n.
City (pop., 2000: 25,780), capital of Montana, U.S. Located near the Missouri River in west-central Montana, in an area visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1805), it was settled after gold was discovered there in 1864 (in Last Chance Gulch, now the city's main street).
It became capital of the territory in 1875 and of the state in 1889. In addition to state government activities, Helena is an agricultural and livestock trade centre and has light manufactures. The capitol building has a copper-covered dome surmounted by a reproduction of the Statue of Liberty.