Helena As She Was - helenahistory.org

Welcome to "Helena As She Was" -- Your Helena, Montana History Wiki!
Share your Helena-related images and other material via this free educational resource!

COURTESY OF WENDI KOTTAS PETERSON
Sixth Avenue from the Grandon Hotel, in Winter, circa 1911

Since going online in 2006, this site has welcomed more than 112 individual contibutors of Helena-related images, ephemera and recollections. Those good folks, through their interest in history and willingness to share, have made "Helena As She Was" a valuable (and fun) Montana history resource for students, researchers, and those who just want to remember days gone by.

An average of 60 people per day visit this site, half of those being new visitors! They have come from almost every state in the union and from many foreign nations.

Edited and published by fourth-generation Helenan Kennon Baird, this site is commercial-free and free to access. There's a short biography of your host at the bottom of the page.

It's easy to share your Helena-related material via this site! Scroll down this page past "Recent Additions" and the Contributors Roster for more information...

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	1/31/2012 - Kozy Motel BUILT 1950-1970S BY HOWARD GREER. LOCALLY-MARKETED POTATO CHIPS AND NOODLES WERE MADE THERE. THE BUILDINGS STILL STAND ON NORTH JACKSON
	1/2/2012 - 513 North Main - Dawn Hotel DESTROYED BY FIRE IN 1983, THIS 1890 BUILDING SAW NUMEROUS OWNERS AND TENANTS OVER THE YEARS. PHOTOS AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES COURTESY OF CALVIN SCHNECKLOTH
	12/17/2011 - Miles York AN EARLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN HELENA BUSINESSMAN. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM MULVANEY AND WENDI KOTTAS PETERSON; INTERESTING RESEARCH FROM ELLEN BAUMLER AND PATTY DEAN. THANKS, FOLKS!
	11/12/2011 - Panoramic View of Downtown, circa 1911 LOOKING WEST FROM THE GRANDON HOTEL. NEGATIVES COURTESY OF WENDI KOTTAS PETERSON, PHOTO-STITCHING BY SEAN LOGAN
	11/18/2011 - St. Joseph's Orphans Home *UPDATE* NEW PHOTOS, PLUS A LINK TO A FASCINATING FACEBOOK COMMUNITY OF CUBAN REFUGEE AND OTHER CHILDREN WHO LIVED AT THE ORPHANAGE FROM 1961-65
	11/17/2011 - The Marlow Theatre UPDATE JUST ADDED ARE 1958 PHOTOS OF AN AUDIENCE IN THE MARLOW AUDITORIUM. THE EVENT WAS A SHOWING OF THE FILM 'BOMBER B-52', WITH A SPECIAL LIVE ADDED ATTRACTION - A CIVIL AIR PATROL CHOIR FROM KALISPELL. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN THE LINKED PAGE
	11/16/2011 - Park Avenue Apartments BUILT AS UPSCALE APARTMENTS IN 1923-24. STILL STANDING AT 440 NORTH PARK
	11/12/2011 - Hawthorne School ON THE SAME SITE SINCE 1879. THE LOOK OF THE CURRENT BUILDING WAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY BY THE 1935 EARTHQUAKES
	11/11/2011 - The First Helena High School *UPDATE* PHOTOS OF THE 1976 DEMOLITION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE HELENA EDUCATOR HENRY W. JORGENSEN. PLUS, NEW PHOTOS BY AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN ELLEN BAUMLER, SHOWING STONE FROM THE OLD SCHOOL IN USE TODAY
	11/01/2011 - 140-150 East Sixth Avenue BEAUTIFUL CIRCA 1910 PHOTOGRAPHS OF A SMALL DOWNTOWN BUSINESS BLOCK, NOW GONE. COURTESY OF WENDI KOTTAS PETERSON
