The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-11-28
BY COL. PATRICK H. MULLAY

BY COL. PATRICK III. MULLAY
n N the banks of the Bitter Root
III 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
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 misery in giving
those things which make the outdoors
fascinating. 1t rejoices in the best
of hunting and fishing.
The history of the fort begins with
the years 1875 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 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 MCau1ey ranch Col
onel Wesley Merritt was sent to Mon
tana to investigate and decide upon
the advisability of establishing a !
post and to consider the various sites |
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 1878, when the
Nez Perez Indians under their able
leader Chief Joseph, threatened to
pass through Missoula, Lieutenant
Colonel Gilbert of the Seventh in
fantry, accompanied by Lieutenant
Worden, Third infantry, marched
from Fort Ellis under orders to es-
-ablish a post in the vicinity. The
marched through the
own early one morning, having
:amped at the Blackfoot bridge the
preceding night Colonel Gilbert did
)ut crossed the Missoula river and
,itched 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 +.
stripes 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 a
jaufey, an old Indian fighter, who :
ad served with a regiment of Cali :
ornia volunteers, he assembled the !
ute 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- :
lder further investigation necessary. =
he future Fort Missoula would r
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- q
lg Lieutenant Worden to lay out !,
ne reservation, which was after Il
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 II
ishes, they were greatly disappoint- II
I. They had hoped that Grant II
eek would be chosen as the loca-
on, this being from commercial H
andpoint, the site most favored. H
ut the critical, unbiased army offic-
!. had decreed otherwise and future III
,nerations have lived to confirm the HI
isdom of his decision. Ill
The original reservation extend