A Guide to Historic Missoula

ituated west of the Continental Divide, the town of Missoula started in 1860 as a trading post called Hellgate that supplied miners with flour, trade goods, and, later, lumber. Its designation as county seat in 1860 and the arrival of two railroads (the Northern Pacific in 1883 and the Milwaukee Road in 1909) cemented the community’s role as a center of commerce. Missoula gained prominence when it was selected as home to the state university in 1895 and the United States Forest Service’s re...