What happens in the past often stays in the past, unless someone's willing to talk about it -- willing to spill the proverbial beans.

What really happened inside the Red Meadow Bar? What was it like to live on Rodney Street in the 1930s? Is anyone old enough to remember Montana's governor living at his original mansion on Sixth and Ewing?

A group of residents in the historic Rodney Street neighborhood are betting that someone has those stories to tell and more.

The group, which formed last summer to revitalize the district, wants stories to tell for their latest endeavor -- a historic walking tour of the Rodney Street neighborhood.

"We just want to draw attention to the interesting history of the neighborhood," said Christine Brown, a member of the revitalization group. "We'll start our tour at the courthouse and take a circular route before ending at the old governor's mansion."

That's the plan at least. To round out the tour, the group is looking for old stories, pictures and anecdotes about the once-opulent district, which climbed up out of the dirt and mud of Last Chance Gulch in the 1870s.

Conducting a modern-day dragnet, Miller sent out an e-mail to members of the group. Does anyone remember the fire that destroyed the old Parchen Home on South Rodney? Does anyone remember the old Kenck Saloon? Did you ever shop at the old Rodney Street grocery?

So far, Brown hasn't received any takers. But she's hoping that will change.

"I know there are people in this town that grew up in this neighborhood," she said. "I know there are interesting stories out there, or a good collection of old photos. But I haven't heard back from anyone."

Pick a street and take a stroll on a warm summer day. The district's mix of old and new, meticulous and unsightly, stand out in what remains one of Helena's oldest and most eclectic neighborhoods.

The Helena Herald noted on May 4, 1889, that the "retail trade overflowing from Main Street and Broadway is gaining a marked foothold on Rodney Street."

Harriett Meloy, a longtime Helena resident who died last year, wrote a brief history on the issue in "More from the Quarries of Last Chance Gulch," published by the Independent Record in 1996.

In her essay, Meloy noted that miners and business people saw Rodney Street as an obvious place to develop a new district, one free from the hazards and crowding of Main and Jackson streets, located down the hill in the gulch.

Rodney Street was first named in 1868, just four years after gold was discovered in the gulch. The street took its name from Rodney Peacock, a doctor who Meloy described as "the first man to draw his last breath in Helena."

"The Rodney neighborhood is one of the oldest in Helena," said Brown. "A lot of people moved up the hill out of the Gulch and for a while, the area around Rodney and Broadway was the fashionable place to live."

Turn-of-the-century mansions pepper the neighborhood. Many now serve as stylish bed and breakfasts. Montana's first governor, Joseph Toole, built his own home on the corner of Rodney and State. It's now an apartment.

The assay office, located near today's courthouse on Broadway, became the city's first public building in 1875. It was used to analyze precious metals -- gold and silver -- found in local ore. The courthouse itself was built and occupied in 1887 and shared by the territorial governor and secretary.

Even today's Myrna Loy Center of Performing Arts is wrapped in history. The building served as the original jail -- the bars down in the basement still recall that past. A stone's throw away, today's B&B Market once served as a chic hotel.

"I've lived here for five years," said Brown. "It was affordable, and I've always liked these historic neighborhoods -- the different mix of housing stock."

Brown's home, located on Davis, adds to the area's historic charm. It was built in the arts and crafts style in 1912 by "Punk" Ward, a one-time wool merchant. Miller said Ward worked for the Goodkind Brothers for most of his life.

"He lived here until he died in 1975," Brown said. "Our house hasn't had a lot of owners. For some reason, when he built this house, he built it up so that it sat higher than the other houses in the area. We don't really know why."

Much of the district has been chronicled on the National Register of Historic Places, making the neighborhood's first walking tour something of a snap.

But there are deeper histories to solve -- mysteries the group hopes to understand for future tours.

"The Jewish history here is really interesting, and we want to do a tour of that in the future," Brown said. "Also, we'd like to do a tour of the red-light district that was near State and Miller streets. There hasn't been a whole lot of research done on that."

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or at mkidston@helenair.com

Notable homes in the Rodney Street area

Michael Reining, who arrived in Helena in 1866 to become a successful grocer and wine merchant, built at 28 North Rodney. His home was razed in 1992 to make room for parking.

Joseph Toole, one of the territory's most brilliant lawyers, built at 74 South Rodney in 1870. He later moved across the street to 102 South Rodney. After he became Montana's first governor in 1889, he occupied the Ewing Street mansion, opposite the Chessman apartments.

Robert Fisk, the editor of the Helena Herald, built his home at 319 North Rodney in 1870. His neighbors included territorial governor James Ashley.

Martin Holter built a lavish home at 15 North Rodney in 1879.

Morris Silverman, who arrived in Helena in 1867 to open a prosperous mercantile, built an imposing home in 1880 at 412 North Rodney.

Francis Pope, a successful retailer and druggist, built a handsome dwelling at 327 North Rodney in 1889.

August Fack, owner of a popular wine store on Main Street, built his home in 1889 at 556 South Rodney.

Professor T. F. Campbell opened a school in 1866 on the corner of Rodney and State, where China Clark built his mansion a few years later. In 1890, the first public school was built at 519 South Rodney. It was destroyed by the 1935 quake and replaced by a new school on the site in 1942.