	11/01/2011 - Old City Hall A CENTER OF ACTIVITY ON SOUTH MAIN FROM 1885 TO 1935. IMAGES AND HISTORY CONTIBUTED BY HFD CAPTAIN SEAN LOGAN
	10/24/2011 - Helena High School on Wheels UPDATE SEVERAL NEW PHOTOS OF THE POST-EARTHQUAKE RAILCAR CLASSROOMS ON LYNDALE AVENUE, 1935-37
	10/24/2011 - The Second Helena High School UPDATE A COUPLE OF NEW PHOTOS AND SOME UPDATED HISTORY, INCLUDING A 1936 NEWPAPER CLIPPING ABOUT WHY THE BRAND-NEW BUILDING FAILED SO SPECTACULARLY IN THE 1935 EARTHQUAKES
	10/11/2011 - Rio/Vigilante Theatre UPDATE COURTESY OF TOM MULVANEY AND THE TED KIRKMEYER COLLECTION, WE PRESENT SEVERAL LOVELY IMAGES OF THIS DOWNTOWN ART DECO CINEMA, ALONG WITH AN EXPANDED HISTORY OF THE BUILDING -- WHICH STILL STANDS AT 335 NORTH LAST CHANCE GULCH
	10/05/2011 - Lawrence Street to Neill Ave. UPDATE THREE BEAUTIFUL NEW PHOTOS OF BUILDINGS AND STREET LIFE NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF MAIN AND LAWRENCE. TWO FROM 1937, ONE FROM 1949
	10/05/2011 - Electric Block AT SIXTH AND PARK FROM 1886 TO 1974
	10/04/2011 - The Marlow Theatre UPDATE ADDED ARE NUMEROUS 1937-1939 IMAGES FROM FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE TED KIRKMEYER, FORMER MANAGER OF THE MARLOW. THANKS TO AUTHOR AND COLLECTOR TOM MULVANEY, OWNER OF THE COLLECTION, FOR SHARING!
	9/29/2011 - Lockey & Leiser Building STANDING AT SIXTH AND ALLEN SINCE 1891
	9/28/2011 - Gabel's Machine Works 502 FULLER AVENUE, 1910-1945
	9/25/2011 - The Denver Block A MIXED-USE BUILDING AT 125 BROADWAY - 1891 TO 1981
	9/22/2011 - Brady's Cafe and Candy Kitchen IN THE HARVEY HOTEL
	9/21/2011 - Eybel / Nash Hotel - 410 Fuller Ave. A SMALL DOWNTOWN HOTEL , NOW LONG GONE
	9/20/2011 - The Parrot Confectionery UPDATE ADDED ARE SEVERAL SEPTEMBER 2011 PHOTOS OF THE VENERABLE PARROT, INCLUDING PART OF THE COLLECTION OF CERAMIC ELEPHANTS, THE FACADE, AND THE WELL-WORN FRONT DOOR
	9/20/2011 - The 1893 Helena High School UPDATE SEVERAL 1976 PHOTOS OF THE DOOMED BUILDING, COURTESY OF PATTY DEAN
	8/27/2011 - The Old Brewery Theatre UPDATE 1972 PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE THEATRE'S INTERIOR, COURTESY OF BOB CLARKSON, PLUS SEVERAL 1972-73 CLIPPINGS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RECORD, DEALING WITH THE THEATRE'S DEMISE
	8/13/2011 - Green Meadow Ranch UPDATE TWO PHOTGRAPHS OF THE MAGNIFICENT BARN, COURTESY OF WENDI KOTTAS PETERSON
	8/9/2011 - Fort William Henry Harrison UPDATE NEW IMAGES OF THE HOSPITAL BUILDINGS, FIRST SPECIAL FORCES, AND THE VETERANS BEDSIDE RADIO NETWORK
	8/4/2011 - East of Helena UPDATE SEVERAL NEW IMAGES OF EAST HELENA AND TOWNSEND. OTHER IMAGES HAVE BEEN RESIZED AND SHARPENED
	8/3/2011 - St. Vincent's Academy UPDATE MANY NEW PHOTOS, PRIMARILY 1920s INTERIOR VIEWS
	7/24/2011 - Placer Hotel UPDATE NEW PHOTOS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, INCLUDING A HANDSOME 1928 VIEW OF THE HOTEL, COURTESY OF TOM KILMER
	6/19/2011 - Bonneville Apartments UPDATE NEW PHOTOS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ABOUT THE WEST HOTEL, WHICH WAS REMODELED INTO APARTMENTS, 1907-08. THE MISSION REVIVAL-STYLE BUILDING WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1988
	5/11/2011 - Antlers Theatre UPDATE ADDED ARE A 1950 PHOTO OF THE THEATRE'S MARQUEE, AN AERIAL LOCATION MAP, AND SEVERAL NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WES AND CAROL SYNNESS COLLECTION

