The Missouri River canyon between Helena and Cascade was largely bypassed by white settlers for the next 65 years.
In part, this was because easier routes allowed access to the western mountains and valleys, but also because the Piegan Blackfeet continued to claim the area as their own and were notoriously hostile to intruders.

From 1859 to 1860, the Mullan Road was constructed from Fort Benton, then part of Dakota Territory, to Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory.
The Mullan Road bypassed Tower Rock and its canyon: The Mullan Road only followed the Missouri River until it reached the Dearborn River.
Rather than enter the Missouri River canyon, it struck inland and passed south through a wide, flat prairie about 15 miles (24 km) west of the river.
This allowed the road to skirt the rugged Adel Mountains Volcanic Field.
The Mullan Road then followed the valley of Little Prickly Pear Creek back to the Missouri River near present-day Wolf Creek, Montana.
North of Helena, the road left the Missouri and followed Tenmile Creek and Austin Creek up to Mullan Pass, where it crossed the Continental Divide.
In 1866, the Little Prickly Pear Wagon Road Company secured a license to manage the Mullan Road from Craig to Helena, and made significant improvements to it.

In 1872, engineer Thomas Roberts surveyed the valley for the Northern Pacific Railway.
Roberts recommended that the railway ship goods via steamship through the canyon rather than by railroad.
The plan was not acted on.
Two years later, however, the railroad contracted with the Diamond R Freight Company to build a wagon road from Helena through the canyon past Tower Rock to the new trading post of Carroll at the headwaters of the Musselshell River.
The "Carroll Trail" was constructed, but closed in 1876 due to hostility from Native Americans and shifts in the Missouri River's channel.
In 1885, the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway (which later became part of the Great Northern Railway) decided to connect the burgeoning mining district around Butte, Montana, with Helena and the nascent city of Great Falls.
Surveyors and engineers began grading a route between Helena and Great Falls through the Missouri River canyon in the winter of 1885-1886, and by the end of 1886 had surveyed a route from Helena to Butte.
Construction on the Great Northern's line westward began in late 1886, The railroad line passed between Tower Rock and the river, forcing the construction crews to do some blasting to clear room at the extreme edge of the landmark's base.
On October 16, 1887, the link between Devils Lake, North Dakota; Fort Assinniboine (near the present-day city of Havre); and Great Falls was complete.
Service from Great Falls to Helena began in November 1887, and Butte followed on November 10, 1888.

The unincorporated hamlet of Hardy was established on the north boundary of Tower Rock as a siding by the Montana Central Railway in 1888.
Named for rancher Rufus Hardy, who in 1866 became the first white settler on the west bank of the river in the canyon, the settlement was given a post office the year it was founded.
Although the town had 52 residents in the 1910s, a depression in the agricultural sector in the 1920s and the Great Depression reduced its population to near zero.
By 1934, Hardy consisted only of the railroad station and a tool shed.

No road passed by Tower Rock until 1932.
The route of the old Mullan Road served as the only automobile link between Cascade and Helena.
In 1921, the state of Montana and the counties of Cascade and Lewis and Clark jointly proposed building a road on the east bank of the Missouri River between the towns of Hardy and Craig.
 The route would have avoided Tower Rock.
But this project was never acted on.
Beginning in 1928, businessmen in Great Falls, Cascade, and Helena began petitioning the state of Montana to build a state highway from Cascade to Wolf Creek through the Missouri River.
This project, whose route was on the west bank of the Missouri and largely paralleled the railroad tracks, was approved.
The area was still sparsely settl
The Missouri River canyon between Helena and Cascade was largely bypassed by white settlers for the next 65 years. In part, this was because easier routes allowed access to the western mountains and valleys, but also because the Piegan Blackfeet continued to claim the area as their own and were notoriously hostile to intruders.
From 1859 to 1860, the Mullan Road was constructed from Fort Benton, then part of Dakota Territory, to Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory. The Mullan Road bypassed Tower Rock and its canyon: The Mullan Road only followed the Missouri River until it reached the Dearborn River. Rather than enter the Missouri River canyon, it struck inland and passed south through a wide, flat prairie about 15 miles (24 km) west of the river. This allowed the road to skirt the rugged Adel Mountains Volcanic Field. The Mullan Road then followed the valley of Little Prickly Pear Creek back to the Missouri River near present-day Wolf Creek, Montana. North of Helena, the road left the Missouri and followed Tenmile Creek and Austin Creek up to Mullan Pass, where it crossed the Continental Divide. In 1866, the Little Prickly Pear Wagon Road Company secured a license to manage the Mullan Road from Craig to Helena, and made significant improvements to it.
In 1872, engineer Thomas Roberts surveyed the valley for the Northern Pacific Railway. Roberts recommended that the railway ship goods via steamship through the canyon rather than by railroad. The plan was not acted on. Two years later, however, the railroad contracted with the Diamond R Freight Company to build a wagon road from Helena through the canyon past Tower Rock to the new trading post of Carroll at the headwaters of the Musselshell River. The "Carroll Trail" was constructed, but closed in 1876 due to hostility from Native Americans and shifts in the Missouri River's channel. In 1885, the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway (which later became part of the Great Northern Railway) decided to connect the burgeoning mining district around Butte, Montana, with Helena and the nascent city of Great Falls. Surveyors and engineers began grading a route between Helena and Great Falls through the Missouri River canyon in the winter of 1885-1886, and by the end of 1886 had surveyed a route from Helena to Butte. Construction on the Great Northern's line westward began in late 1886, The railroad line passed between Tower Rock and the river, forcing the construction crews to do some blasting to clear room at the extreme edge of the landmark's base. On October 16, 1887, the link between Devils Lake, North Dakota; Fort Assinniboine (near the present-day city of Havre); and Great Falls was complete. Service from Great Falls to Helena began in November 1887, and Butte followed on November 10, 1888.
The unincorporated hamlet of Hardy was established on the north boundary of Tower Rock as a siding by the Montana Central Railway in 1888. Named for rancher Rufus Hardy, who in 1866 became the first white settler on the west bank of the river in the canyon, the settlement was given a post office the year it was founded. Although the town had 52 residents in the 1910s, a depression in the agricultural sector in the 1920s and the Great Depression reduced its population to near zero. By 1934, Hardy consisted only of the railroad station and a tool shed.
No road passed by Tower Rock until 1932. The route of the old Mullan Road served as the only automobile link between Cascade and Helena. In 1921, the state of Montana and the counties of Cascade and Lewis and Clark jointly proposed building a road on the east bank of the Missouri River between the towns of Hardy and Craig.  The route would have avoided Tower Rock. But this project was never acted on. Beginning in 1928, businessmen in Great Falls, Cascade, and Helena began petitioning the state of Montana to build a state highway from Cascade to Wolf Creek through the Missouri River. This project, whose route was on the west bank of the Missouri and largely paralleled the railroad tracks, was approved. The area was still sparsely settl
Tower Rock State Park