The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

Call Directions Website Contact the museum

The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula Keeping Missoula County history alive for the education and enjoyment of thr public. Missoula County residents always receive FREE ADMISSION.
(233)

Fort Missoula was established as a permanent military post in 1877 and built in response to requests of local townspeople and settlers for protection in the event of conflict with western Montana Indian tribes. It was intended as a major outpost for the region; however, area residents also were quite aware of the payroll, contracts, and employment opportunities Fort Missoula would provide. Fort Missoula never had walls; rather, it was an "open fort," a design common for posts located west of the Mississippi. Open forts required troops to take the offensive and actively patrol the areas to which they were assigned. Construction had barely begun when the Company Commander, Captain Charles Rawn, received orders to halt the advance of a group of non-treaty Nez Perce Indians. The Nez Perce, led by Chiefs Joseph, Looking Glass and others, simply went around the soldiers' hastily-constructed earth and log barricade in Lolo Canyon (later called "Fort Fizzle") and escaped up the Bitterroot Valley. The black 25th Infantry arrived at Fort Missoula in May 1888. See 25th Infantry to learn more. The efforts of Congressman Joseph Dixon of Missoula led to the appropriation of $1 million in 1904 to remodel Fort Missoula. A modern complex of concrete buildings with red tile roofs was constructed between 1908 and 1914, including a new Officer's Row, barracks, and Post Hospital. The fort was used as a military training center during World War I, but was almost abandoned by 1921. However, it was designated as the Northwest Regional Headquarters for the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. Fort Missoula was turned over to the Department of Immigration and Naturalization in 1941 for use as an alien detention center for non-military Italian and Japanese-American men. See Alien Detention for more information. The camp was used as a prison for military personnel accused of military crimes and other personnel awaiting court-martial following World War II. After the post was decommissioned in 1947, many of the buildings were sold, dismantled, and removed from the site. The majority of the land is now in the hands of non-military agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Missoula County (including the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula).

:::SUPPORT THE UM WOODSMAN:::
10/10/2026

:::SUPPORT THE UM WOODSMAN:::

:::COMMUNITY SEWING DAYS-0CT 20TH AND 29TH:::Wow Missoula! Thank you for all of the bright colors and patterns you've co...
10/05/2026

:::COMMUNITY SEWING DAYS-0CT 20TH AND 29TH:::
Wow Missoula! Thank you for all of the bright colors and patterns you've contributed over the last few weeks! FABRIC DONATIONS ARE OFFICIALLY CLOSED.
But you can still come help us stitch it together together at the end of this month.
Tuesday, October 20th and Thursday, October 29th come give us a hand during 11a-4p at 10 Fort Missoula Rd. See you there!

We’re pretty proud to call Greg Martin our Friends Board Treasurer…and even prouder of his work researching and sharing ...
10/02/2026

We’re pretty proud to call Greg Martin our Friends Board Treasurer…and even prouder of his work researching and sharing these important stories!

Between 1888 and 1905, Missoula hosted units from the Black Twenty Fourth and Twenty Fifth infantry regiments of the US Army. While Missoula’s overwhelmingly white population was largely welcoming to the Black soldiers, the pervasive racism of American society at the time undermined the friendly sentiment and kept Black soldiers marginalized.

In our Autumn issue, author Greg Martin examines this rift in his article "Black Infantry, White Town: A Social History of Black Soldiers in Missoula, 1888–1905,” using newspaper coverage and demographic data to document the experience of Black infantrymen in Missoula.

A researcher of Black history, Martin has a master's in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Missoula, where he serves on the board of the Friends of the Historic Museum at Fort Missoula. You can find more of Martin's work on Medium.

Not an MTHS member? Subscribe today at the link in the comments to read Martin's story and have Montana history delivered to your door four times a year!

The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

History

09/30/2026
:::ATTENTION APPLE TREE OWNERS:::If you have apples to share, we need apples to press into c***r for our FREE fall field...
09/29/2026

:::ATTENTION APPLE TREE OWNERS:::
If you have apples to share, we need apples to press into c***r for our FREE fall field trips!

Each fall our most popular field trip is Apple C***r Pressing, where the students get to learn about the history of orchards in our area while helping us press c***r for the class to enjoy.

Help us use locally sourced apples in our programming by donating your extra apples to the Historical Museum! To arrange a drop off or pick up of apples, reach out to Kelli at the museum at [email protected]

We had so much fun with our friends from Missoula Aging Services. Come see us again soon!
09/28/2026

We had so much fun with our friends from Missoula Aging Services. Come see us again soon!

09/27/2026
:::FREE PUBLIC PROGRAM:::There's still time to join us, tonight at 5:30p at the University Center Theater (32 Campus Dr)...
09/25/2026

:::FREE PUBLIC PROGRAM:::
There's still time to join us, tonight at 5:30p at the University Center Theater (32 Campus Dr), for a free public program featuring Paul Richter, Susan Kamei and Shirley Higuchi. The author talk will be followed by a panel discussion and reception.

:::MUSEUM CLOSED:::SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH FOR STAFF DEVELOPMENT.
09/25/2026

:::MUSEUM CLOSED:::
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH FOR STAFF DEVELOPMENT.

Address

3400 Captain Rawn Way, Fort
Missoula, MT
59804

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 5pm
Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+14067283476

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula:

Shortcuts

Share

Category