	4/28/2011 - Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds UPDATE COURTESY OF PAUL PUTZ AND THE HELENA/LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION, A DETAILED ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE FAIRGROUNDS, PRESENTED IN TWO PDF-FORMAT FILES. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN THE LINKED PAGE.
	3/18/2011 - House of Wong DECADES OF POPULAR CHINESE FARE, INCLUDING THOSE MEMORABLE PORK NOODLES
	11/30/2010 - Annotated 1890/91 View of Chinatown and the Old West Side PHOTO COURTESY OF SEAN LOGAN. THE ANNOTATIONS SHOWING LANDMARKS ARE DERIVED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. CLICK HERE TO VIEW/DOWNLOAD A NON-ANNOTATED VERSION
	A Tribute to Broadcaster Al Johnson A VERSATILE ARTIST AND TRUE GENTLEMAN, AL JOHNSON WAS THE PREEMINENT VOICE OF HELENA RADIO FOR NEARLY HALF A CENTURY. SCROLL DOWN THE LINKED PAGE FOR A TRIBUTE TO AL, INCLUDING RARE PHOTOS AND AUDIO. Special thanks to Walli Johnson and Wally Peel
	The Fire Tower - "Guardian of the Gulch" HELENA'S SYMBOL HAS A COLORFUL HISTORY
	"Dear Old Montana" - Play it in mp3! WRITTEN IN 1931 BY HELENA SISTERS GENEE AND MIMI MILLIGAN, "DEAR OLD MONTANA" WAS DEDICATED TO THE 22nd LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. THE SHEET MUSIC PICTURED WAS INSCRIBED BY THE SISTERS TO "DADDY" REEVES, AN EARLY HELENA MUSIC EDUCATOR AND IMPRESARIO. SCROLL DOWN THE LINKED PAGE TO READ ABOUT MR. REEVES, THE MILLIGAN SISTERS, AND TO PLAY THE SONG
	1894 Williams Street Bridge THIS LOVELY IRON PONY-TRUSS BRIDGE WEST OF HELENA WAS REMOVED IN THE SUMMER OF 2009. SCROLL DOWN THE LINKED PAGE FOR SIX 2004 VIEWS OF THE BRIDGE, COURTESY OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. ALSO, HISTORIAN JON AXLINE'S EXCELLENT 2005 HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD PAPER ABOUT THE BRIDGE AND ITS ENVIRONS PLUS: THE WILLIAMS STREET BRIDGE IN ART -- A STRIKING PASTEL PAINTING OF THE ROMANTIC BRIDGE BY NOTED HELENA ARTIST KATHRYN FEHLIG
	Dorothy's Rooms ~ Helena's Last Bordello RARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE INTERIOR, PLUS CLOTHES THE GIRLS WORE
	Link to Historic Helena Fire Dept. Photos CAPTAIN SEAN LOGAN OF THE HELENA FIRE DEPARTMENT IS POSTING TO A FACEBOOK GROUP A BEAUTIFUL SELECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS, INTERVIEWS AND OTHER MATERIAL FROM THE HFD ARCHIVES. IT'S A MUST-SEE FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN HELENA'S HISTORY. MANY THANKS TO CAPT. LOGAN AND THE HFD FOR SHARING THEIR OUTSTANDING ARCHIVE!
	"Helena - City of Gold" *VIDEO DOWNLOAD - 27:24* A promotional film produced in 1973 by the Helena Chamber of Commerce. HELENA'S HISTORY, RECREATONAL ACTIVITIES AND COMMERCE ARE HIGHLIGHTED THROUGH THE CHARACTER OF BOB STANLEY, ONE OF THE 'FOUR GEORGIANS' WHO DISCOVERED GOLD IN LAST CHANCE GULCH IN 1864. STANLEY SUDDENLY FINDS HIMSELF IN HELENA IN 1973, AND IS BOTH BEDEVILED AND AMUSED BY MODERN LIFE VIDEO COURTESY OF KITTY ANN QUIGLEY TAALER. Open with realPlayer.
	Early Helena TV RECOMMENDED LINK VETERAN HELENA BROADCASTER WALLY PEEL HAS PUT TOGETHER AN EXCELLENT HISTORY OF EARLY-DAY HELENA TELEVISION FOR THE KTVH WEBSITE Click here to visit! NOTE: WALLY SAYS IT'S STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS, SO CHECK BACK FOR MORE!
	The Oct. 10 2006 Helena Independent Record story about this website

