Western Mining History : Reliving the Industrial Revolution of the West

Montana ranks 8th in total gold production among the western states. Helena, Montana's Capitol, was born during the gold rush of 1864. By the late 1880's, Helena had more millionaires per capita than anywhere in the world. Mining barons built fabulous mansions in what is now known as the Mansion District. Helena is one of the finest examples of victorian architecture and gilded age construction in the west.

Despite the riches at Helena, Montana's mining legacy was built on the great copper mines of Butte Montana. Butte was the greatest mining camp in the world and grew to a frontier metropolis of over 100,000 inhabitants. Today many of the mining-era buildings, homes, and mansions remain in what is undoubtedly the most historically significant location in the mining west.