The welfare of the community depended on this prominent landmark atop the town’s most prominent hill, where citizens watched over Last Chance Gulch, a western mining camp constantly threatened by fire. Hastily built log cabins crowded along the streets created a continual hazard, and wind whipping through the gulch could carry burning embers into distant neighborhoods, so every miner’s cabin kept a fire bucket within easy reach. Citizens organized a warning system and built the first fire tower here in 1868, with volunteers taking turns scanning the gulch for wisps of smoke where none should be. After fire destroyed the first tower, this structure was built in 1874 using millwright techniques of beams bolted together. The city added a guardroom and bell in 1886, and for many years the bell rang the evening curfew for Helena’s youngsters. Known as the “Guardian of the Gulch,” it served the community for nearly seventy years and became a symbol of Helena’s early history and resilient citizens.