a staple in these establishments.

Your editor admits to a nostalgic fondness for the Broadwater Grocery, having grown up in the neighborhood from 1950 to 1969. When I was first aware of the store, around 1954, it was owned by Tom and Lucille Root; it was always a treat when my dad would say, "Let's go see Tom", because I knew that cold pop, candy or maybe even fireworks were in the offing. The store was the favorite destination of every neighborhood boy I knew, and we spent a lot of silver there during our growing-up years.

The Roots sold out in 1955 to Tony and Jane Schultz, who operated it until 1967, when the widening of the highway forced them to close. The front of the store was removed, but I believe the Schultzs continued to live in the residence for some time.

The builder of the enterprise, Fred "Scotty" Palmer, retired in 1943, selling to Alberto and Gladys Whitney. They sold to Herman and Vi Rupp in 1950, who in turn sold to Tom Root in 1952. At least that's as close as I can track it.

If anyone has photos of the Broadwater Grocery, please contact me.

Now for the exciting part...

On Saturday, March 11 1939, three experienced slot-machine hijackers from Butte, Montana drove to Helena in a Dodge coupe, looking for places to rob. William Foster (1910-1939), Elwood Burton Crawford (1910-1966), and Edward "Babe" Netterberg (1906-1973) cruised the area for hours, until about 10:00 pm, when they stopped at the Broadwater store.

Foster went inside, bought a pack of cigarettes from owner Fred "Scotty" Palmer (1876-1969) and loitered for a few minutes, casing the place. Foster decided that the Broadwater Grocery and filling station looked like an easy target.

The trio decided to wait until the following morning to hit the store, intending to surprise Palmer when he opened up. To kill time, the boys spent the night driving to East Helena, then to Townsend and back, looking for future holdup opportunities.

They returned to Broadwater around 6:00 am on Sunday morning, and parked on "an upper road and about a quarter mile east of the gas station" (presumably Hauser Blvd., which at that time went through to the highway) and waited for the owner Fred "Scotty" Palmer to open up. When they saw the store lights come on, they drove down...

Netterberg remained in the car as the getaway driver, while Foster led the way into the store with Crawford close behind him. Foster thrust his hand into the pocket of his dark blue overcoat, in which was a loaded .38 revolver, and told Palmer, ""This is a stickup! These slot machines have to go, Dad." To which Palmer replied, "O. K.".

While Foster kept his revolver trained on Palmer, Crawford took the nickel machine and loaded it into the Dodge. He came back, picked up the dime machine, and took it outside.

Foster then turned away from Palmer momentarily to grab the cash drawer. Palmer backed away from Foster, toward a bedroom at the rear of the store (the part of the structure existing today). Palmer reached around a door sill and grabbed a 12-gauge Remington automatic shotgun which was leaning against the wall. When Foster turned around holding the cash drawer, Palmer fired. He was less than 12 feet away from Foster when he pulled the trigger. The blast of shot ripped away part of Foster's left sleeve, blew a four-inch-wide hole in the front of his overcoat, and entered his body just under the heart.

"Oh!" Foster cried, dropping the cash drawer to the floor, scattering the $10 in change that it held. He fell to the floor, got up, staggered out the door, and fell again. Crawford, outside with the dime slot machine, dropped it and ran north toward Ten Mile Creek. Netterberg exited the car and hid, crouching next to the building.

Palmer went outside with his shotgun and confronted Netterberg, who pleaded with Palmer not to shoot him. Palmer marched Netterberg across the highway to the Pepperbox (now the Corner Bar), where bartender Leonard Floydell called the Sheriff and ambulance, and held Netterberg until the Sheriff arrived.

Foster was taken by ambulance to St. John's Hospital, where he died less than four hours later of shock and hemorrhage.

Crawford hid in an outhouse near Ten Mile Creek, in back of the Pepperbox, but was found a short time later by Sheriff Brian O'Connell.

In the Dodge were found several homemade blackjacks, and wiring which authorities said was similar to that used in blowing open safes.

A coroner's jury found that Palmer's shooting of Foster was justifiable. Crawford and Netterberg were each sentenced to three years in the state penitentiary. Foster was buried in Butte's Holy Cross Cemetery.

"I'm sorry this thing had to happen," Palmer said in The Helena Independent. "But when this fellow pointed a gun at me and was trying to steal my money there was only one thing I could do—and that was protect my property. I knew he meant business. The way he told me it was a stuck-up was without any sign of nervousness. And when he took my cash drawer, with money I worked hard to earn, I Just bad to do something about protecting myself."

The office of the Mutual Coal Co., corner of Railroad Ave. and Lamborn St., 1930s. The scale was located between the office and the coal bins -- the buildings where the "hauling & storage" sign is.

