Plentywood herald., 1930-09-04
Historic Old Fort Owen
Becomes Public Heritage.
Gift of Mccormick Heirs

J. MCCORMICK, on
w behalf of himself and the other
~ heirs of the Mccormick estate,
Mrs. Honora Mccormick Kobes and
Mrs. Mark Mccormick FITZGERALD, pre-
sented deed of historic Fort Owen to
the trustees of the Fort Owen Historical
association as climax to the creamery
picnic celebration recently held at
Stevensville.
The presentation was made at the
pageant, which has been described as
memorable event.
Following the presentation of a deed
to the property by Mr.. Mccormick
pioneers who were sheltered in Fort
Owen during the Nez Perce raid in
1877, walked across the platform. The
old fort property was transferred to the
trustees Of the historical association for
preservation. Steps have been under
way for its reconstruction, but through
an understanding the deed was to be
presented to the trustees at the his
tOrical pageant in connection with the
creamery picnic.
In presenting the deed, Mr. Nc
Cormick said:
Several years ago at the request of
James U. Sanders, then librarian of
the State Historical library at Helena,
l made search among the archives of
the state department at Washington
for a record of the first official acts of
Governor Isaac l. Stevens, the first
governor of the territory of Washing
ton. In curious old volume, written
in longhand and covered with dust, 1
found this entry, photoStatic copy of
which is now in the Montana Historical
library.
1.-THE undersigned, having duly quail
fled according to law and having en-
tered the Territory of Washington on
the oath instant, will proceed to Or
ganize the same according to the pro-
visions of the act approved March End,
1853-and, ex-officio, will discharge the
duties of Superintendent of Indian At
fairs.
"'Given under my hand and seal this
twenty ninth day of September, in the
hundred and fifty-three. (Signe6
Isaac I. Stevens, Governor of Wash
ington Territory and Superintendent of
Indian Affairs, st. Marys Village,
Washington Territory
Governments Beginning
This document, written and pub
lished within the shadows of the walls
of Fort Owens and the adjacent church
of st. Marys, was the first proclama-
ton ever promulgated on the soil OF
western Montana, the state of Idaho
and the state Of Washington, all then
a part of the newly created territory
OF Washington, and marks the begin
ming of civil government in this re-
gion. For the time being the town Of
Stevensville, named after the governor
who signed the foregoing proclamation,
but then known as the village of ST.
Mary's, was the temporary capital of
these vast states stretching to the Pa
cif1c ocean, and the most prominent
lay citizen of the settlement was John
Owen, q retired sutler of the regular
army, who had bought part of the
improvements of the Jesuit fathers in
1885, started the erection of the fort
which afterwards bore his name, and
was acting as host to Governor Stevens
on the occasion of his proclamation.
For many years this fort, gradually
brought to completion by John Owen
before the sixties had arrived, serving
as trading post in time of peace and
place of refuge in time of danger,
was the only known civil establishment
In the vast trail leading from Fort
Benton on the east to Walla Walla on
the west, in the days before Captain
Mullan hacked and hewed his way
through the Occur d'Alenes. Rendez-
vous OF white man and Indian seat OF
culture and hospitality, pleasant re-
sort of pioneers and government off,
cials of another age, it passed into the
hands of my father by bargain-for-
sale deed, as security for a loan OF
s408000, in 1873, and has been pos
sessed by us since.
Preservation Is Aim
But time Is great leveler and
since the great storm Of 1889 which cost
my father his life, in spite of the ef-
forts of succeeding tenants of this
acreage, and almost in defiance of COW
enants to repair and preserve, these
adobe walls have slowly crumbled into
dust, leaving but skeleton Of what
Is, perhaps, the oldest and most his
toric structure now remaining within
the borders Of Montana With the aim
OF preserving what is left and rebuild
ing what has been swept away by
storm ard time, the Fort owen His