A bright yellow trolley car and turrets offered brick. Winged salamanders adorn rooftops like Christmas stars and horse-shaped hitching posts stand patiently along the street. Two steel prospectors try their hand at panning for gold, while a wood fire tower keeps watch over the town from a hillside above.
From its tree-lined walking mall to the elaborate mansions decorating the streets of its Upper West Side, Helena is a veritable treasure trove of historic artifacts and architecture. This summer take to the streets on an interactive tour of the Capital City on the Historic Helena Walking Tours. Hosted by the Lewis and Clark County Historical Society in collaboration with the city of Helena and the Lewis and Clark County Tourism Council, the tours will take place on Sundays at 4 p.
m. during June, July and August. "I think it's really important to be able to see the beauty that surrounds us and it's not only in our nature setting, it's also in our buildings," said Kathy Macefield, office assistant for the Historic Preservation Office and one of the tour guides.
"The buildings tell how the town developed – why it developed the way it did, who developed it. It just gives us a better sense of place." When Macefield first arrived in Helena to start a new job as a city planner in 1983, she immediately noticed and was captivated by the architecture of the town.
"The grandeur of the buildings that we have here was not something I had seen before," said Macefield. "I was just amazed.
