Missoula County, one of Montana’s oldest counties, had outgrown its original courthouse by the early years of the twentieth century. Local architect A. J. Gibson designed the new Neoclassical style Missoula County Courthouse. The cornerstone was laid in 1908 on the site of the original building; construction was completed two years later.

A prominent feature of the courthouse is the copper-domed clock tower, with clocks on all four sides enclosing a two-ton bell. In 1912, county commissioners hired Missoula artist Edgar S. Paxson to paint the eight murals that hang in the south entrance of the courthouse. These murals depict significant historical events relating to Missoula County, including Meriwether Lewis’crossing of the Clark Fork River; Father Ravalli’s arrival at Fort Owen near Stevensville; and the 1855 Hellgate Treaty negotiations between Governor Isaac Stevens and Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles tribes.

In December 1860, the Washington Territorial legislature created Missoula County, then a part of the Washington Territory extending from about the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains eastward to the Continental Divide. Subsequently, the county was in Idaho Territory (1863) and finally Montana Territory (1864).

A simple framed building, constructed in 1871, served Missoula County as a courthouse and jail until 1889, when a separate jail was built next to the courthouse; it was demolished in 1966. When the new courthouse opened in 1910, the original building was moved to Missoula’s Northside, where it was converted to a small apartment building. It, however, has been vacant for many years and is in need of restoration. At some point prior to 1915, a gazebo was built on the northeast corner of the courthouse lawn and became a gathering spot for concerts, rallies, and other such public gatherings. To make room for the annex built to the north of the courthouse, the gazebo was torn down in 1965. It was reconstructed in 1991 and now stands on the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn. The Missoula County Courthouse continues to serve the residents of the county and remains an important piece of Missoula’s history

Credits and Sources:

Cohen, Stan. Missoula County Images, volume II. Missoula: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1993.

Mathews, Allan James. A Guide to Historic Missoula. Helena: Montana Historical Society Press, 2002.

National Register of Historic Places, “Missoula Downtown Historic District,” Missoula, Missoula County, Montana.

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