Fort Owen Ranch - Historic Place

HISTORIC PLACES FORT OWEN STATE PARK

Fort Owen State Park, situated in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley, is the site of many “firsts” in Montana history. Located in the traditional homeland of the Selis (Bitterroot Salish) people, Fort Owen offers visitors a glimpse into pioneer life in the 1850s and beyond. Located 1/2 mile West of Stevensville, this park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A traditional winter home for the Salish, the area near Fort Owen State Park became the site of many “firsts” in Montana pioneer history. Montana’s first Catholic church was founded by Father DeSmet in 1841 near the Bitterroot River. This was the first permanent white settlement in today’s Montana. Also located here was Montana’s first sawmill, first grist mill, first agricultural development, first water right, and the first school for settlers. John Owen, who was a sutler for the U.S. military, arrived in the Bitterroot Valley in 1850 with his Shoshone wife Nancy. After purchasing the site from the Missionaries in 1850, John Owen used a rare building material for Montana, adobe, to build the East and West Barracks. Explore the standing East Barracks structure and imagine an office, boarding rooms, and a trading post. Outside of the structures, Owen grew food, had cattle, and had many guests including indigenous peoples to trade and work at Fort Owen. Fort Owen State Park is 1.9 acres in size and sits at an elevation of 3,398 feet, surrounded by the privately owned Fort Owen Ranch. Take a self-guided tour of the park to explore it’s history. The Park is open 9 am - 6 pm daily from March - November. A parking lot, vault toilet and picnic table are available, and all trash must be packed in/packed out. Please check the park website for current hours, information, regulations, and fees: https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/ fort-owen

Photo provided by Montana State Parks.