The small sign by the office door is for Jeffries Coal, which was mined near Roundup, Montana.

These wonderful photos are courtesy of Bob Guffey, grandson of Mutual Coal Company owner, Ora Guffey. Thanks, Bob!

The location of the Mutual Coal Co., superimposed on a recent satellite image. Located here were the small office, scale, and coal bins. The truck fleet was housed in a garage (seen below) but I am presently unsure of its location, other than it was also in the Sixth Ward.

The above Independent Record story about the earthquake damage contains a small error, in that Consumer's Coal was a different company, in competition with Mutual Coal.

In later years, as the use of coal declined, Ora Guffey transitioned the business into a kind of general mercantile, operating the Ora Guffey Trading Post at Lyndale and N. Oakes, also in the Sixth Ward.

This art deco building at Jackson and 13th has seen numerous tenants over the decades. In this 1949 photo, we see it as Buttrey's Super Market. The structure was built in 1938 by Ellis Blumenthal, who opened his Nuway Super Market there on November 19. Less than a year later, he sold out to the Buttrey's chain, who held their grand opening in Helena on August 18, 1939 (see newspaper ad below). It was the 16th store in the Buttrey's chain.

Buttrey's was founded in 1906, and had numerous stores along northern Montana's "High Line", which is the name given to the east-west route followed by U.S. Highway 2 and the Great Northern Railway line.

In the mid-1950s, Buttrey's moved to the new Hustad Shopping Center on Helena Ave., and later to a new large Buttrey-Osco store on Montana Ave. For a detailed history of Buttrey's, click here.

This building has also served as the Moose Lodge and as the bus depot.

"The Pratts were the first owners, as far as we know. Zip Eaton and Roy Turner bought it in 1946 from Mrs. Pratt and her son George. Roy left by the 1950s, and Zip ran it until 1982 when I purchased it after working there for eight years.

"I sold it in 1996 to Don Johnson, who has since moved out on Montana Ave. into a new building."

The post-fire space in the Gold Block, about 1930. This is the storefront recognized by thousands of Helenans (and ex-Helenans) today.

One memorable feature of the store during the 1950s was the placement of a series of delightful Baranger animated advertising displays in the window on the left.

"My old showcases [the ones shown above] were moved in from Seattle in the late 20s as used showcases to replace old ones destroyed when the Gold Block burned...I sold them to an antique dealer from San Francisco when Don was moving the business."

The Eaton-Turner Jewelry neon sign being removed from the Gold Block in the 1970s, as mandated by a local ordinance which prohibited overhanging signs on the new "Walking Mall". More art and craftsmanship gone forever...

The Eaton-Turner sign, 1954

MANY THANKS to Linda Beattie Anderson for her wonderful photos and story!

1920s view of the Greek Revivial building, 404 Fuller at W. Lawrence. It was built in 1923.

Western Life Insurance Co. started out In 1910 as the Montana Life insurance Co. The name of the company changed to Western Life in 1938 because it represented a larger area than Montana, also selling insurance to people and companies in California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota. Its central office was in Helena until 1957, when it moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, following merger with the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co.

The company was first boused in two rented rooms. Later, the firm occupied the floor of a
building. Then it acquired the building shown above, which housed the agency from
1923 to 1956. Then it moved to a building at 560 N. Park that was later taken over by the state offices of Mountain Bell.

Western Life erected this familiar building at 600 N. Park Avenue from 1954-1956. The company vacated this location on August 17, 1961, moving to St. Paul, Minnesota. Forty-four Helena employess made the move with the company.

The KXLJ studios at 2433 N. Montana Avenue, about 1958. KXLJ (now KTVH) was the first television station in Helena, signing on the air January 1, 1958 as an NBC affiliate. The station was part of the "XL" Radio Network, along with stations KXLF Butte, KXXL Bozeman and KXLY Spokane, Washington. KXLJ radio (1240 AM) also had studios in this building, after being located in a log cabin at 1306 11th Ave. for many years.

Not long after KXLJ-TV signed on in 1958, Bob Magnus and two partners bought the station and changed the call letters to KBLL-TV. In 1969, former Montana Governor Tim M. Babcock bought the station and changed the station's call letters to KTCM (Television for the Capitol of Montana). Babcock sold the station to Lynn Koch in 1979, and the station changed call letters again, this time to KTVG. A few years later, Koch sold the station to Don Bradley, who again changed the call letters to KTVH (TeleVision for Helena), which remain to this day. By 1988, the station was in financial trouble and Bradley sold it to Big Sky Communications. Big Sky Communications restored the station's financial health, and in 1997 sold KTVH to Beartooth Communications. (This info adapted from the Wikipedia entry about KTVH).

