blackfoot-valley

The Missoulian “noted somewhere in the bowels of the 1990 count”, Helmville had 38 residents living in town as the census defined it, though it had not qualified as a “place” according to the definition of “place” by the Census. Census Designated Places (CDPs) are not listed as such when under 100 people. They are also required to coincide with visible features, such as a downtown area, not ranches with open spaces. A statement by a spokes- man at Montana’s Census, Information and Economic Information Center was paraphrased by the newspaper article as noting that in the decade since 1990, “no significant changes in {Helmville’s} town structure or estimated growth” had taken place. Thus the population of 35 given by Sonny Geary in 1997, and the number of 38 given by the assistant postmaster in 2001, would seem to be the closest for the town itself, but the others may be just as accu- rate according to what one thinks of as comprising Helmville “the Place.” What of the future? Today, Helmville appears to the casual outside visitor as a sleepy town frozen in time, full of abandoned or semi-used rustic buildings along a quiet main street with vehicles passing by only occasion- ally. With the exception of a few residences, the two well-maintained struc- tures of distinctly modern construction are the hillside elementary school and St. Thomas church, both testifying to the civic spirit and abiding faith of the area’s people. The ranches in the valley are Helmville’s cultural and economic lifeblood, yet residents largely go outside for nearly all shopping, supplies, and services. Shoppers mostly go to Missoula, Deer Lodge, and Helena, all an hour’s drive away. Residents like the peaceful isolation and cheerfully pay that price. In truth, the area’s tranquil solitude and the sense of local identity this isolation helps to maintain is becoming an increasingly rare commodity in the United States - sought after by a growing minority. Does this mean that new hous- ing will sprout up in the valley in coming years? After all, an hour’s drive from major towns is not that far, though such developments would diminish the qualities that would attract newcomers. If development should come there is little the valley’s current residents could do about it. Money talks! Whether development of this kind will come anytime soon, or not, there is no telling. But one of the few constants in the history of any region is change, whether slowly through normal evolution or through a rapid transition. One can only hope that the residents of the valley - who along with their forebears have put their imprint on and formed its distinctive human character - will continue to have a meaningful say about what direction the future may take. 154