Charles M. Russell - Montana's most famous artist, and, along with Frederic Remington, one of the two most famous artists ever to paint the West - was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 19, 1864. He came to Montana in 1880, at the age of 16, just four years after Custer's fatal last stand at the Little Big Horn. He was a rancher who liked to sketch. His wife convinced him to sell his paintings.
About the painting: Russell painted the scene after the real life story of a party of 'Four Georgians' who had traveled west to strike it rich during the Gold Rush of the 1860's, and had all but given up hope of finding any gold until they reached the site of what is now Helena, Montana. They called this place their "Last Chance Gulch" and decided that they would go back east if they did not strike gold there. The creek shown in Russell's painting is located on the east side of Helena and the placer gold dust and nuggets they found amounted to over 16 million dollars that first year.