ARCHIE BRAY FOUNDATION FOR CERAMIC ARTS
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Bray is located three miles from downtown Helena, on the site of the former Western Clay Manufacturing Company at 2915 Country Club Drive. Open for self-guided walking tours 7 days a week during daylight hours. (406) 443-3503. www.archiebray.org www.60tharchiebray.org
The views don’t end there. To the east, the copper dome of the capitol glints in the morn- ing sun, and, near- er, the two spires of the Cathedral of St. Helena stand above the rooftops and leafless trees.
I’ve always been in awe of the cathe- dral’s spectacular Gothic architecture, and on a quiet day you can sometimes hear the bells from up here. But it’s the way sunlight passes through the 59 stained glass windows that really inspires. “The inside is the hidden gem,” says Louis Glouge, of the Helena Diocese. “It overtakes you.”
From the Cathedral, I trace the winding route of Last Chance Gulch, one of the city’s most famous reminders of its placer mining days. The stream that ran through what is now downtown Helena—and fed so many min-
ers’ dreams—was diverted under- ground in the mid-1800s to serve the city’s water supply. Today, the underground river remains. Historians call it the “hidden river of gold.” Author and
interpretive histo- rian Ellen Baumler frequently writes about downtown Helena and its rather colorful history. Her three
favorite spots remain Reeder’s Alley, the St. Louis Block, and the Atlas Building.
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Reeder’s Alley is the oldest intact Territorial period neighborhood in Helena. Named for brick mason Louis Reeder, the boarding houses were filled with miners who trav- eled from afar seeking
their fortune. On the site is the Pioneer Cabin, the oldest documented dwelling Helena (completed in two separate pieces in 1864 and 1865).
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DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SPRING 2011
