Garrison in Powell County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2013

1. Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley Marker

Inscription. The Site of the First Log House
in the Deer Lodge Valley. Built in
1859 by John F. Grant, Pioneer Stockman
and Trader.

Erected under the Auspices of the Society
of Montana Pioneers, August 20, 1931

Erected 1931 by Society of Montana Pioneers.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.

Location. 46° 31.107′ N, 112° 47.568′ W. Marker is in Garrison, Montana, in Powell County. Marker is on Quarter Horse Drive, half a mile north of Interstate 90, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located in a pull-out on the west side of the road, near a private property entrance and just east of the Little Blackfoot River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Garrison MT 59731, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Northern Pacific Railway's Last Spike Celebration (approx. 7.1 miles away); Glacial Lake Missoula (approx. 7.1 miles away); First Discovery of Gold in Montana (approx. 7.1 miles away); The Long and Short of Cattle Breeds (approx. 8 miles away); Equal in the Saddle (approx. 8

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miles away); Home on the Range (approx. 8 miles away); From Range to Market (approx. 8 miles away); Vaquero vs. Cowboy (approx. 8 miles away).

More about this marker. This marker is a large, engraved metal plaque, mounted vertically at waist-level in a large masonry and stone monument pedestal.

Also see . . .
1. Society of Montana Pioneers. The Society of Montana Pioneers was founded in 1884 to honor and document the histories of Montana pioneers who were resident when Montana became a Territory in 1864. In 1899, the society boasted 1536 active members out of a one time total of 1808. In 1962 during their 78th annual meeting, held in Butte, the eight surviving members of the society and The Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers elected to dissolve the original society. Lumen W. Allen, the last survivor of the Society of Montana Pioneers died on February 19, 1970 at the age of 102 in Butte. (Submitted on December 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. John “Johnny” Francis Grant. (1831-1907). Grant was quite successful in the Deer Lodge Valley of Montana. In winter he traded with the neighboring Blackfoot, Shoshone, Bannock, and Flathead Indians,

Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley Marker (<i>tall view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2013

2. Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley Marker (tall view)

and during spring and summer he went up the Oregon Trail to trade cattle with the immigrants. By the late 1850s he had over 1,000 head of cattle and by 1863 had over 4,000 head and some 3,000 horses. He supplied beef and horses for the Montana gold rush of 1861, and by 1863 his holdings were valued in the neighborhood of $150,000. He expanded his businesses by opening a store, saloon, dance hall, gristmill and blacksmith shop as well as a freighting business. Along with the Gold Rush came a criminal element and the advent of taxes in Montana, therefore Grant decided to pull up stakes and move to Manitoba. (Submitted on December 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. John Francis Grant. By the 1840s the western fur trade was dying out, displaced by the overland migration to California and Oregon. Traders turned increasingly to the emigrants for trade, and young Johnny was among them. His complex family eventually numbered 26 children by eight mothers. He established alliances with Indians of the Northwest by marrying women from different tribes. He kept much of his large family close throughout his long life, and gave a home to other abused and abandoned children he encountered in his travels. Having successfully wintered stock in the Deer Lodge Valley in 1857, Johnny returned there in 1859 and built a home. Hundreds of head of his cattle and horses ranged the valley.

Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2013

3. Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley Marker (wide view)

Until Montana's gold boom of the 1860s, he found a market for his stock in the mining camps of Idaho and California. (Submitted on December 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley Marker (<i>wide view of pull-out</i>) image. Click for full size.

4. Site of the First Log House in the Deer Lodge Valley Marker (wide view of pull-out)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2018. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 246 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.