Helena Sand and Gravel had its beginnings in 1929, partially a result of the catastrophic 1928 downtown Helena fire. George Jacoby, son of Charles Jacoby (a 2nd generation contractor, Frank Jacoby and Son) saw the need for clean aggregates for construction and railroad ballast in Montana. He bought 36 acres of tax title gravel land two miles west of Helena, which included the old stone John Stedman Foundry and Machine Company buildings, and utilized the Jacoby Speeder shovel (used in the reconstruction of downtown) to dig for gravel. The resulting pit opened up underground springs, and it soon became an expanding lake.

Helena Sand and Gravel also delivered ready-mixed concrete, and were involved in large building projects in the Helena area. In 1951 Jacoby got into the street paving business with the addition of an Amalga-Pave cold mix asphalt facility.

Jacoby retired in 1955, selling the business to W.A. "Bill" Carson who further carved out the channels and islands of the lake. Carson died in 1964, by which time the gravel had run out. A real estate developer planned to build condos on the site, and called it “Spring Meadow”, but the project was never carried out.

In the early 1980s the State of Montana purchased the property for a State Park. Remnants of the old Helena Sand and Gravel plant, and the earlier Stedman Foundry - the future home of the Montana Wildlife Center - can still be seen.

These beautiful photographs are from the collection of artist and graphic designer Kathryn Fehlig, granddaughter of George Jacoby. Many thanks to Kathy for sharing these wonderful images!

A Jacoby family portrait taken near Lincoln, Montana. Left to right: Charles Jacoby, Frank Jacoby, Dorothy Ann Jacoby, and George Jacoby.

Frank Jacoby was the pioneer, arriving in Helena before 1878. He was a carpenter and formed a company with his son, Charles, called "Frank Jacoby and Son." In 1915 Charles formed a partnership with his brother Frank under the same name. George Jacoby worked for the firm until forming his own business, Helena Snad & Gravel, in 1929.

Frank Jacoby and Son built many buildings in Helena during the first half of the 20th century,
including St. Johns Hospital, the YWCA, the old Western Life building, Shodair Hospital, Colorado Building, LaLonde Block, Granite Block, 7th Avenue Gym, and Carroll College.

View from the hoist, showing material traveling up the 20-inch conveyor belt to the washer. At the right is the six-inch water pipe running from the pump house to the washer. In the background on the right can be seen the first Kessler School building, which was damaged in the 1935 earthquakes and subsequently demolished.