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The Gold West Country is located in southwest Montana, an area many refer to as the birthplace of Montana. The region explodes with majestic mountains along rolling countryside, old mining camps, ranches and the amazing blue sky's that gave Montana is name: The Big Sky State. This region of Montana is set between Glacier National Park to the north and Yellowstone National Park to the south. Small towns host warm western hospitality, while historical sites like The Big Hole National Battlefield mark the turning point in the war between the American forces and the Nez Perce on August 9, 1877.
Butte, in the middle of the region, hold's up a tough old mining heritage where locals are staunchly proud. Once the leading producer of copper in the 1800's, visitor's today are stricken by the grandeur of yesterday. More of the story is told at The World Museum of Mining and Hell Roarin' Gulch, set on a 44 acre site, where a replicated old mining town has been re-created to its 1899 glory.
Montana's state capital, Helena, was coined Queen City of the Rockies in the late 1800s when mining was a thriving commerce and gold fever ran rampant. In 1888 more than 50 millionaires made Helena their home. Their Last Chance Mine produced 3.6 billion (today's dollar) over a 20 year period. Today the popular town boasts its preserved, spectacular 19th century mansions, and restored pioneer dwellings along with its soaring cathedral, St Helena, modeled after Cologne, Germany's Votive Church in Vienna, reminding all of its prosperous beginnings. Other popular attractions in Helena are two renowned museums; Mackay Gallery of Charles M Russell Art and the Museum of Montana Historical Society. |
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