This Cache is part of the Helena, Montana GeoExpedition. GeoExpeditionMT spans the scenic Helena area from the heights of MacDonald Pass, through historic downtown gulch then south to Boulder and the Elkhorn Ghost Town. View GeoExpedition rules and DOWNLOAD a PASSPORT here.
The epitome of luxury in the late 1880s was the Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium, named for railroad, real estate and banking tycoon Charles A. Broadwater. The complex cost $500,000 to build, and approximately 500 people attended the opening ceremony on Aug. 26, 1889, according to an article in National Geographic. The original hotel pool measured 300 feet by 125 feet wide and was fed by more than 1 million gallons of mountain spring water every day, the article said.
A series of earthquakes did extensive damage in the 1930s, and the hotel fell on financial troubles and various owners. By 1938, the hotel was closed, but a small part operated as a restaurant, gaming parlor and dance hall. In 1941, a crackdown on gambling across the state caused the Broadwater to close its doors for good. The hotel sat in ruins until 1972, when then-owner Norman Rogers auctioned off the last of the furniture and fixtures. In 1976, a contractor demolished the remains.
The cupola was donated to Lewis and Clark County, where it was finally placed here off Colonial Drive, and refurbished in 2000.