These good folks have all shared their Helena photographs, ephemeria and memories via this site.

If you enjoy "Helena As She Was", these are the people to thank!

Tim Kuney	Scott Nelson	Ray Cumming	Laura Blumenthal
Charleen Spalding	Vic Reiman	Bill Higgins	Kitty A. Quigley Taaler
Don Hoffman	Kathleen Ely	Kirby Lambert	Chuck Jezick
Joe Munzenrider	Anonymous (3)	Janet Stellmon	Sidney Armstrong
Gerry Early	Wes & Carol Synness	Sister Dolores Brinkel	Charlie Beaton
Nancy Goodspeed	Darcy O'Dell	Pamela Attardo	Blake Gardiner
Jeff Sherlock	Don Cornish	David Hull	Tom Kilmer
The Bisom Family	Chris Warren	Patrick Ryan	Dennis Dickert
Cathee Crapo	Inez Slayman	Derek Evers	Ralph Beer
Kathryn Fehlig	Michael E. Holmes	Ellen Baumler	Kathleen Daniusis
Linda Beattie Anderson	Wally Peel	Dan Duke	D. R. Stinson
Orchard Lakes School	Lisa Kennedy	Carol & Charles Anderson	Jason Francis
Rowena Clarke Fulk	Bob & Susie Lindeberg	Tim Rusek	Frank Cuta
Bob Guffey	Roy E. Millegan	Virgie M. Baird	Dave Thomas
Mike Millegan	Judy Bakke	Kerry Brown	Patty Dean
Steve Andre	David Marriot	Keith Nay	Tom Mulvaney
Jack Womack	David Burton	Marilyn Lamb Roberts	Capt. Sean Logan & The Helena Fire Dept.
Intermountain Childrens Home	Vivian Hayes	The Ray & Phil Jezick Collection	G. B. Carson
Patti Casey Scott	Dave Dubé	Danny Larson	Jeff Wong
Susie Morrison	Annah Smith	Patricia Rogers Glisson	J. M. Cooper
The George Huber Collection	Walli Johnson	Vince Moravek	Aub Kirkland
Tana Dearborn	Rhonda Wilson	Jodie Miller	Monty Cowles
Ray Lindsey	Robin Evans	Diane Macaraeg-Langenfus	The Joyce Oliva-Anderson Collection
Robert Noel Clarkson	Wanda Power	Daniel Sullivan	Deb Winston Bushnell
Gail Hatch	Kathleen Kinney	Terese Penix	Paul Daniels
Steve Moody	Jean Allen Davis	P. Christiaan Klieger	Dan Stinson
Roger Liedle	Vicki Pawlitschek	Janet Abrams	The Family of Gertrude Haight Miller
Jerry Hopkins	John and Rosie Crocker	Craig Kirwin	Wendi Kottas Peterson
Al Ballard	Jan Fusco	Loretta Wallace Smith	Connie Ferriter
Trudy Erickson	Helen Margaret Grant	Collection of the late Henry W. Jorgensen	Phil Gunn
Doug and Kathy Lindgren	Calvin Schneckloth	Clint Vincent

