The New Student's Reference Work/Helena

Hel′ena, the capital of Montana, also is the county seat of Lewis and Clarke County. It is situated among the foothills of the Prickly Pear valley, near the base of the Rocky Mountains, about 14 miles from the Missouri River and 70 northeast of Butte. The surrounding country is both mineral and agricultural, and the city is principally made up of homes of cattlemen and miners. It is well-built, having good hotels and public buildings, chief among these being the government building, the state capitol and the county courthouse. Helena has excellent parish and public school systems, a high school costing $150,000, the Montana Wesleyan University, Saint Vincent's Academy and state and city libraries. There are several fine churches, Saint John's Hospital and St. Joseph's Orphanage. Marysville is the name of the largest mining-camp near the city, and four miles from Helena is the smelter of the American Smelting and Refining Company. The Missouri River Power Co., located on the river of this name, 12 miles from Helena, furnishes the city with electrical power for lighting, car-service and manufacturing. It has the service of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways. Population 12,515.