Missoula, Montana
A Traveler's Guide

Missoula, Montana History

The city of Missoula...
began as a tenuous settlement known as Hell Gate in 1860, when entrepreneurs C.P. Higgins and Francis Worden saw trade possibilities and opened a log store in the valley.

Although the Lewis & Clark Expedition had traveled through the area in 1806, and British explorer David Thompson had charted it in 1812, the nearest settlements - Fort Owen in the Bitterroot and St Ignatius - remained tiny, and travelers were few. However, the search for gold and the completion in 1863 of the Mullan Road, which opened up travel from Fort Benton to Walla Walla, WA brought people to the Missoula valley. The settlement became known as Missoula, taken from a Salish Indian word meaning "near the cold, chilling waters," and in 1866 became the county seat. The first jail was built the same year, the first school in 1869 and the first newspaper was established in 1871.

The Northern Pacific Railroad reached Missoula in 1883, the same year the city was incorporated. Missoula became a trading center in earnest, distributing produce and grain grown in the agriculturally prosperous Bitterroot Valley. Businessmen A.B. Hammond, E.L. Banner and R.A. Eddy established the Missoula Mercantile Co. in the early 1880s, and electricity arrived in 1889.

The University of Montana opened in September 1895, and in 1908 Missoula became a regional headquarters for the Forest Service, which began training smoke jumpers in 1942. The Aerial Fire Depot was built in 1954, and big industry came to Missoula in 1956 with the groundbreaking for the first pulp mill.

Although the city is still grappling with economic problems caused by declines in the wood-products industry and in state and federal revenues, Missoula today still serves as a center for education, medicine, recreation, forest products, retailing and the arts. The population of the city has grown to more than 50,000 people; the county has about 95,000 people of diverse backgrounds and interests.

The University of Montana maintains an enrollment of nearly 12,000 students in its College of Arts & Sciences and seven professional schools, including the state's only law school. The school also operates a biological station at Flathead Lake and Lubrecht Experimental Forest.

Missoula is a unique city for its size and location. Its quality of life makes it easy for its residents to want to stay on, enjoying its two ski areas, nearby wilderness areas, theater productions, symphony and string orchestras, sporting events and broad range of restaurants.

The cultural center of Montana, Missoula attracts artisans and writers who bring attention to the city from around the country. Mike Mansfield once wrote of Montana, "Modern transitions notwithstanding, something remains in the state that is durably unique and uniquely durable." The same could be said of Missoula, Higgins and Warden had no idea what they were starting when they built their log trading post more than 1OO years ago.

-Ginny Merriam, of the Missoulian

Lewis & Clark in Montana

The Expedition Begins
In 1804 a hopeful Thomas Jefferson sent Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find the fabled River of the West. From the time of Columbus, explorers and statesmen had dreamed of a Northwest Passage, an all-water route connecting the trade routes of the Pacific to the Old World of the Atlantic. As president of a still-young nation, Jefferson had pressed for the Louisiana Purchase to strengthen American trade and settlement. The final $15 million-dollar agreement with France doubled America's size overnight.

Lewis & Clark in Montana
On April 25,1805, the Corps of Discovery camped by the riverside near the future site of Fort Union. Lewis and Clark hoped they were only weeks away from the Pacific via an all-water route, the mythical Northwest Passage. The group rested and celebrated their arrival at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. The expedition journals noted the spot's potential as a trade location between two navigable rivers, the early highways of commerce. Entering what would be Montana led the expedition into the land of the Blackfeet. Their first contact with this tribe had been less than promising.

The Northwest Passage was not Jefferson's only priority. In fact, of the tasks assigned them, Lewis and Clark accomplished the most within the modern borders of Montana. Contact and negotiations with native tribes, the reconnaissance of suitable sites for trading posts and forts, and scientific accounts of the land's plants, animals, and scenic resources were all in keeping with Jefferson's hopes for the expedition.

Montana Unspoiled Adventure
Today, much of the Montana landscape that Lewis & Clark crossed remains unchanged. From solitary sandstone through river canyons to mountain meadows. Montana's rivers and highways flow past scores of landmarks related to the expedition.

Montana State Symbols

Nickname
The Treasure State
Montana is also known as "Big Sky Country," "Land of Shining Mountains," "Mountain State," and "Bonanza State." The nickname 'Treasure State" originated with all of the mining that occurred in the state. In 1962 the State Highway Department was having a promotion and needed a name. One of the men working there had read a book called 'The Big Sky", written by a Montanan author, Alfred Bertram Guthrie Jr. This book was about trapping and the outdoors. Mr. Guthrie gave the State Highway Department permission to use the name. Montana has been "Big Sky Country" ever since.

State Motto
"Oro y Plata" Spanish for "gold and silver.

State Flag
The Montana flag shows the state seal on a blue rectangle with yellow edges. The look of the flag was copied from one taken into battle during the Spanish-American War in 1898 by Montana Volunteers. The name "MONTANA" at the top wasn't added until 1981.

State Seal:
The Montana state seal is a round picture designed to show Montana's history and natural beauty. At the top, a sunrise shines over snowy mountains. Waterfalls, the Missouri River, mountains, hills, trees, and cliffs are shown behind three tools. A pick, a shovel, and a plow are symbols of Montana's mining and farming, past and present. The plow stands for Montana's farming history. Montana farmers grow apples, wheat, mint, sugar beets, cherries, and other crops. When Montana changed from a territory to a state in 1889, the seal changed, too. Montana's first seal had a buffalo where the trees are now, and the falls and river were different, but it was very close to this one.

