Helena, Montana is founded after four prospectors…

Helena, Montana is founded after four prospectors (the so-called Four Georgians) discover gold at Last Chance Gulch; it had been their last and agreed final attempt at weeks of trying to find gold in the northern Rockies.

The original camp was named "Last Chance" by the Four Georgians.

By fall, the population has grown to over two hundred and the name "Last Chance" is viewed as too crass.

On October 30, 1864, a group of at least seven men meet to name the town, authorize the layout of the streets, and elect commissioners.

The first suggestion is "Tomah," a word the committee thought had connections to the local Indian people of the area.

Other nominations include Pumpkinville and Squashtown (as the meeting is held the day before Halloween).

Other suggestions are to name the community after various Minnesota towns, such as Winona and Rochester.

Finally, a Scotsman named John Summerville proposes Helena, which he pronounces hə-LEE-nə in honor of Helena Township, Scott County, Minnesota.

This immediately causes an uproar from the former Confederates in the room, who insist upon the pronunciation HEL-i-nə, after Helena, Arkansas, a town on the Mississippi River.

The name wins; the pronunciation varies.

The city's main street is named Last Chance Gulch and lies close to the winding path of the original gulch through the historic downtown district.