The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-11-27
BY COL. PATRICK II. MULLAY

~ N the banks of the Bitter Root
river, three miles from the city
- of Missoula, in west-central
Montana, lies Fort Missoula. The
Park-to-Park highway, connecting
Yellowstone and Glacier National
parks runs past the gates-the fort
is about midway between those two
great summer Fairgrounds of the
nation. To the north lies the rugged
Mission range, proclaimed by the for
estry service to be more beautiful
than anything in either of the nation
al parks. Lying west of the Great
Divide, Fort Missoula rejoices in a
climate that knows no extremes
either in summer or winter, and the
intense cold with which the name
Montana is often associated in the
popular mind is unheard of. All
the year round at Missoula the great
outdoors can be enjoyed-and ma
ture has not been miserly in giving
those things which make the outdoors
fascinating. 1t ~rejoices in the best
of hunting and fishing. 4 = = +
The history of the fort begins with
the years 1876 and 1877, when it
was decided to remove the Indians
from the Bitter Root valley to the
Flathead reservation and trouble
was anticipated. Major Maginnis,
the member of congress for the dis
trict, urged the war department to
establish a post somewhere in the
vicinity. Three sites were suggested
by the settlers: Blackfoot Bridge,
near Bonner; Grant creek, north
west of Missoula; and the flats south
of Missoula, between the Higgins
farm and the MCauley ranch. Col
onel Wesley Merritt was sent to Mon
tana to investigate and decide upon
the advisability of establishing al
post and to consider the various sites
proposed. He was royalty enter
tanned by the people of Missoula, and
after a sumptuous banquet given by
the citizens, gave his hearty approval
to all three of the locations.
A year later, in 1873, when the
Nez Perez Indians under their able
leader Chief Joseph, threatened to
pass through Missoula, Lieutenant
Colonel Gilbert of the Seventh in
accompanied by Lieutenant
Worden, Third infantry, marched
Fort Ellis under orders to es-
a post in the vicinity. The
detachment marched through the
early one morning, having
:amped at the Blackfoot bridge the
preceding night. Colonel Gilbert did
lot wait to be banqueted in Missoula,
)ut crossed the Missoula river and
his camp on the bank of the
Bitter Root. With promptness and
Energy he Immediately erected a
,ole on the site of the present flag
taft, and displayed the Stars and
aloft. Having made his de-
ision as to the proper location of
he new fort, Colonel Gilbert then
,roceeded to confirm his judgment by
survey of the surrounding country
rom the top of the butte west of tho
,ost. Accompanied by Major Nc
an old Indian fighter, who
lad served with a regiment of Cali
ornia volunteers, he assembled the
and examined the proposed To-
alton at the mouth of Grant creek
through field glasses. So obviously
uperior was his own choice over all
theirs in view that he did not con-
ider further investigation necessary.
he future Fort Missoula would
tand where he had planted his flag,
II Montana to the contrary notwith-
landing. The same evening he set !
ut on his return to Fort Ellis, leav-
ng Lieutenant Worden to lay out
he reservation, which was after
ards surveyed by Lieutenant Will :
ans of the Third infantry.
The next day when Missoulans aw-
kened to the fact that the post had
cen established in defiance of their
fishes, they were greatly disappoint-
They had hoped that Grant
reek would be chosen as the loca-
on, this being from a commercial
5andpoint, the site most favored.
tut the critical, unbiased army offic-
r had decreed otherwise and future
enerations have lived to confirm the
-isdom of his decision.
The original reservation extend