Broadway
to Sixth Ave.
Main
St., looking north from Grand St., ca. 1900
| Nearly
all the buildings seen on the left were destroyed in the fire
of July 16, 1928. On the right is the doorway of Samuel T. Hauser's
1886 First National Bank, long known as the Securities Building.
It is still standing. |
Fourth
of July Parade on Main, looking north from Grand St., ca. 1890
Fourth
of July Parade, ca. 1907
Looking South
from Grand St.
Fourth
of July Parade, ca. 1910
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD • CLICK ON IMAGE FOR
A BIG VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
Ca.
1900 view of Main St. from atop the Power Block
CLICK
ON IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
| Only three
structures pictured here still stand: the fire tower, the Atlas
Block, and the Securities Building. |
Main
Street , 1890s, looking south from 6th Ave.
Looking
South from Sixth Avenue, 1909
Photograph
by Holmboe and White
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD • CLICK ON IMAGE FOR
A BIG VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
Main
Street , ca 1915, looking south across 6th Ave.
A
WWI-era parade on Main.
If anyone
can date this image more precisely, please send
me an e-mail.
Main
Street , 1920s, looking south from 6th Ave.
Main
Street , looking south from near Grand St., 1922
THE
WES AND CAROL SYNNESS COLLECTION
Crowd
of Men on Main Street, 1920s
COURTESY
OF SEAN LOGAN •
CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
| This
view looks north, between Grand Steet and Sixth Avenue. The
Power Block is the only building shown here that is still
standing. If anyone has a clue why these men are gathered
in the street, please let me know. |
Last
Chance Gulch, looking north across 6th Ave., 1920s
The Beveridge Block
THE
WES AND CAROL SYNNESS COLLECTION
| Prominent
on the right is the 1880s Beveridge Block. Many will recall
Jacoby's Store for Men and the Thistlewaite Shoe Co. in that
location... |
|
Some
Helena Baby-Boomers will remember, as I do, visiting the
Thistlewaite Shoe Company in the Beveridge Block, and placing
their young feet in the X-ray shoe-fitting machine, a hazardous
sales gimmick which was banned from the marketplace by the
1960s.
It's
interesting, and a little scary, that Thistlewaite's newspaper
ad states that there's no charge to use the machine, and
that people should come in and "Use it freely...whether
you're ready to buy or not". Soaking up X-rays just
for fun is NOT a good idea.
|
|
The
Beveridge Block, Front View on Main St., circa 1895
COURTESY
OF KITTY ANN QUIGLEY TAALER
Rear
of the Beveridge Block, on Jackson Street, circa 1985
Amos P. Dorrance's Bicycle Shop
COURTESY
OF KITTY ANN QUIGLEY TAALER
| In 1895,
at the height of the great
bicycle craze, the bicycle shop of Amos P. Dorrance occupied
the space that would later be the tailors shop of Jacoby's
Store for Men. |
Ban
Bicycles in Helena?
WIKIPEDIA
| In 1884,
bicycles were still of the dangerous "high-wheel"
type, with a huge front wheel and a small rear one. The modern
form, which was called the "safety bicycle" was
introduced in the 1890s. |
Vigilante
Parade on Last Chance Gulch, probably 1932
COURTESY
OF TRUDY ERICKSON • CLICK ON IMAGE
FOR A BIG VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
Last
Chance Gulch, 1940s, looking north from Edwards St.
First
Special Service Force on Parade, April 6 1943
Shriners
on parade, late 1940s
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD •
CLICK
ON IMAGE FOR A BIG VERSION IN A NEW WINDOW
Shriners
parading up Main St., late 1940s
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD
Shriner
hijinks in front of the Placer Hotel, late 1940s
COLLECTION OF KENNON BAIRD
Detail of previous
image. Anybody know what's going on?
Last
Chance Gulch, looking south, early 1950s
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD • CLICK
ON IMAGE FOR A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
A SUMMER
EVENING IN DOWNTOWN HELENA, ca. 1954
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD • CLICK IMAGE TO OPEN LARGE
VERSION IN NEW WINDOW
West
side of Last Chance Gulch, looking south, about 1954
COLLECTION
OF ED MCKNIGHT
A Moose
on Main Street, 1954
THE
WES AND CAROL SYNNESS COLLECTION
| From the
left: Sonya Synness, Bonnie Peterson, Shirley Wholberg, Lloyd
Synness. The Atlas Block is in the background. |
Last
Chance Gulch, looking north, ca. 1956
|
The bustling
two-way traffic on the Gulch, and the abundance and variety
of stores are enough to bring a tear to an old Helenan's eye.
In 1956,
Woolworth's replaced their striped canvas awning and classic
red and gold sign with the charmless aluminum and plastic
sign/soffit seen here.
|
REPAVING
MAIN ST., 1958
COURTESY
OF SCOTT NELSON - THE
BRIDGEWORKS CONSERVANCY
|
This extensive
asphalt repaving and sewer repair project also removed the streetcar
rails and underlaying 1905 brick paving.
Main Street
was first paved in 1892, with hot coal tar over a macadam base.
In 1905, the stretch between Cutler Street north to Helena Avenue
was paved with bricks.
In the above
photo, the man in khaki, with hands hips, is James Nelson. The
cement truck on the right is still in operation today.
|
Looking
north on Main, ca. 1960
|
Many of the business on the left - the Martha Hotel, Higgins
Cigar Store, Matt's Club, etc. - were destroyed by fire in the
1960s. Communtiy Transit cabs were dispatched from the Placer
Hotel, on the right. |
 
Last
Chance Gulch, ca. 1963, looking north
|
The Cabin
Cafe had by then become Bryant's, and a prominent "Kuppenheimer"
had been added to the Anderson Clothing sign.
|
Vigilante
Parade View Showing Several Businesses - May 13, 1968
COLLECTION
OF NANCY GOODSPEED • CLICK ON IMAGE FOR
A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
An
early 1970s postcard view
|
The
aluminum-sheathed strorefront on the right was the C. R. Anthony
Co., an Oklahoma-based retail chain.
|
An
eary 1970s view, looking north across Sixth Avenue
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD
| All but
one of the buildings on the right (the tall Goodkind Building)
were soon to be demolished by the Urban Renewal Project. Does
anyone else remember getting hot nuts from the rotating dispay
case in the front window of Saveway Drug? |
Looking
South from Sixth Ave., ca. 1977
PHOTO
BY VIRGIE MILLEGAN BAIRD • COLLECTION OF KENNON BAIRD
The construction
of the "Walking Mall" from 1973-77 stifled business in
downtown Helena.
Go
back to LAST CHANCE GULCH • MAIN ST.
|
