
From Crabtown to Capitol: How Helena Came to Be
We all know that Helena is the capital of Montana, but did you know how close Anaconda came to becoming the Treasure State's capital? In fact, there were seven other cities that also competed for this title, and it had been moved twice before that.
It is a rocky and interesting tale of how Helena became what she is today. She was almost named "Crabtown" after one of the Four Georgians, John Crab... I'm glad that name didn't stick.

There's Gold in Them Thar Hills!
Montana's capitals followed wherever gold was found. The first territorial capital was placed in Bannack in 1864, and after the gold rush folks moved out, they moved it to Virginia City in 1865. THEN gold was found in Helena's Last Chance Gulch and made into the 3rd territorial capital.
In 1892, a presidential election year, several cities in Montana competed to hold the title. Great Falls, Helena, Butte, Boulder, Anaconda, Deer Lodge, and Bozeman were all in the running, but no decision had been made yet. By the time of the congressional elections in 1894, the competition had narrowed down to Anaconda and Helena.
The Fight Between Two Copper Kings
William Clark (Team Helana) and Marcus Daly (Team Anaconda) were the ones duking it out over the location. They were both aggressive in their election campaigns, averaging $56 per vote in marketing. In today's money, that would be $1,942.16
I know you are, but what am I?
In that outlandish spending, the campaigns were rich. Pamphlets and propaganda were plenty as they tried to swing people in favor of their city.
Daly's campaign said Helena was "a city of snobs."
Clark fired back with "Helena is everybody's town — Anaconda is one man's town." This was a clear dig on Daly because he owned most of Anaconda and had a little monopoly going on.
It's evident that there was quite a bit of drama in the past regarding the finalization of the "Queen City of the Rockies." Still, everything came together in 1894, establishing our capital's location.
What other Montana history should we uncover? Let us know HERE or text us on the 100.7 XL Country app.
Credit: SouthWestMt , Helenacollege.edu
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