Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From the first major discovery of gold along Grasshopper Creek in 1862, southwestern
Montana attracted prospectors, miners, and those who would build communities around
them. Within a year of that major gold discovery, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill
creating Montana Territory. In many ways, this region gave rise to the state: Two of the
state's best-known mining camps, Helena and Butte, prospered and diversified, becoming
two of Montana's most interesting and historically significant cities. Others, like Virginia
City and Bannack, all but disappeared before rising again as well-maintained tourist attrac-
tions. Indeed, history comes to life in southwestern Montana, from the mines in and around
Butte to the battlegrounds along the Big Hole River, the ghost towns above Philipsburg, and
the cobblestone streets of Montana's capital city.