Long-time Helena broadcaster Wally Peel has put together an excellent history of KXLJ, for the KTVH website. Click here to visit!

Lundy's was a small Montana grocery chain headquartered in Helena. It was owned by Oliver and Albert Lundborg, and operated from the 1930s to the 1960s with stores in Helena, Townsend and Livingston.

Albert (1914-2005) and Oliver Lundborg (1912-2006) were natives of South Dakota, where their father had a general store in Alpina. Their sister Elsie had come to Helena, and was working at Intermountain College. Al and Oliver later came west, and enrolled at Intermountain.

The closing of the school after the earthquakes of 1935 sent Al back to South Dakota, where he earned a degree in accounting and economics. He returned to Helena, and along with Oliver opened Lundy's Drive-In Market at the corner of Montana Ave. and 11th. in 1939.

World War II interrupted their endeavors, closing the store for a time. in 1946, Al and Oliver purchased several lots on the NW corner of Benton and Euclid and built a new Lundy's Market there. In 1950, they expanded the store into what was Helena's first "supermarket". Other family members had by then joined the enterprise.

The expanded store, the entrance of which is shown in the rather poor-quality image above, measured 140' x 75' (10,500 sq. ft.). The parking lot had spots for 300 cars. The interior was lit by three rows of flourescent lights, and featured self-service meat and produce counters.

The Lundborgs ran their own produce trucks between Montana and the west coast, which they claimed enabled them to stock better produce at lower prices than their competitors. The supermarket was extensively remodeled in 1954.

In 1963, the Lundborgs sold the food market interest to Super Save Markets and built the Lundy Center. The old store closed on Nov. 9, 1963, and was moved south across Euclid Avenue, where it today houses the Crossroads Sports and Fitness Club.

Al operated the Lundy Center for twenty years before selling it, and began devoting much of his time to the Helena community, especially to the arts.

The accused could then be convicted of sedition at trial, sent to prison for up to 20 years and fined up to $20,000. Of the 145 people charged, 78 were convicted. Of those convicted, 41 were imprisoned.

In May of 2006, thanks to the efforts of those involved in the Sedition Project of the University of Montana's School of Journalism, Governor Schweitzer signed a Proclamation of Pardon for 78 persons convicted of sedition in 1918-1919.

The Hi-Way Market was a handy stop on the way to Canyon Ferry or Lakeside. The combination market and service station was opened in 1936 by Arthur Cramer as Cramer's Trading Post. Cramer also operated a livestock auction, held south of the market on National Avenue. There was also a small trailer park north of the market.

Jimmy Hopkins and John Smovir took over in 1949. The store closed early in 1970. If anyone has actual photos of the operation, please let me know.

Pictured above is the H. M. Parchen Co. at 1 South Main, about 1893. Prussian native Henry M. Parchen was the first wholesale druggist in Montana, and a noted civic leader in early Helena.

Parchen opened the doors of the first drug store in the state in a building at the corner of Wood and Main streets in 1865. Prior to that, he had conducted a general merchandise business at
Virginia City and at Deer Lodge.

Business in Helena grew rapidly. Parchen moved his store to a building at the foot of Broadway, but it was soon found to be inadequate, and a second move was made to the location across the street at 1 South Main.

In 1921, Parchen sold the retail drug business, along with the use of the trusted Parchen name, to George W. Padbury. It appears from newspaper archives that Parchen's Drug Store moved from the Broadway location and opened in the Horsky Block, at the corner of Sixth and Main, in 1924.

In October of 1954, Fred Padbury (1894-1961) sold Parchen's to C. Douglas Lindeberg (1916-1988) , who renamed the concern "Lindy's Parchen Drug".

The following 1950s photos of Lindy's Parchen Drug are courtesy of Bob and Susie Lindeberg...

On April 2, 1959, this ad appeared in the Independent Record announcing Parchen's remodeling sale. A new floor and fixtures greeted the eager customers. There were merchandise giveaways, and a contest to win a 32-piece set of stainless steel dinnerware by guessing how many aspirin tablets were contained in "The world's largest bottle of aspirin", which was on display. There were also demonstrations of a Keystone home movie camera...

The Hustad Center is still in business at 1088 Helena Avenue. It opened in the fall of 1956. During the 1950s-60s, it was home to Buttrey Foods, Super Save Drugs, Marshall-Wells, a laundromat, a shoe repair shop, a candy store, a bakery and other enterprises. There was a small Little Chief gas station on the east side of the lot. If you have a better vintage image of the center, please let me know.