Archives West Finding Aid

The question of a permanent location for the capital of Montana was submitted to the voters in the general election of 1892. Seven cities entered the contest: Helena, the temporary capital; Anaconda; Butte; Bozeman; Great Falls; Deer Lodge; and Boulder. The two cities receiving the most votes, Helena and Anaconda (with 14,010 and 10,183 votes, respectively) entered a run-off campaign two years later. The capital question overshadowed all other political issues in the 1894 election. Every newspaper in Montana became a partisan, and hundreds of speakers canvassed the state. The two dominant figures in the fight proved to be the "Copper Kings" Marcus Daly, the champion of Anaconda, and his political rival, William A. Clark, a staunch Helena supporter. Small organizations formed to back their favorite city. The Women's Helena for the Capital Club, led by Isabella [Mrs. Hugh] Kirkendall of Helena, was a state-wide group that solicited help from women in every county. Although unable to vote, the women in the local chapters exerted pressure on the men with voting privileges through letter writing campaigns, distribution of leaflets, newspaper advertisements, and speeches. Helena won the election by a narrow margin: 27,024 votes to 25,118 for Anaconda.