A new feature from the Independent Record traces the arc of Montana's mining history — from the placer gold rushes that put Helena on the map to the copper empires that defined Butte — as part of ongoing coverage of the state's mineral heritage.

Helena itself is a product of that history. Last Chance Gulch takes its name from the gold strike of 1864, when four prospectors from Georgia made one final attempt before giving up — and hit pay dirt. The city that grew from that camp became one of the wealthiest per capita in the United States by the late 19th century, a fact still visible in the mansions along Stuart Street and the scale of the Cathedral of Saint Helena.

The piece arrives at a moment when mining is again a live issue in Montana, with lithium, copper, and critical mineral development drawing new investment and new controversy across the state. The history of how earlier booms played out — including the environmental and economic aftermath — gives that current debate important context for Montanans thinking about what comes next.