History

History of the Bitterroot Valley

The Bitterroot Valley has a remarkable history, much of which can be explored along the Bitterroot Trail.

12,000 BCE – Lake Missoula drained for the last time, leaving its mark on the hills surrounding Lolo and Missoula.

8000 BCE to 1891 – The Bitterroot Valley was the ancestral homeland of the Salish people.

1805, September 3 – Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery entered the Bitterroot Valley, met the Salish at Ross’s Hole, and traveled along the east side of the river to Traveler’s Rest near Lolo.

1805, September 26 – The Corps camped at Traveler’s Rest before continuing over Lolo Pass.

1806, July 5 - Clark led a group down the west side of the Bitterroot River while Lewis headed to Missoula and up the Blackfoot River.

1841 - St. Mary’s Mission was established in Stevensville by Father De Smet at the request of the Salish people. Lake Como was named by Father De Smet.

1850 - Fort Owen was founded by Major John Owen, serving as a trading post and settlement.

1853 - Lt. John Mullan established the Canton of Stevens, the first white settlement in Montana, near present-day Stevensville.

1855 - The Hellgate Treaty was signed, allowing settlers into the valley while the Salish retained rights to the land.

1864 - Montana became a U.S. territory.

1877 - The Nez Perce passed through the valley during their flight from the U.S. Army.

1887 - Marcus Daly established Hamilton, creating a logging and mill town to support his copper mining ventures.

1889 - Montana gained statehood.

1891, October 15 - The Salish were forced to leave the Bitterroot Valley and relocate to the Flathead Reservation.

1920’s - An apple boom brought orchards and economic growth to the valley, doubling the population.

2000 - The Fires of 2000 swept through the Bitterroot Valley, burning approximately 350,000 acres and destroying 70 homes, leaving lasting impacts on the landscape and prompting extensive recovery efforts.

From Missoula to Hamilton, the Bitterroot Valley’s towns each told a unique chapter of Montana’s history, from Indigenous roots to early trading posts and the boom-and-bust cycles of agriculture and industry.