In the years before roads and automobiles made commuting around Flathead Lake easier, steamships ruled the waves. The Helena stood out among the fleet of ferries in that it allowed the communities around the lake to flourish. Constructed in 1915 by James Kehoe, the Helena was cobbled together from salvaged parts including its engine, which was once featured at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. After representing the industrial might of the United States in the Louis Sullivan’s transportation pavilion, Helena’s engine powered a Chicago fireboat, which later sank following a…
