East Helena is a city in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States, approximately east of downtown Helena. The population was 1,944 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Helena Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Lewis and Clark and Jefferson counties; its population is 83,058 according to the 2020 Census.
History
In 1864 gold was discovered in a gulch off the Prickly Pear Creek. This led to the founding of a mining camp along a small creek in the area which the prospectors called "Last Chance Gulch". In 1876 Drumlummon Mine opened and it produced a rich bounty of gold and silver worth millions of dollars.
In 1888, the Helena & Livingston Smelting & Reduction Company's smelter was built. Workers and their families moved to the area. The settlement officially became the town of East Helena in 1889.
On August 19, 1919, a fire destroyed much of the town.
The smelter plant operated from 1888 to 2001. It processed silver-lead ore. From 1927 to 1972, the Anaconda Company had a zinc recovery plant which supplied their Great Falls zinc refinery.
East Helena is located in the Helena Valley, an area marked by the Missouri River. The Big Belt Mountains are to the east. The Elkhorn Mountains and Boulder Hills are to the south.
Several wilderness and recreation areas are around East Helena. Canyon Ferry Lake, east, is Montana's third largest body of water. The Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, north, is part of the Helena National Forest. Lake Helena is north and Hauser Lake is north-east. Spring Meadow Lake State Park, east, features a man-made spring-fed lake.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, East Helena has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.