The town was established as a mining camp and named after Belle Dixon, the wife of a prospector who was one of the first investors in the area, on August 28, 1894.

[1] By December, La Belle boasted 80 buildings, including three saloons, a hotel, a restaurant, a mercantile store, and butcher, blacksmith, and feed shops.

[3] The notorious outlaw Black Jack Ketchum and his brother Sam had a nearby ranch and were known to visit La Belle.

[2] La Belle became infamous for the promotion of its gold mine reserves, whose value was severely overstated at the time through deceptive photographs and advertising materials.

La Belle declined precipitously in the early 1900s; the gold mine was ultimately a disappointment because the ore was found to be low-grade.