From the quarries of Last Chance Gulch; a "news-history" of Helena and its Masonic lodges, covering the 25-year period in Helena's history from the discovery of gold in Last Chance Gulch in 1864 to the coming of statehood to Montana in 1889. by William C Campbell, published in 1951, caught my eye while I was browsing through the Montana section of my local library. I know that the Freemasons played a large role in Montana territorial and state history so I added it to the pile of books I was checking out. I also picked up Volume II, which covers the years 1890 to 1900.
Even if you aren't interested in the history of the Masonic lodges of Helena, these two books are a good read for anyone interested in the history of Helena and the rest of the state. They provide readers with a glimpse of the social customs, mining, ranching financial and political history, and since they are arranged in chronological chapters, they also provide a timeline of the state's history for those years.
I am happy to say that I found the information I was looking for in these two books and they will be included in the bibliography of my next book.
No comments:
Post a Comment