Hamilton Montana's Early Years

Hamilton Montana has a ripe and rich history.

A Chronology of Early Bitter Root Valley History
1743 It is possible that the La Verendrye brothers were the first white men in the valley. Historical data shows them traveling through southeast Montana.
1805 Lewis and Clark come into the valley over Lost Trail Pass. They work their way down the Bitterroot River to present day Lolo, and head out of the valley up Lolo Pass.
1809 David Thompson builds the Saleesh House trading post at Thompson Falls. He mapped the country and kept a journal.
1824 Alexander Ross, a Hudson Bay trapper comes up the Bitter Root river from Hell's Gate (present day Missoula). They traveled up the Bitterroot valley, through the Sula basin heading for the Snake river. Men, women and children in the party were stranded by snow in what came to be know as "Ross's Hole". They called the valley, "The Valley of Troubles." Ross's diary describes the trip, including the Medicine Tree on the East Fork.
1832 John Work, trapper for Judson Bay Co. kept a diary which listed a trip through the Lolo trail.
1833 Warren Angus Ferris, trapper with the American Fur Co. wrote a series of articles on the Northwest. He describes the Medicine Tree on the East Fork.
1841 Father De Smet establishes St. Mary's Mission in present day Stevensville.
1845 Father Ravalli comes to St. Mary's Mission, establishes a flour mill, and grows wheat and potatoes.
1850 Major John Ownens purchases the Mission property and starts building a fort and trading post.
1952 Captain John Mullan establishes winter quarters near Corvallis. He grazes stock in the winter used for the Gov. I.J. Stevens road survey from he Atlantic to the Pacific coast.
1855 Governor I.J. Stevens negotiates Council Grove Treaty (near Hell Gate), with the Salish Tribes.
1956 Frank J. Woody and others bring an ox team and wagon over the trail.
1862 Daughter is born to Mrs. George Dobbin near Stevensville.
1864 Montana Territory is created. Sidney Edgerton is appointed Governor.
1866 Tom Harris settles in a ranch at Three Mile District, northeast of Fort Owen.
1868 W.N. Smith settles at Sweathouse Creek (present site of Victor)
1877 Battle of the Big Hole
1887 The first train chugged into Victor. It was a steam engine pulling a tender, superintendents private car, and a passenger coach with 25 aboard.
1890 Marcus Daly founds Hamilton
1896 Calamity Jane runs a cafe on Main Street.
1897 February 27: the Bitter Root National Forest, comprised of 1,155,868 acres was created. It was one of the first National Forests to be created in the United States.

* Research for these articles through "It Happened in the Bitter Root" by Ada Powell. Available at the Hamilton Library.