Missoula, the hub of five valleys, is located at the intersection of five major river valleys: the Hellgate to the east, the Missoula to the west, the Flathead and Blackfoot to the north and the Bitterroot Valley to the south. The area offers game, wild rivers, and history. In 1805, members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were the first known Europeans to set foot in the Bitterroot Valley, where they traded horses with the Salish Indians. Lewis and Clark spent time in and around Missoula both on their way to the Pacific and back. In about 1840 C.P. Higgins and Francis Worden two of the founding fathers of Missoula founded the Hell Gate Trading Post on Mullan Road. What started, as a log building, in 1860 became the first permanent settlement in the Missoula area. In 1864 Congress created Missoula County (considerably larger then present day Missoula County) with a county seat located near the Hell Gate Trading Post. A year later Worden and Company moved its store to a new location near the north end of the Higgins Avenue Bridge. It was called Missoula Mills. From then on changes were fast and thick. In 1871 Emma Stack was hired as the community’s first schoolteacher. A year later Missoula’s first newspaper went to press. In 1873 the city built the first bridge across the Clark Fork River on Higgins Avenue and St Patrick’s Hospital took in its first patient. In 1877 City Hall was built on the corner of what is now West Main and Ryman Streets. Two years later electricity made its appearance and on November 8, 1889 Montana was admitted as the 41st state of the United States. In 1890 horse-drawn streetcars went into service and four years later Missoula opened its first public library. The University of Montana opened in 1895 and 50 students enrolled the first day. In 1910, Missoula became the regional headquarters for the United States Forest Service and the first electric streetcars made their debut. In 1916 Missoulians sent the first woman ever to the United States Congress by electing Jeannette Rankin to a seat in the House. Not only was she the first woman but she a maverick because she voted against the United State’s entry into World War I. She did not seek reelection but in 1940 ran again and was elected just in time to vote again the United States entry into World War II. The Smoke Jumper Center opened in 1942, parking meters appeared in 1948. The Aerial Fire Depot came in 1954 and in 1956 ground was broken for the first pulp mill. The last passenger train left the city in 1979 and in 1995 community volunteers capped a four-year effort by unveiling a carousel featuring hand-carved wooden horses. That same year voters approved a five million dollar bond issue to preserve open spaces in and around the city. If you have questions or want more information you may email me from the button on the left side of this page or call me at (406)240-6710, or my Texas number is (361)949-3273. Please let me know what property you are inquiring about and/or the specifics you have in mind.