1870 Federal Census Lewis and Clark County, Montana Territory (Transcriber's Notes) This Census was transcribed by Jack Murray and proofread by Betty Omanson Hailey, Family History Librarian for the USGenWeb Census Project, http://www.usgwcensus.org Copyright 2000 by Jack Murray ************************************************************************ USGENWEB CENSUS PROJECT NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ ************************************************************************ 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.