State Song
"Montana"
"Montana," the state song, was written in one night by a Montana newspaper editor and a famous songwriter in 1910.

Ballad
"Montana Melody"
Montana is one of the few states to have a state song and a state ballad. A ballad is different from most songs because it tells a story. The song was written by LeGrande Harvey. "Montana Melody" was adopted in 1983. Helena students from Jefferson school were instrumental in getting the bill passed. Hal Harper introduced and carried the bill.

State Flower
Bitterroot
Long before explorers Lewis and Clark wrote about the beautiful purplish-pink flower of the bitterroot, Native Americans were using its roots for food and trade. Tribes dug up the roots and dried them so they could be kept and used for months. The root was too bitter to eat unless it was cooked, and it was usually mixed with berries or meat. An Indian story tells how the bitterroot came to be. It says the sun heard a mother crying because she couldn't find food for her family. The sun changed her tears into the bitterroot so she would always have food for her children. You can find the bitterroot growing near the mountains and boulders of western Montana in spring and summer.

Tree
Ponderosa Pine
The ponderosa pine is the most common tree in Montana and early settlers used it to make most of their buildings. The ponderosa can grow 200 feet tall and eight feet thick. Wild turkeys eat its seeds. It can be seen almost everywhere along the roads of western Montana.

Animal
Grizzly Bear
Adult grizzlies can grow to weigh 1,500 pounds and be eight feet long. Their claws are sharp as knives and about four inches long. Their back feet leave paw prints as big as magazines. Grizzlies have been seen killing and eating over 100 fish in one day. They can run as fast as a horse for short distances. They are the biggest meat-eating land animals in America. Wildlife experts say fewer than 1,000 grizzlies are left in the western United States. When grizzlies are seen in northwestern Montana, it's usually in places like the Cabinet and Mission Mountains, or Glacier National Park.

Fossil
Maiasaura (Duck-billed Dinosaur)
Some of the most important fossils in the world came from Montana. Scientists digging in Chateau, Montana, found "Egg Mountain." The mountain, and the area surrounding it, was filled with fossilized eggs, babies, and adult dinosaurs from 80 million years ago. It was the first proof that some dinosaurs took care of their babies the way birds do now. That's how the Maiasaura got its name, which means "good mother lizard." Their round nests were six or seven feet wide and could hold 25 eggs. The hatched babies weighed about as much as a phonebook and were about one foot long. Adult Maiasaura weighed almost 6,000 pounds (or about the same as a car with six people in it) and were almost 30 feet long (about as long as the inside of most movie theaters).

Gemstone
Sapphire and Agate
Montana's sapphires look like bright, blue glass and are cut like diamonds to make jewelry. They are mostly found in western Montana. There are Montana sapphires in the Royal Crown Jewels of England. Montana sapphires weren't always valuable, though. In the gold rush days, miners threw the sapphires away because they clogged up the screens they used to separate gold from sand and dirt. Now sapphires are the most valuable jewels found in America. Agates are found in southern and eastern Montana. They're polished, not cut, to make gemstones and jewelry. Agates are usually white with swirls of gray and black spots.

Fish
Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout
Trout are the favorite fish to catch in Montana. There are many kinds, but the blackspotted cutthroat trout was chosen as state fish to let people know it was in trouble. Changes in the environment and too much fishing had made the blackspotted cutthroat hard to find. The name comes from the black spots that run down its back and a pinkish-red splotch on its jaw. The cutthroat trout is a favorite food for grizzly bears.

Bird
Western Meadowlark
This bird is known for its loud, cheerful chirps. It is about as big as a robin with a bright yellow chest and throat under a black collar. It builds its nest on the ground and lays between three and seven white eggs with purple and brown spots. The eggs only take two weeks to hatch. It can be found in spring and summer along most dirt roads, sitting on fence posts singing to other meadowlarks nearby. Lewis and Clark were the first to write about the western meadowlark in 1805 and it was chosen for state bird in 1931.

Butterfly
Mourning Cloak
The mourning cloak, or Nymphalis antiopa, is Montana's state butterfly. The North American common name for this species, mourning cloak, refers to its resemblance to a traditional dark colored cloak worn when one was "in mourning."
The mourning cloak's dark brown wings are characterized by bright blue shimmering spots along the inner edge of a yellow or beige border. If viewed closely, you may see that their wings reflect purple highlights. The underside of the wings are dark brown with lighter brown edges.

Grass
Bluebunch Wheatgrass
Bluebunch is found all over the state and all through the West. It can be found mostly in flat areas and below mountains. It's important to cattle and sheep ranchers as food for their animals.

Helpful Clark Fork River and Missoula, Montana Links

River Flows
Clark Fork River at St. Regis, Montana please click here

River Map
River Map of the Clark Fork River near Missoula, Montana please click here

River Regulations
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks River Recreation Information please click here

Missoula, Montana Interactive City Map
Interactive City Map of Missoula, Montana
Missoula Discovery Map please click here

Interactive City Map of Spokane, Washington
Spokane CVB Interactive City Map please click here

Missoula, Montana City Map
Missoula City Map

Missoula, Montana Activities and Things to Do
Missoula Activities & Things to Do

Missoula, Montana History
Missoula History