Missoula in Missoula County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Quartermaster's Root Cellar

Built 1908 Original to Fort Missoula

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2019

1. Quartermaster's Root Cellar Marker

Captions: (bottom left) "The Quartermaster's Root Cellar," 1972; (top right, 2 photos) "Restoring the Root Cellar," ca. 1990, "inside the Root Cellar," 2016.

Inscription. This earth-covered structure, built in 1908, is often thought to be a bomb shelter or ammunition storage. It is actually a root cellar that provided cool storage for large quantities of fresh vegetables and other perishable needs to feed the men stationed at Fort Missoula. The root cellar's concrete shell has four metal vents to keep the air circulating and the interior cool for storage.
When Fort Missoula became the site for the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula in 1975, the root cellar was used as storage for Museum collections. In the 1990s, the root cellar was deemed unsafe for collections storage, and efforts were made to clean and preserve the root cellar and to properly store and catalog what was salvageable.
Today the root cellar remains empty, and is still cared for by the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula.

Erected by Historical Museum at Fort Missoula.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Forts and Castles.

Location. 46° 50.608′ N, 114° 3.749′ W. Marker is in Missoula, Montana, in Missoula County. It is

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on Fort Missoula Road near E Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula MT 59804, 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,

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: "Galloping Goose" (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Missoula Guard Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); Sliderock Lookout Tower (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Missoula Alien Detention Camp (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Fort Missoula Alien Detention Camp (about 800 feet away); Fort Missoula Barrack Building (about 800 feet away); Fort Missoula Post Headquarters (approx. 0.2 miles away); T-1 Post

Quartermaster's Root Cellar and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2019

2. Quartermaster's Root Cellar and Marker

Headquarters (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Missoula.

More about this marker. This marker and building are located on the grounds of Fort Missoula.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 13, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 209 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 13, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.