Where Gumbo Was #513
Gumbo was visiting the Montana State Capitol building, situated in Helena. Congratulations to George G, who recognized where Gumbo was!
The State Capitol Building is a grand structure, as you can see from these photos….
(The dome of the Capitol is covered in copper.
The statue sitting atop it is a lady called “Montana”)
The building has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Capitol building provides a great view looking north across Helena. The mountain peak you can see in the distance (photo below) is Mt. Helena….
In 1892 Helena became Montana’s permanent state capital. Not long after a Capitol Commission was formed in charge of designing and constructing a new Capital Building. The structure was built between 1896 and 1902, with wing-annexes added between 1909 and 1912. The Capitol is built in the Greek neoclassical style and is constructed of Montana sandstone and granite.
My wife and I found it was easy and a lot of fun to tour this Capitol building. It is beautiful and uncrowded. The process of entering it was simple — no security check-in or pat-down, just like how it used to be. A friendly receptionist gave us a pamphlet with a fairly thorough self-guided tour, and we were on our way. The information we gathered formed the core of this presentation. The tour covers architectural features as well as some of the building’s art collection.
Highlights of the Montana State Capitol include:
1) A lofty impressive-looking rotunda is the building’s most dominant feature.
The rotunda is surrounded by four circular paintings depicting four archetypes of people in Montana’s history:
(An unidentified cowboy)
(A Native American intended to be of Chief Charlo)
(A gold miner — Henry Edgar)
(A fur trapper –Jim Bridger)
2) The Grand Staircase. Elevators are available, but the best way to go from floor to floor is to walk up the elegant Grand Staircase.
(The Grand Staircase)
(“Driving of the Golden Spike”, donated by Northern Pacific Railway, is displayed at the top of the staircase)
3) The Gallery of Outstanding Montanans is a hallway featuring framed photos and biographies of Montana citizens that have made a mark on their state. Below are two representations:
At the end of this gallery is the Secretary of State’s office.
4) The House of Representatives Chamber is best known for containing the largest mural painted by renowned Montana artist Charles M. Russell, a work he completed in 1912. The mural depicts Lewis and Clark at Ross Hole and is unusual in that Natives Americans of the Flathead tribe are in the foreground — Lewis and Clark in the background. It is intended to represent the meeting of the Salish people with the explorers on their return from the Pacific Ocean. The painting measures more than 25 x 12 feet.
(House of Representatives chamber)
Just outside the House chamber are several additional historic paintings by Edgar Paxson, two of which are shown below.
(Lewis and Clarke meeting Sacagawea)
5) The Senate Chamber and Old Supreme Court Chamber. You can peak through the window of both of these chambers and appreciate the architecture and art. Entry into these chambers or the House of Representatives is not allowed.
(Old Supreme Court Chamber)
6) Assorted art: There’s a lot of art in the building, some of which I’ve already shared with you. The pieces are too numerous to individually describe, but here’s a sampling.
I enjoyed the following two murals on “Women building Montana” by Hadley Ferguson (2015)
There’s a collection of busts and statues of old Montana Senators….
I especially enjoyed the above statue of Senator Mike Mansfield, holding a pipe, his wife Maureen looking at him adoringly. All husbands should have such supportive wives!
There’s a lot more to see, like the Montana Statehood Centennial bell.
The Capitol Building has a grand mailroom, which provided our first puzzle clues…and so much more.
The building is open from Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. It is also open Saturdays, Sundays, and most holidays between 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (But is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day). There is no admission fee. Guided tours are sometimes available, but you should check if you want one before you go.
I’ve visited a lot of State Capitols, and this is one of my favorites. The Montana State historical society has a great website that provides a lot of useful information on this building. Check it out at this link.
