Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-09-07
FORT OWEN BUILT
90 YEARS AGO
MAJOR JOHN OWEN ARRIVED IN
BITTER ROOT VALLEY IN
FALL OF 1850

A reminder that Montana will
soon begin to measure its historical
anniversaries by the century. rath-
er than the decade, is furnished
by the fact that old Fort Owen In
the Bitter Root valley was built in
the fall Of 1850, 80 years ago. In
l849 Mai. John Owen started from
st. Joseph, Mo-, as sutler for a
regiment OF United States troops
known as the Mounted Rifles"
destined for Oregon. The troops
came as far as the Snake river,
when winter caught them, and they
built quarters on the bank of that
river about six miles above Fort
Hall
The camp was called Cantonment
LOring and the place was long known
by that name. Major owen remained
at Cantonment Loring until the troops
resumed their march in the spring of
1850, when he relinquished his suffer-
ship and spent the summer on the
emigrant road. trading with the emf
grants bound for oregon and Call
fornia
In the fall OF 1850, he went TO the
Bitter Root valley and having bought
the Improvements of the Catholic
fathers. erected a trading post at that
point and christened 1t Fort Owen, a
name which 1t bore until II was aban
doned. The fort was constructed Of
a stockade Of logs placed in an up
right position, with one end planted
in the ground. The stockade was neces-
sary TO protect the inmates and their
property from the incursions Of the
numerous war parties of the Blackfeet
Indians. that continued to make raids
into the valley up to 1855.
1t was the custom to drive the horses
inside the stockade each night during
the spring, summer and fall OF each
year. to prevent them from being stolen
by the Blackfeet: and even this pre-
caution did not always save them,
One night a party OF Blackfeet came
to the fort. and with knives and sticks
dug up some OF the logs forming the
stockade, and drove away all Of the
horses belonging to the fort.
In the fall OF 1852. while hauling
hay, a young man named John F.
Dodson from Buffalo Grove, Ill. was
killed and scalped by the Blackfeet In
sight of the fort. Judge Woody had in
his possession a diary kept by DOdson
from the day that he left Illinois In
the spring OF 1852, up TO the day he
was killed. The last entry that he
made in it was on the day before he
was killed, and was as follows: Sept
4Nl4As ACU1. nave DNNAA ALAAA4B ON JSsANo
and hay rigging. Helped haul one load
of hay. Weather fine" The next entry
was in the handwriting of Major
OWenS-ap apparently made the next day,
and IN these words: The poor fellow
was killed and scalped by the Black
feet in sight Of the fort These facts
are only cited 10 show with what trials.
dangers and privations the early set
tiers OF Missoula county had to con-
tend
After Major owens purchased the
property since known as Fort Owen,
he made many Improvements. He en-
closed land and commenced farming
rebuilt the grist and sawmills, and In
after years, tore down the old stockade
Of logs. and built large and substan-
.ial fort Of adobes or sun-dried bricks.
He opened and kept a regular trading
supplying the wants OF
both whites and Indians. The stock Of
goods and supplies was kept up by
making a trip each summer TO The
OaIes, Ore, with pack horses, usually
going down in the spring by Clark's I.
FORK and the Pend d'Oreille lake. and
during the latter part Of the
summer by an Indian trail over the
Occur d'Alene mountains.
Fort Owen was the nucleus around
which the early settlers gathered. OBJ
aiming supplies and sought protection I
n the hour Of danger. 1t was known (
lar and wide for its hospitality 10
he early settlers and adventures In !