History buffs and fans of Victorian architecture in Montana can both appreciate this stunning mansion in Helena that hit the market earlier this spring.

Constructed in the 1880s (several years before Montana became a state), this huge brick home in Helena's historic district has an interesting backstory. It was built by one of the Treasure State's earliest cattle barons, Louis Stadler.

Read More: The Most Plausible Explanation for Montana’s Mysterious 3-7-77?

Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
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Who was Louis Stadler?

Austrian-born Stadler came to the United States in 1869, according to obituary details shared by Find A Grave.com. He arrived in Montana when thousands were flocking to the southwest corner of the state, seeking gold in the Alder Gulch region. But Stadler didn't come to Montana to chase gold.

Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
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Fortunes were made by those providing goods to miners.

Smart businessmen realized they could also get rich by supplying the hordes of gold seekers with food, building supplies, liquor, tobacco, and other necessities. Stadler and a German fellow named Louis E. Kauffman became partners in the cattle business, supplying beef for the hungry mining camps that sprang up practically overnight.

Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
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Tall ceilings, beautiful woodwork, and perfect for entertaining.

The 5,199 square-foot house was Stadlers home until he died in 1941 at the age of 92. It's a lasting testament to Montana's early settlers who found their fortunes in Big Sky Country. The mansion is as grand as anything the Copper Kings built in Butte.

According to the real estate listing, the ornate home has soaring, eleven-foot ceilings, and two large living rooms, each with its own fireplace, oak and maple hardwood floors throughout, wide hallways, and four large bedrooms.

Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
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A beautiful circa 1900 mural was painted on one of the living room ceilings by John Schneider, a German-born designer/painter brought to Montana by Copper King William Andrews Clark.

Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
A 2,900 sq. foot carriage house in back. Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
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This is an amazing home and a unique part of Montana's history.

It has connections to the famous Charlie Russel watercolor "Waiting for a Chinook". Russel sent the painting to partners Stadler and Kauffman because the artwork depicted a half-starved cow, circled by hungry wolves on the gentlemen's ranch during a harsh winter in Montana.

Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
Zillow - Listed by June Trevor, Augustine Properties
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The mansion is listed by June Trevor at Augustine Properties for $1,225,000. Check out all of the stunning photos and complete details HERE

A Former Montana Wild West Attraction is For Sale

On the Continental Divide west of Helena sits a one-of-a-kind property called Frontier Town. The former tourist attraction comes with a heck of a story. It's listed for $1.7 million.

Gallery Credit: Michael Foth

15 Montana Prairie Ghost Towns

In many cases, little more than a farmhouse remains of these once bustling Montana prairie towns. Here are 15 communities in eastern Montana that are barely more than a ghost town. 

Gallery Credit: Michael Foth

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