Visiting Montana's state capitol building, Helena MT

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Helena is a sedate city of 30,000 serving as state capitol of Montana. The city retains a small town atmosphere and turn of the century charm with so many vintage buildings still in evidence. Not too far away from the capitol building is a restored downtown business district and neighborhood of Victorian era homes. The capitol dome serves as beacon in guiding traffic and emphasizing how quiet Helena is. There is scant traffic and ample free parking across the street even on a weekday. Explorers Lewis and Clark camped here in 1805 calling the area Prickly Pear Valley. In 1864, the Last Chance Gulch mining camp was born and grew into Helena. The town’s economic and political influence had reached a point of taking the territorial capitol away from Virginia City. Montana became a state in 1889 and Helena beat Anaconda in 1894 to be state capitol. The site for the capitol building was chosen for the view of Helena Valley from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In 1898, Iowan architects Charles Emlen Bell and John Hatchett Kent were selected to design the building and the cornerstone was laid July 4, 1899. Three years and $540,000 later, the American Renaissance neoclassical design state capitol opened July 4, 1902. The granite east and west wings were added 1909-12. The main entrance is closed and visitors enter the doors below. The centerpiece is the rotunda and looking up into the frescoed dome. It is done in the French renaissance style with scagliona columns (plaster imitating marble) and Tennessee marble. The original paint scheme was restored in 2000 as well as the barrel vault. Ascending the grand staircase, visitors will observe four large paintings titled “The Indian Chief,” “The Cowboy,” “The Trapper” and “The Prospector” representing major figures in Montana history. Another painting “Driving the Golden Spike” commemorates the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad continental line. On the second floor are busts of notable Montana senators Thomas J. Walsh, Joseph M. Dixon and Burton K. Wheeler. The third floor has statues of Montana’s best known senator Mike Mansfield and his wife and Jeannette Rankin who was the first woman ever elected to Congress (and only person to vote against entering World War II). Walking left leads to the former State Supreme Court Chamber which is now a meeting room filled with numerous murals and features a stained glass skylight. On the opposite side of the third floor is the Senate Chamber with more historical murals. The House Lobby offers six murals painted by noted Montana western artist Edgar S. Paxson. Occupying the west wing, the House of Representatives has original oak furniture, skylights and marble columns. The piece de resistance of the building is inside the chamber: the dominating 24’ by 12’ “Lewis and Clark Meeting Indians at Ross; Hole” painted by legendary western artist Charles M. Russell and the 1911 painting is considered his finest work. Exploring the halls will revealing rotating portraits of famous Montanans such as Russell and Gary Cooper. This state capitol boasts an exceptional amount of artwork and emphasis on state history often lacking in other capitol buildings.