Sharing Your Photos & Recollections

MAIN ST. LOOKING SOUTH, ABOUT 1913 • COURTESY OF WES & CAROL SYNNESS

If You Have Images of Helena to Share,
Simply Contact Me Via E-mail !

Please try to include the word "HELENA" in the subject line of your first email, so it won't be mistaken for spam and accidentally deleted.

Usually, images are scanned and e-mailed to me by contributors. Contributors will occasionally mail CDs with photos on them. When those methods aren't practical, the actual photos or other materials are sent to me via U. S. Mail. I scan the material and return it, paying for insured postage both ways. I can scan photographs, slides and negatives.

I will credit your contributions (if you so desire), and will also add your personal recollections to the material you send. I can't offer monetary compensation for images sent in, but website and/or email links may be added to your contributions and to your name on the home page Roster.

The emphasis is on old photographs and other images of businesses, schools, churches, neighborhoods, streets, events and other subjects of GENERAL INTEREST. I'm also interested in old Helena advertising and promotional ephemera.

A Library, Not an Archive

This is a living library, not an archive, so please be advised that your images will be in the PUBLIC DOMAIN when they're published here, which means they'll be up for grabs by anyone who wants to use them. My outlook is that it's better for people to see, use and learn from such pictures than it is to let them languish in drawers or old albums. In that spirit, I've included many of my own photographs in the site, along with numerous postcards, etc., from my collection. I acquire Helena-related images and ephemera for my own collection as my budget allows.

This website is a ONE-MAN OPERATION, but I endeavor to add all material sent to me in a timely manner. Occasionally, I will hold material until I can "flesh out" the story using online newspaper archives and other resources. I stay in contact with contributors.

ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS OF PEOPLE
	Your Great Grandmother Viola was no doubt a beautiful person, but please limit submissions of photos featuring people to those which show them in a broader HELENA-RELATED CONTEXT. No studio portraits. Please avoid snapshots of people which show little or nothing of the city. "GENERAL INTEREST" is what to keep in mind when selecting your submissions. THANKS!

This Site is Hosted by an Actual Helena Native!

Kennon Baird • Editor and Publisher

Kennon Baird's pioneer Great Grandfather, Wallace Millegan, began ranching in the Helena Valley in 1865, coming by way of Bannack and Blackfoot City. The Millegan homestead was the first in the Helena Valley, and 13th in the Territory of Montana.

Ken was born in 1950, at the old St. Peter's Hospital on Logan Street. He lived in Helena until 1972, attending Kessler School, C. R. Anderson School, Helena Junior High, and Helena High School. Ken spent many years working in Houston, Texas, where he also studied design at the University of Houston. In 1998, Ken moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with wife Kathleen, who is a business systems analyst for a biotech company.

Ken enjoys art, history, writing, music and gardening. He's a member of the Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers and the Montana Historical Society. Ken's home website is Lifelike Charm.

DID YOU FIND AN INACCURACY?
If you spot an inaccuracy or wish to add information, please don't hesitate to contact me. I want this site to be as accurate as possible. If you have questions or comments about the structure of the site in general, please write.

Please enjoy your visit to Helena, the Queen City of the Rockies...as she was.

Kennon Baird -- November 2010

DISCLAIMER ...This site is educational and non-commercial in nature. To the best of my knowledge, the images presented on these pages are either in the public domain or are used in accordance with Fair Use practices. If you have concerns about this, contact me.