Helena

Helena grew from a miner's camp in Last Chance Gulch (now the pedestrian-only main street) to become the territorial and state capital through a combination of gold wealth and political maneuvering. By 1888, Helena had more millionaires per capita than any city in the United States, and their prosperity produced an architectural legacy of sandstone commercial buildings, Romanesque and Romanesque Revival churches, and gilded-age mansions in the Reeder's Alley and West Side Historic District neighborhoods. The Montana State Capitol, completed in 1902 in Neoclassical style with a copper dome, is one of Montana's most impressive public buildings. The Cathedral of Saint Helena, completed in 1924, was modeled on the Votive Church of Vienna and has twin spires reaching 230 feet the most architecturally ambitious church in Montana. The Montana Historical Society Museum, adjacent to the Capitol, has exceptional collections of Charles Russell paintings — the original documentation of the cattle drive era West. Gates of the Mountains, 20 miles north of Helena on the Missouri River, is the canyon that Lewis and Clark named in 1805 for the way the palisade walls appear to swing open as the river bends — boat tours through the canyon are the best way to understand what they experienced.