What was the name of the Montana gold-mining gulch that became central to Helena’s founding?

Last Chance Gulch was the Montana gold-mining gulch that became central to Helena’s founding.

Four prospectors discovered gold in the gulch in 1864 after traveling through the region in search of a productive strike. Their find attracted miners and merchants, and a settlement grew around the claims.

The settlement was first known by names including Crabtown, Pumpkinville, and Last-Chance before Helena became the accepted name. Gold from the gulch helped make the community prosperous during Montana’s early mining era.

Today, Last Chance Gulch is associated with Helena’s historic downtown and its pedestrian shopping area. It is not the same site as Alder Gulch, which produced the Montana gold-rush settlement of Virginia City.