As chronicled in the Montana Post’s successor, the Madisonian newspaper, Stonewall Hall - the de facto territorial capitol - was center stage for this contentious rivalry. In 1875, the rich gold deposits of Last Chance Gulch and Helena’s more centralized location within the region provided the final impetus to relocate the capital. Within a few years, during the perpetual race to the latest gold strike, Virginia City’s status as the territory’s capital and principal settlement was soon challenged by the upstart community of Helena. The site of numerous balls, festivals and austere occasions - including the 1865 Democratic Convention and sessions of the Territorial Legislature - the community was well-served by the building’s primary tenants, a popular first-floor saloon and a notorious second-floor billiard and gambling parlor known as the El Sol. Highway 287 - the prominent two-story masonry building was a major landmark within the rough-and-tumble mining camp. Constructed in 1864 along Virginia City’s then booming main thoroughfare - today’s U.S. Ironically, Stonewall Hall, a Bovey property, was not included in the original transfer due to a clerical error and ended up in the hands of a succession of private owners.īased on accounts from the Montana Post, Montana’s first newspaper, Stonewall Hall was a popular gathering place for the community during its boisterous gold rush days. Faced with the potential loss of the now-cherished Montana treasure, the Legislature agreed to purchase the entire collection of buildings and artifacts for $6.5 million. Over the course of 50 years, the Boveys created one of Montana’s premier heritage tourism experiences.īy the 1990s, burdened with increasing operating costs and a backlog of deferred maintenance, the entire Bovey operation was up for sale. Beginning in the 1940s, Charlie and Sue Bovey - and later their son, Ford - acquired and preserved more than 200 historic properties associated with the legendary Alder Gulch and the two major settlements that sprung up around the discovery of gold there in 1863. The Montana Legislature created the MHC in 1997 to manage numerous historic properties purchased from the Bovey family in Virginia City and nearby Nevada City. COURTESY OF THE MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Stonewall Hall, seen here in a circa 1885 photo, was one of the first stone buildings built in Virginia City and marked its transition from a camp to a town. “The MHC is excited to lead this significant restoration project, ensuring the Stonewall Hall building and its unique history live on for the appreciation of future generations of Montanans,” MHC Executive Director Elijah Allen told Montana Free Press. LaFever Trust donated the property to the Montana Heritage Commission (MHC), a state agency that set about raising funds for restoration. Until recently, the iconic property seemed destined for the dustbin of forgotten state history.īut after years of lobbying by community members and statewide preservationists, that changed in 2022 when the Neal C. The center of local activity during Virginia City’s short-lived stint as capital of the Montana Territory from 1865 until 1875, Stonewall Hall is set for a $2 million restoration beginning this summer. VIRGINIA CITY - Ignored for decades, in poor condition and generally considered a lost cause, one of Montana’s most significant historic buildings - Stonewall Hall in Virginia City - is being coaxed back to relevance. Project to rejuvenate Stonewall Hall, dilapidated and long ignored, will begin this summer.
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