Near Stevensville in Ravalli County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Fort Owen State Monument

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 11, 2018

1. Fort Owen State Monument Marker

Inscription. Fort Owen’s log and adobe walls witnessed dramatic changes as the Bitterroot Valley emerged from remote wilderness to settled agricultural community. The Jesuit fathers who had established St. Mary’s Mission nearby in 1841 closed their doors in 1850, and trader John Owen purchased the property. Owen operated and expanded St. Mary’s mills, cultivated the fields, enlarged the fort, and kept a well-stocked trade room, thereby transforming the mission compound into a vibrant trading post complex. A man of many talents, Owen also served as agent to the Flathead Nation from 1856 to 1862, and for a time the fort was agency headquarters. Owen and his Shoshone wife, Nancy, created a refined and comfortable haven in the vast timberland, extending gracious hospitality to Indians, traders, trappers, missionaries, settlers, and travelers. With the 1860s came gold-seekers and a fresh clientele, but the newly completed Mullan Road by-passed For Owen and trading dwindled. Upon Nancy’s death in 1868, Owen’s mental health deteriorated. In 1872, Fort Owen was sold at sheriff’s sale to Washington J. McCormick, who operated the fort’s mills

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until 1889. In 1937, the Fort Owen site was donated to the State of Montana, and the donors sponsored stabilization and partial reconstruction of its sole remaining building, the East Barracks. Archaeological investigations initiated in 1957 by the University of Montana continued through 1980, exposing the fort’s walls and foundations. Since 1971, the Stevensville Historical Society has been instrumental in interpretive reconstruction, continued stabilization, and maintenance of this noteworthy site.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker and monument is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1841.

Location. 46° 31.176′ N, 114° 5.84′ W. Marker is near Stevensville, Montana, in Ravalli County. It is on Fort Owen Ranch Road near Stevi Cutoff Road (State Highway 269), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 99 Fort Owen Ranch Road, Stevensville MT 59870, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, May 11, 2018

2. Fort Owen State Monument Marker

The marker is in front of the archway.

this marker and monument is in Western Montana,

in Glacier Country,

and in Greater Missoula.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome to Fort Owen (a few steps from this marker); Hunter Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); Gleason Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); IOOF Hall (approx. 0.7 miles away); Thorton Building (approx. 0.7 miles away); Henry Buck/Stevensville Trading Co (approx. 0.7 miles away); First State Bank Building (approx. 0.7 miles away); Saint Mary's Mission (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stevensville.

Also see . . . Major Owen's LoLos -- Discovering Lewis and Clark. In the fall of 1850 a 32-year-old former army sutler from Pennsylvania named John Owen arrived in the valley of the Bitterroot River with his common-law Shoshone wife, Nancy. They made the harrowing journey by ox-car... Having heard of the varied attractions of the Bitterroot Valley—which the men of Isaac Stevens's western railroad survey were soon to characterize as "the valley of perennial spring"... Owen paid $250, cash, for the physical remains of St. Mary's Mission,... Immediately Owen began developing his property into what was to become, for a short time, one of the most important commercial centers in the Northwest.

Fort Owen by Peter Peterson Tofft, circa 1865 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Peter Peterson Tofft

3. Fort Owen by Peter Peterson Tofft, circa 1865

(Submitted on September 19, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Photographed by R. H. McKay, circa 1908

4. Fort Owen

Credits. This page was last revised on September 19, 2018. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 354 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 19, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.