Missoula’s beginnings can be traced to the Clark Fork riverfront that is now Caras Park. In 1860, town founders C. P. Higgins and Francis L. Worden established a trading post in Hell Gate Village, about four miles west of downtown Missoula. But in 1865, as settlement activity in the area increased, the pair and partner David Pattee saw the need for a sawmill and gristmill for the community. Lacking the prerequisite water power for such an enterprise at Hellgate, the partners looked elsewhere; finally locating their lumber and grist mills along the riverbank just east today’s Higgins Avenue Bridge. The mill received its water power from a race—or water flume—diverted from Rattlesnake Creek. Today, discrete evidence of this early hydropower structure can be seen in brick arches that allowed water to flow beneath them in the basement of the former Missoula Mercantile Warehouse that now houses The Trailhead outdoor retailer.  

In addition to their mills, Worden and Higgins constructed another building just west of the mill site on Front Street, which sat atop the riverbank and followed the basic route of the Mullan Road. Soon, other business followed their lead and the town of Missoula Mills was born. The mill’s success led other settlers to relocate from Hellgate Village, local residents dropped “ Mills” from the town’s name, and regional commercial and government activities radiated from the mill site. The City of Missoula was born.  

Over time the mills ceased operating, but an original millstone was salvaged and placed on the grounds of the University of Montana where it sat for decades. In the mid-1990s it was moved to Caras Park where it remains today and serves as a physical reminder of the town’s earliest days. Although Caras Park no longer houses a mill, it continues to serve as the heart of the city that grew around it. As a bustling summertime venue, it is home to the Missoula Marathon’s expo and post-race celebratation and hosts a wide range of events from farmer’s markets to performances by the Missoula Symphony Orchestra.

Credits and Sources:

Koelbel, Lenora. Missoula, The Way It Was: A Portrait of an Early Western Town. Missoula: Gateway Publishing and Printing, 1972.

Mathews, Allan James.  “ A Guide to Historic Missoula,” Montana Mainstreets, vol. 6. Helena: Montana Historical Society, 2003.  

National Park Service. “ National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, Missoula Downtown Historic District.”  2003.  

Photographs courtesy of Archives & Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana.