Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
While recent press has often been devoted to Helena as the last stop on the famed “orphan trains,” little research has focused on Montana’s own needy children. In "Child Welfare and Rescue: Helena as a Hub of Social Services", historian Dr. Ellen Baumler shows how the state capital shouldered great responsibility in the early 1900s when Montana’s scattered institutions—such as the orphanage at Twin Bridges and the reformatory at Pine Hills in Miles City—were grossly overcrowded. Bolstered by the first women who served in the Montana legislature and their supporters, Helena further matured and emerged as a vital regional center for child welfare.
While recent press has often been devoted to Helena as the last stop on the famed “orphan trains,” little research has focused on Montana’s own needy children. In "Child Welfare and Rescue: Helena as a Hub of Social Services", historian Dr. Ellen Baumler shows how the state capital shouldered great responsibility in the early 1900s when Montana’s scattered institutions—such as the orphanage at Twin Bridges and the reformatory at Pine Hills in Miles City—were grossly overcrowded. Bolstered by the first women who served in the Montana legislature and their supporters, Helena further matured and emerged as a vital regional center for child welfare.
