Lake Helena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake Helena
East side of Lake Helena, looking west toward the Scratchgravel Hills
Lake Helena Location in Montana Show map of Montana Lake Helena Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Lewis and Clark County, Montana
Coordinates	46°42′10″N 111°54′07″W / 46.70278°N 111.90194°W / 46.70278; -111.90194
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	2,073 acres (8.39 km2)
Surface elevation	3,647 ft (1,112 m)

Lake Helena is a body of water along Prickly Pear Creek in the Helena Valley of Lewis and Clark County in southwestern Montana. It is 2,073 acres (8 km²) in size and is 3,647 ft (1,112 m) above sea level.

History

Completion of Hauser Dam on the Missouri River in 1907 created Hauser Lake. In addition, it created an arm of the lake, flooding 8 miles (13 km) of Prickly Pear Creek and surrounding wetlands to form Lake Helena.

Lake Helena causeway, looking due east. Lake Helena to the right, flooded arm of Prickly Pear Creek to left

In 1945, a causeway was built to separate the lake from the flooded canyon portion of the old Prickly Pear Creek. The causeway replaced a 1904 combination steel and wood bridge. The steel span was 120' long, and the overall length of the bridge was 520'. The concrete piers of the steel bridge, which was sold for scrap and dismantled in 1952, can still be seen just north of the causeway.

Water from Tenmile Creek, Prickly Pear Creek, Silver Creek, and the Helena Valley Irrigation Project flows into the west end of the lake. Lake Helena supported a commercial carp fishery for decades. The marshy west end of the lake is now a popular birding location.