Somers in Flathead County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Howse House

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 3, 2015

1. Howse House Marker

Inscription. Hudson Bay Company (HBC) agent Joseph Howse built a trading post just north of here in 1810, the first European settlement in the valley north of Flathead Lake. Described as “adventurous, tough, and intelligent,” Howse joined the venerable HBC in 1795 and worked his way up through the ranks. In 1810, his employers ordered him to explore the remote country west of the Rocky Mountains to determine its potential for harvesting beaver pelts. Secondary tasks involved monitoring the activities of the rival North West Company's David Thompson in the area and the Americans east of the Continental Divide. The expedition left NBC's Edmonton House in today's Canada in June 1810 and arrived in this area by autumn of that year. Howse led the first HBC expedition to cross the Rocky Mountains into what is now northwest Montana. He built a small trading post, called Howse House, near the junction of two aboriginal trails to trade with the Salish and Kootenai Indians. The exact location of the post remains a mystery, but scholars have narrowed its location to somewhere south of Kalispell near Ashley Creek. The trading post was

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open for less than a year before Blackfeet Indian threats forced Howse and his party to return to Canada. Eventually the HBC returned to western Montana, conducting a lively trade with Salish and Kootenai Indians from Fort Connah until 1871.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1810.

Location. 48° 5.534′ N, 114° 14.09′ W. Marker is in Somers, Montana, in Flathead County. It is on U.S. 93 0.2 miles south of Forest Hill Road (State Highway 82), on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in a pull-out on the east side of the highway, overlooking the Great Northern Historical Rail Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Somers MT 59932, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana

and in Glacier Country.

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,

Howse House Marker (<i>wide view looking east from highway pull-out</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 3, 2015

2. Howse House Marker (wide view looking east from highway pull-out)

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 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Somers - Kalispell Spur Line (here, next to this marker); Adams House (approx. 7½ miles away); Fry House (approx. 7½ miles away); Graham House (approx. 7.6 miles away); King House (approx. 7.6 miles away); Sawyer House (approx. 7.6 miles away); Cornelius Hedges School (approx. 7.6 miles away); Alward House (approx. 7.6 miles away).

More about this marker. This is a large painted wooden "billboard-style" marker, hanging from a heavy-duty wooden frame.

Also see . . .
1. Joseph Howse. After ten years’ fur-trading experience in the Saskatchewan district, Joseph Howse took part in the exploration of western North America as the first Hudson’s Bay Company man to cross the Rocky Mountains; a pass, a peak, and a river bear his name. Howse also wrote the first grammar of the Cree language, still recognized as an outstanding document both of the Cree language and of early grammatical practice. (Submitted on December 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. In Search of Howse House.

Howse House Marker (<i>wide view looking east; showing frame & adjacent marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 3, 2015

3. Howse House Marker (wide view looking east; showing frame & adjacent marker)

As the HBC prepared to challenge the position of the North West Company in the Rocky Mountains, Howse joined Bird at Edmonton House (Edmonton) in 1809. When Howse ventured into the Rocky Mountains in 1810-11, he stayed a full year. The itinerary of the HBC's first foray into the Rocky Mountains is, ironically, documented only in the journals of David Thompson of the NWC. (Submitted on December 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2018. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,464 times since then and 96 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.