Ellen Baumler – Bickerstaff Booksellers

More from the Quarries of Last Chance Gulch

Kim — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 20:03:38 +0000

Thirty-eight illustrated essays explore the history of Helena, Montana, and the surrounding area in this second collection of the popular Independent Record weekly newspaper column. The nine historians present stories of people, places, and events, and raise questions dating from the beginning of Helena–where was that first gold strike really located? And what happened to the underground “’river of gold?”–to the devastating 1935 earthquakes that reshaped the city’s appearance. Readers will meet a little girl’s wistful ghost, a gang of Depression-era bank robbers, and their murdered gun moll. Here are the stories of the beginnings of Canyon Ferry, East Helena, Unionville, and Rimini. Longtime residents, newcomers, and visitors will find treasures throughout this anthology. Published by the Independent Record.bgggg

Lost Places, Hidden Treasures

Kim — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 20:03:37 +0000

This visual history traces Helena from its 1864 beginning as a crude Rocky Mountain mining camp to the bustling city that became Montana’s capital three decades later, and on through the changes brought by the 20th century. Black-and-white images from the Montana Historical Society Photo Archives blend with treasured pictures from private collections each selected for its rareness, captioned in detail, and pointed in the highest quality. Here is a cultural history of Helenans at work and at play, in school and at home, suffering disasters and triumphing over them – and, especially, honoring the legacy of their forebears.

Montana Place Names

Kim — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:58:46 +0000

Among Montana’s most enduring legacies are the names assigned to its geographic features and places found on the state map. As long as humans have inhabited Montana, they have named places. While the past two centuries have changed the way people live in Montana, the names given to some rivers, mountain ranges, cities, and towns have persisted, while others have changed with time. Naming Montana explores the origins of more than 1,000 Montana place names, drawing upon the knowledge of Montana Historical Society historians and the expertise of local historians from across the state. This new publication includes both geographic features, selected historic sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, historic photographs, and maps. The authors’ extensive research illuminates the stories behind the names of places that we call home.