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WELCOME TO MISSOULA!!! Hello, and welcome to the fair Western Montanan city of Missoula, Montana! For those who are visiting for the first time, this is our online section of The Missoulian, our local paper, for visitors and new residents. Please enjoy using this section of our newspaper for your convience. Missoula, Montana is a growing city, and at last count, has a population of 48,883 (1996-city limits). It's located at an elevation of 3,205 ft., with an annual rainfall of 13.7 in. and an annual snow fall of 45.6 in., accounting for many sunny days, and lots of snow for avid skiers. It gets pretty cold around here, sometimes as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but it warms up plenty during the summer months to a nice 85 degrees. You've made a good decision in moving to Missoula, as
our unemployment rate is at a low rate of 4%, with
Our former courthouse, and a part of Missoula's history. Want to get a visual perspective on Missoula? Click below and visit these sites. |
Our history IS the
The city of Missoula, and Missoula County, have a long and varied history of what people like to call the "wild west." Lewis and Clark came through the area in 1805 on their expedition to explore western lands for Thomas Jefferson. Fr. Peter DeSmet opened a Jesuit mission for Native Americans just south of the Missoula area in the Bitterroot Valley in 1841. Many Native American tribes have lived in this area, through our long and varied history, including the above pictured Flathead Tribe who assisted Lewis and Clark in their journey in the early 1800s. It would also be fair to say that these tribes "survived" white takeover of their lands, fulfilling the Manifest Destiny. In 1860, two men, C.P. Higgins and Francis Wordon, opened a trading market log store, calling it Hellgate Village. "Hellgate" was a word first used by French fur traders who found remnants of a war just east of town in a canyon. It was a Blackfeet and Flathead battle ground. Hellgate Village became a success when people started
searching for gold in the area and used the completed
Mullan Road (1863). A flour mill and sawmill opened too.
New settlers to the valley began calling it Missoula
Mills, in which the name Missoula came from another native
Salish name for the area, What truly completed Missoula's success as a town included a U.S. Army fort, Fort Missoula, being established in 1877, and the Pacific Railroad being completed in 1883, when the town became incorporated. This began Missoula's sucess as a town, and helped provide for the wonderful area you've moved into today. |
What's Happening Besides all of the economic conditions, and info listed in our "Welcome" section, Missoula is a vibrant town to enjoy and appreciate. Between the arts community, a university, and our rugged nature, Missoula has lots to offer people. The arts community is prolific, and Missoula is reputed to be the hotspot of culture for Western Montana. For starters, we have a traveling theatre company, Missoula Children's Theater, which puts on productions all over the west coast for children to participate in. The University of Montana has many talented artists, musicians, and thespians, who showcase their talent periodically throughout the year, and enrich the community. The University of Montana also enriches the community through its various academic programs that educate many, from the School of Business, to the College of Technology, to the school of Forestry. The different sports teams that compete, including football, offer a variety of ways for local people to show spirit, and have pride in their community, also enhancing Missoula. Finally, the rugged outdoors, with fishing, hunting, hiking, and skiiing, and many other activities allow Missoulians to "play" in their environment. Thanks for learning about your new home, for more assistance, please contact these various websites to obtain more information. For current news, and what's happening in the Missoula,
Montana area right now, visit The Missoulian Online at: For general extensive info on Montana, visit Internet Connect Service's Montana Territories at www.montana.com To visit the University of Montana, go to www.umt.edu If you are looking for some great places to eat or want to know what's happening in the arts community in Missoula, try Missoula Independent Online. www.everyweek.com For references, please Click Here to see various sources of information. |
