Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Flathead (or Salish) Indians were responsive to conversion by missionaries, and by
1840 St. Mary's Mission was established; the St. Ignatius Mission was moved from Canada
to Mission Creek in 1854. The Flathead Reservation was created in 1855 on the condition
that the Kootenai, Salish, and Pend d'Oreille share the territory. Although the Indian lead-
ers present begrudgingly agreed, most of the Indians refused to move to the reservation un-
til many years later. Two-thirds of the land originally assigned to the reservation was later
taken back to create the many national forests in the area. The Indians did contribute to the
development of the area by selling a small portion of reservation land to the Northern Pa-
cific Railway, at the time believing that their willingness to sell would lead the government
to expand their reservation territory north, which did not happen.
In 1885 steamboats began to travel across Flathead Lake, and by the 1890s settlements
had appeared on the lake's eastern side. The Northern Pacific Railway laid tracks through
the town of Missoula at the same time, and by 1891 the railroad had arrived at Flathead. In
response, Charles Conrad, a wealthy entrepreneur who stopped his westward travels when
he fell in love with the Flathead Valley, established the town of Kalispell, where the main
railroad junction would be. The railroad's entry into this region also marked the beginning
of its timber industry: Not only were the trees used to lay railroad lines, but they could now
be transported across the state to the rest of the nation. The wood played an integral part in
the state's mining industry, building mine shafts and fueling numerous smelters. But like the
rest of the state's natural resources, the timber industry would create boom-and-bust cycles
up to the present day.
By the 1870s, homesteaders had begun moving into the area. After the Indian Allotment
Act (the Dawes Act) of 1887 was applied to the Flathead Reservation in the early 1900s,
non-Indians were able to buy parcels of land beginning in 1910, drawing even more people
to the region.
Missoula
is a natural stopping point along both east-west I-90 and north-south U.S. High-
way 93, and it's easier to get here by air than much of the state, but the city is also a
great destination in itself. From boutique shopping and hip eateries near the
University of
Montana
to adventurous athletic pursuits in town and nearby, Missoula is Montana with an
urban edge.
Using Missoula as a base, many visitors cruise down the
Bitterroot Valley
for an active
day trip with fishing opportunities, historic missions and mansions, and cool little mountain
