Lewis and Clark, MT 1870  US Federal Census
Transcriber's Notes:

In 1864, "the Four Georgians" discovered placer gold in Last Chance Creek. 
The ensuing goldstrike brought thousands of ``get-rich-quick" miners to the 
fabulously rich Last Chance Gulch.   These early residents considered the 
names of  "Pumpkinville" and "Squashtown." but settled on "Helena."

Once the placer gold ran out, Helena could have easily become a ghost town.  
Its' key geographical location, however, made it a vital redistribution center 
for businesses supplying scores of other gold-mining communities. 

The town soon became the territorial banking center, and home of such broad-based 
commercial enterprises as T.C. Power and Brother. Simultaneously, farms and ranches 
spread across the fertile Helena valley.

When Helena secured the territorial capital in 1875, the city also became the political 
focus of Montana. The city's victory over Anaconda in the "Capital Fight" of 1894 only 
solidified that political dominance.

Helena's population has grown moderately throughout the 20th century despite such 
disasters as fires and the devastating 1935 earthquake. The city has not experienced 
the boom-and-bust cycles that have affected many other Montana communities because of 
its reliance on state government and on a broad-based economy emphasizing goods and services.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Census was transcribed by Jack Murray
and proofread by Betty Omanson Hailey, Family History Librarian 
for the USGenWeb Census Project, http://www.us-census.org/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~