The Northern Pacific’s arrival in 1883 brought rapid local changes including development of this pie-shaped block. By 1884, a brick barber shop, three saloons, a cobbler, and a boarding house served the first passenger trains and earliest residents. By 1906, Walter Larson’s meat market and Ole Swanson’s corner saloon were neighborhood fixtures. But by 1929, the dilapidated, abandoned buildings made the seedy block infamous along the Northern Pacific line. Anna and Mary Beattie of Illinois had given the city a trust fund in memory of their brothers George, Edward, and Alexander. The brothers were early Helena businessmen and Alexander was a first major investor in this district. The City of Helena used the $16,124 trust to purchase the lots and create the park. Originally it included a wading pool, drinking fountain, and benches. The intent was to establish a recreational “beauty spot” and a favorable first impression for railroad travelers. Beattie Park is still one of Helena’s most attractive retreats. After the Northern Pacific retired its steam locomotives in the mid-1950s, the widely used 1902 S-4 Class “workhorse” came to rest here.
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