DescriptionLee "Leo" Pocha (Little Shell) posed in his Helena High School football uniform. Raised in the Sixth Ward in Helena, he was a tackle and co-captain of the Helena High football team. He later became one of the first American Indian city commissioners, an urban leader, executive director of the Helena Indian Alliance, and member of many community organizations. The Leo Pocha medical clinic was named after him. He was instrumental in getting first Native American hired in fire department. Two years later, they hired the first Indian police officer. Before that they thought it was okay for Indians to ride on the back of garbage trucks but not in front. He was a real advocate. He was also a businessman. He owned a bar on Main Street and Miller Street, where the Lewis and Clark County Library now stands. It was destroyed as part of Urban Renewal/Model Cities.TypeImageGenrephotographsDateCirca 1942SubjectFootball playersContributing InstitutionHelena Indian AllianceGeographic CoverageHelena, MontanaDigital CollectionMontana Urban Indian CollectionDigitization SpecificationScanned with Epson Perfection V800 Photo scanner at 600 dpi.SourceDaniel L. PochaDate Digitized2024
