Page 21 - HC B2B Spring21

CATIONS IN HELENA
Lewis & Clark Brewing Co.
1517 Dodge Avenue History:
The Lewis & Clark Brewing building is comprised of several buildings that were added onto over the last 125 years with some dating back to 1885.
The oldest building is the Stone “Smokehouse” where the men’s room is located now. The Smokehouse was built
in 1885 to smoke meats by T.C. Power, a legendary founding Helena resident. Shortly thereafter the “Packing & Provisions” building was built behind the current tap room bar and was used as a three-story “Ice-House.” Ice was removed from the lakes in the winter then transported up
the pass by rail and stored in caves until brought back down in the summer and hoisted up to the third floor to cool the entire building.
After the “Montana Packing & Provisions Company” closed, the property could have
been used as a jail, however, no historical records support this so maybe the bars were installed for security. It was then a seed warehouse. Later it became
the birthplace of Columbia Paint and over the next 70 years it was added onto as the paint factory grew to be one of Montana’s most successful businesses.
In 2017 Lewis & Clark expanded once again building a new brewery attached to the existing structure and increasing production capacity by over 5X.
Lewis & Clark has tried to preserve as much of the historical nature of this unique place as possible (including leaving the
old Colombia Paint staircase as they found it splattered with paint) while still bringing the buildings into the 20th century building codes.
The Wassweiler Dinner House & Pub
4528 US-12 History:
Ferdinand Wassweiler’s original hot springs stood not far from the current Broadwater Hot Springs and Fitness.
After selling part of his land to Colonel Broadwater, Wassweiler, a German immigrant who followed the rush
of gold miners to the Helena area, built a second facility in 1883. His second creation combined an Inn with a separate bathhouse where travelers as well as locals could enjoy a hot soak. It closed in 1907.
In 2017, Bob and Marci Andersen restored this original 1883 Inn & Bathhouse into a fine dining experience steeped in good old-fashioned Montana history and later openend the Mercantile in 2020. They specialize in steaks, and have an extensive wine list. The Wassweiler is the only restaurant to be certified green by the Green Restaurant Association. They have a greenhouse on site, and grow as much as they can. They have just added outdoor dining pods for winter dining and have outdoor seating for 40 in the summer.
SPRING 2021 B2B - A Publication of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce 21
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