History of Bitterroot Valley
History of the Bitterroot Valley
From Florence to Sula the Bitterroot Valley has a lot of history. St. Mary's Mission in Stevensville was established in 1841 by Father Pierre DeSmet, who came in response for "Black Robes" by various Indian tribes of western Montana and Idaho. In the late 1880's Marcus Daly built his family a summer home in Hamilton. The Daly Mansion occupies 24,000 sq. ft. on 3 floors with 24 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and 7 fireplaces. Fort Owen in Stevensville, was established by Major John Owen in 1850 who purchased it from the Jesuits who had settled in the valley in the mid-1800's. The post was active from 1850-1862. The Valley also offers many museums, in which you can see pieces of the past come alive.
Hamilton -
Hamilton was not a pioneer village in the days that it was founded. Instead it was a planned town of wide streets and avenues, a complete economic center for an area of farms and stock ranches. History of Hamilton began when Marcus Daly, a great finance figure of the 1880 era in Butte and Anaconda mining development, made his way into the Bitterroot Valley seeking other interests than mining. About 1887 Daly bought up small sawmills west of the present site of Hamilton and almost overnight he had established a lumbermaking industry on the bank of the Bitterroot River. Marcus Daly’s next move was to bring two men from another state to plan and develop his dream town. They were James Hamilton and Robert O’Hara, who came from Minnesota in 1890. Daly named Hamilton after James Hamilton. Incorporated about 1894, Mr. O’Hara was named the first mayor. Daly’s town had a bank, stores, shops, a school, four churches – a ready-made Hamilton!Stevensville – Captain William Clark's last official government act was to sign the passport for Father DeSmet, who then founded St. Mary’s Mission. John Owen built the Fort Owen Trading Post, and Stevensville, accordingly, was started by John R. Winslett and J.K. Houk. The two traders came off the Emigrant Road in 1863. They had a string of 65 packhorses and mules. They tried to find a site near Fort Owen, but were unable to, so they went south for about 1 mile and built Stevensville’s first store. On May 12, 1864, the settlers there named the little community Stevensville after Isaac Ingells Stevens the first governor of the then Washington Territory. This was officially proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln. The original Stevensville-townsite was platted in 1879 by G.A. Kellogg.
Corvallis – When Corvallis was originally settled it was a few miles from the present site and was called Chaffinville. Elijah and Margaret Chaffin and their children and others first came to the valley in 1864 and passed the winter on a site several miles from where Corvallis is situated. After traveling to Oregon, the Chaffins returned in 1866 and settled on land that is the present site of Corvallis. Corvallis is still unincorporated, was platted in 1879. In 1883, Corvallis contained 30 families, several stores, the Christian Church and School District No. 1 with 80 children.
Darby – Darby was named in 1888 by its Postmaster James Darby who consulted no one about what the town should be named. (Earlier names were Doolittle and Harrison). Darby has survived three fires that destroyed its main street. The ups and downs of its economy have affected Darby’s growth. First it was the mining and fur trading that slowed, then in the early 1900’s came a logging boom for Anaconda Mining Company interests. The "Apple Boom" was also during this time. Next came the steady growth of agriculture, cattle ranching and the timber industry.
Victor – In the mid1860’s, A. Sterne Blake and his Shoshone wife came to the valley and were among the original founders of Victor. Mr. Blake was the first elected State Legislator from Missoula County. At that time Victor was part of Missoula County. Victor was originally platted as Garfield, after President James Garfield, but was later renamed Victor after Chief Victor of the Salish tribe.
Sula – The Sula (Ross Hole) area is best known for being the place where the Lewis and Clark expedition met the Salish Indians. The famous Charles Russell painting which hangs in the Montana State Capitol building was painted to capture a view from the James Wetzsteon pioneer home at Sula. The small area was named for the first white child (Ursula) born in the Ross Hole country.
Florence – Its earliest settlers called the town "One Horse" for the little creek that drains through it from the Bitterroot Mountains. In 1880, the town was renamed Florence for the daughter of A.B. Hammond. Mr. Hammond was instrumental in opening the Bitterroot Valley for lumbering, and brought the railroad to the Bitterroot to transport timber. He set up a sawmill in the center of one of the Bitterroot’s best logging areas, and this site became the town of Florence, incorporated in 1888.
There was a town to the north called Carlton, which merged with Florence; thus the school name Florence Carlton.
Around the turn of the century, Florence had a post office, railroad depot, hotel, Catholic & Disciple Churches, I.O.O.F. Hall, blacksmith shop & livery stable, school, several stores, a small creamery and, of course, saloons.
Lewis & Clark in the Bitterroot
The Lewis & Clark Expedition entered the Bitterroot Valley near what is now called Lost Trail Pass, at the western Montana boarder. The name Lost Trail reflects the experience of the Lewis & Clark Expedition as they traveled across the steep slopes in the snow and sleet. The exact route is still a mystery. Many believe they traveled around what is now Saddle Mountain and descended to the West Fork of Camp Creek.
The Corps of Discovery came into the Bitterroot Valley on September 4, 1805. In the Sula basin, the came upon a Salish Indian camp. The Salish were aware of the Corps approach. Since they had no blankets, the tribe thought they might be a group of travelers who had been robbed or possibly lost their blankets in battle, Even though the Salish were short of food, they shared what they had and treated their guests with hospitality. They also traded fresh horses to the Corps, who needed them to continue their journey.
On September 6, 1805, both parties left camp. The Salish headed to buffalo country, the Expedition went around Sula Peak, then followed the east side of the river. On September 8, the party passed Skalkaho Creek and moved through Hamilton and Corvallis. They crossed Gird Creek by the Daly Mansion and continued north down the east side of the river, close to where the Eastside Highway now runs. On September 9, 1805, they probably traveled right down Stevensville Main Street, had it been there! They crossed the Bitterroot River somewhere north of Florence. They proceeded to Travelers' Rest of the south bank of Lolo Creek, where they rested and prepared for their journey on to the Pacific Ocean.
On their return, Lewis & Clark separated at Travelers' Rest. On July 3, 1806, Lewis and a small group went north to explore the shorter route their guide had pointed out. Clark headed south on the west side of the Bitterroot River with Sacajawea, her baby, 20 men and 50 horses. The river was too swollen to cross, so the journey continued on the west side, which required crossing many treacherous creeks.
On July 5, they found five small islands that offered safe passage around the West Fork. They continued toward the Sula basin, site of the previous year's Salish meeting. They camped south of the Sula Ranger Station. On July 6, they crossed the Continental Divide and moved to the Big Hole over what is now called Gibbon's Pass
*Courtesy of the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce Website
