Looking northwest from Sugarloaf Hill, toward the intersection of Hillsdale and S. Beattie, circa 1911. This is a photo postcard, taken by a member of the George R. Davies (1867-1946) family, who lived at 319 S. Beattie.
The back of the card has a note to someone which is written in Welsh. Mr. Davies was born in Wales, as was his wife's father, according to census records. Jim Nys has forwarded this translation of the postcard, courtesy of Marlene White of Cardiff Wales, a retired Welsh speaking teacher:
"Dear friend
I assume you would like to receive a word from me.
I am sending you these cards one of Helena and the other of the house I am staying in. I took these pictures last week. As you can see from the picture it is a very smart house. Well I am getting along fine with the store cullers [stone cutters] here. It is.."
Many thanks to Marlene and Jim!
Photo from the Baird Collection...
A colorized 1910 view of the Helena Cab Co., which was on the northeast corner of Park and Edwards.
This Moorish Revival livery stable and garage was built in 1907 by Joseph Murray and Jacob Fischer, both notables in the Helena livery business.
It was an up-to-date facility, advertising a horsey-odor-free experience for customers, along with other modern conveniences such as a separate waiting room for women.
From the start, plans were in place to dedicate part of the facility to the repair and servicing of automobiles, which was ultimately its function over the decades.
This building was last known as the Porter Garage, and was demolished in 1968, at the start of Helena's Urban Renewal projects.
Elements of the Moorish Revival design of the building are certainly reminiscent of the 1921 Helena Civic Center, but I'm unsure if the same architect was involved.
The illustration is from the souvenir booklet of the 26th Annual Encampment of the Montana Grand Army of the Republic ...
A then-and-now view of Neill Avenue, highlighting Eck's Toys and Hobbies in 1974. Eck's was a happy destination for many Helena kids and hobbyists.
Norm and Elaine Eck originally opened the shop at 15 Placer St. in October of 1959. It was moved to the Neill Ave. location, a former garage, in October of 1963. Eck sold the business to Joe and Arlene King in 1974.
Vintage photo courtesy of Janet Eck Bloom.
The earthquake-shattered 1890 Montana National Guard Arsenal, 1029 (now numbered 1025) N. Warren St. The rear of the building was also badly damaged.
Guard equipment continued to be stored in the wrecked Arsenal until it was finally demolished in the spring of 1939. The lot remained vacant until at least 1955.
For more about the Arsenal, please take the link in the comments below...
