MONTANA'S MOST
ENDANGERED PLACES 2007

Le Grand Cannon Boulevard, Helena

A 2007 view of Le Grand Cannon Boulevard (left) shows a remaining segment that retains its original character. Much of the original road (pictured at right above) has been paved and many Helenans want the last stretch of unpaved portion to stay that way.

The City of Helena is moving toward approval of a water system that will make possible a new subdivision on the edge of Mount Helena. If this new subdivision goes in, the city will pave and widen the historic Le Grand Cannon Boulevard to become a full-fledged street, destroying the historic ambiance of the boulevard as a recreational roadway. The historic boulevard is more than 5 miles long, running from the top of Holter Street in Helena’s upper West Side neighborhood across the north face of Mount Helena and then curving downhill toward the intersection of US Highway 12 and the site of the long-razed Hotel Broadwater and Natatorium. Conceived and engineered in 1907 as a “driveway” or carriage road for horse-drawn vehicles, the Boulevard retains much of its perambulatory character as scores of pedestrians and non-vehicular traffic walk, run and bicycle its entire length.

While grass roots efforts to preserve portions of the roadway and its surrounding lands have been successful, the pressures of growth and development make preservation of the Boulevard’s essential character a struggle.  However, if we follow the example set by Helenans of a century ago, residents and visitors will still be able to stroll and bike peacefully, safely, and contemplatively on this great scenic roadway, exactly as Mr. Cannon and early day Helena residents envisioned.