Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

Updated: August 4, 2020

As history unfolds, it leaves behind an abundance of stories that serve as a foundation to understand the present. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula aims to interpret the history of Missoula County in a way that is relevant to both modern Missoulians and visitors from all over the world.

The Missoula area is located on the ancestral lands of the Bitterroot Salish, who continue to live in the area today, which tells us that this area has been inhabited for thousands of years. The city we call Missoula today began in 1860 as a tenuous settlement, a few miles west of our current city center. Known as Hell Gate Village, entrepreneurs C. P. Higgins and Francis Worden saw trade possibilities and opened a log store in the valley. Later they saw the need for water powered mills and found a more suitable spot on the Clark Fork River near present downtown Missoula.

The search for gold and the completion of the Mullan Road in 1863 opened up travel from Fort Benton, Montana, to Walla Walla, Washington, and brought people to the Missoula Valley. The settlement became known as Missoula, taken from a Salish Indian word meaning "near the cold, chilling waters."

The city's success was aided by four factors. First, the U.S. Army established Fort Missoula southwest of the town in 1877. Second, 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. Bonner, and R. A. Eddy established the Missoula Mercantile Company in the early 1880s. Third, the University of Montana opened in September 1895. And, finally, in 1908, Missoula became a regional headquarters for the Forest Service, which began training smokejumpers in 1942. The Aerial Fire Depot was built in 1954, and big industry came to Missoula in 1956, with groundbreaking for the first pulp mill.

The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula was established by community effort in 1975 to save what remained of original Fort Missoula, and to interpret the area’s history. Today, the Historical Museum shares the stories and objects from the rich history and culture of western Montana.

Located at core of historic Fort Missoula (1877-1947), an area included on the National Register of Historic Places, the Museum’s collection contains over 50,000 objects and 20 preserved historic buildings and structures on the walkable 32-acre site. As the only major historical museum in Western Montana, the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula provides a valuable educational and cultural experience for the community and entire region.

The Historical Museum provides programs for both adults and children, ranging from crafts and conversations, after-school/homeschool/summer activities to book talks, lectures, annual Old-Fashioned 4th at the Fort Celebrations, and much more.

The Historical Museum also provides tours focused on the history of Missoula County, WWII Alien Detention Center, the 25th Infantry African American Bicycle Corps., and more. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula offers endless learning opportunities as the exhibits rotate annually and special events explore Western Montana’s history.

Website: Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

Updated: August 4, 2020