A Guide To Historic Missoula

The sixth volume in the Montana Mainstreet series, A Guide to Historic Missoula points readers to the buildings, historic sites, and parks that act as monuments to Missoula's--and Montana's--history.

Bozeman has been home to many pasts. Founded in the 1860s, the town has grown from a frontier farming settlement to a bustling city and center of academic excellence. This guide tells the stories of the places and people that built Bozeman and the efforts to preserve the town's colorful history.

Much of Missoula's history lies beneath the surface. As in many Old West cities, cavernous underground tunnel systems purportedly hid countless nefarious activities, from clandestine prostitution and Chinese opium dens to booze running during Prohibition. These sordid tales captivate today's residents and beg questions about the city's furtive past. Did local elite gentlemen mask their carnal habits there? Did John Wayne really use the passageways to run personal errands unnoticed? Author and urban archaeologist Nikki Manning ventures below to reconcile oral history with archaeological data in a fascinating exploration of Missoula's subterranean labyrinths.

Founded in 1890 against the backdrop of the lush Bitterroot Valley, the town of Hamilton's history revolves around timber, the railroad, and agriculture. Hamilton owes its early history to copper baron Marcus Daly, whose Anaconda Company sawmill and private Bitter Root Stock Farm dominated the community through the late nineteenth century. The drama of the twentieth-century apple boom and the saga of the battle to cure Rocky Mountain tick fever enrich the town's more recent past. Drawing the reader into the historical mosaic that is Hamilton, Montana, with architectural and historical information on town and valley history, buildings and historic sites, this guide is a treat for all those who would explore "the jewel of the Bitterroot."

Founded in 1891 as a railroad town for the transcontinental Great Northern Railway, Kalispell, Montana, faced bitter disappointment when the railroad relocated its route to the north in 1904. Most towns suffering similar fates fell into decline - but not Kalispell, which had become Flathead County seat in 1894. Situated in the majestic Northern Rockies, the town thrived as the region's trade center and later became a gateway to Glacier National Park. As Kalispell grew and prospered, its streetscapes matured, and the town's historic center remains a vibrant part of the community. Discover Kalipsell's rich history and architectural heritage through this lively guide. (6 x 9, 84 pages, b&w photos, illustrations, maps)

In the Geographic Center of Montana sits Lewsitown, whose rich history is still reflected in today's streets. A testament to the homesteading boom at the turn of the century, Lewistown grew with the surrounding communities. A service center, rail stop, and county seat, its population tripled between 1900 and 1910, then doubled again by 1920. It was not to last. Drought and agricultural depression drove thousands of homesteaders from the land in the 1920s and 1930s; Lewistown's boom had ended. But preserved from that heady period of expansion are the exceptionally crafted business blocks, homes, churches, often built of 'Lewistown red' brick or local sandstone. This architectural heritage awaits your discovery, on the streets of Lewistown and through this lively guide.

Among Montana’s most enduring legacies are the names assigned to its geographic features and places found on the state map. As long as humans have inhabited Montana they have named places. While the past two centuries have changed the way people live in Montana, the names given to some rivers, mountain ranges, cities, and towns have persisted, while others have changed with time. Naming Montana explores the origins of more than 1,000 Montana place names, drawing upon the knowledge of Montana Historical Society historians and the expertise of local historians from across the state. This new publication includes both geographic features, selected historic sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, historic photographs, and maps. The authors’ extensive research illuminates the stories behind the names of places that we call home.