The University of Montana was built on the ancestral land of the Séliš-Ql̓ispé people. UM Biology Professor Morton Elrod captured this image circa 1897 of a tipi on the exact future location of the university.
What is now Missoula, Montana meets at the confluence of five valleys: the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Upper Clark Fork, Lower Clark Fork, and Mission-Jocko. However, it was not always Missoula as we know it today. Created by the sheer force of geologic and glacial forces, the mountains of Western Montana surged upwards along ancient fault lines. Glacial Lake Missoula, formed by an ice dam in northern Idaho some 15,000 years ago, created the place we know as Missoula. When the dam broke, floods rushed west to the ocean, changing the region’s landscape forever.
The Séliš-Ql̓ispé (Salish and Kalispel) people have inhabited this land since time immemorial. Ancient stories tell of creation and change. According to Séliš-Ql̓ispé creation stories, Coyote taught humans how to live with the land. He taught them how to honor the land and animals to sustain life over time. In a sense, these stories and other lessons were the first courses offered in the Missoula Valley. Indigenous histories of Western Montana closely mirror the geologic record, offering insight about 10,000 years of history. As we commemorate the 130th anniversary of the University of Montana, we must recognize the relative brevity of this institution’s story. We acknowledge that we are here to learn in the aboriginal territories of the Salish and Kalispel people.
The first non-Natives to encounter the Missoula Valley were those on the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s. The settlers who followed brought profound changes to the human and natural landscapes of Montana. The signing of the 1855 Hellgate Treaty at Council Grove in Missoula resulted in the forced removal of the Salish people to the Flathead Reservation. Founded as the Hellgate Trading Post in 1860, Missoula grew throughout the 19th century due to its proximity to the Mullan Military Road and the expansion of the Northern Pacific Railroad through the valley in 1883. The lumber industry grew during this time, supporting development and other extractive industries, especially mining, across Western Montana. It would continue for decades. In 1889, Montana became a state. Two years laters, government officials forced Chief Charlo to lead his people out of the Bitterroot Valley and north to the Flathead Reservation. In February 1893, the Montana Legislature established the University of Montana. It was the new state’s first university, to be built on a landscape that had been educating people for millennia.
In its earliest years, UM functioned mainly as a preparatory school for teenagers. When it opened, the college had no campus of its own. Classes for about 50 students operated out of the Willard School in an arrangement with the city of Missoula. By the end of its first operating year, the student body grew to 135. UM’s first completed building, Main Hall, was dedicated on June 8, 1898. UM’s original charter declared the university’s commitment to educating men and women on equal terms. It was fitting that the first graduating class consisted of four graduates: two men and two women. Throughout the early decades of the 20th century, UM grew exponentially. Campus now includes 64 built structures and 9 colleges that support over 11,000 undergraduate and graduate level students.
For thousands of years, people have come to this valley to learn together. The next time you step foot on the “M” or look upon UM’s campus and the city beyond, imagine past and future generations sharing knowledge here.
The Séliš-Ql̓ispé (Salish and Kalispel) people have inhabited this land since time immemorial. Ancient stories tell of creation and change. According to Séliš-Ql̓ispé creation stories, Coyote taught humans how to live with the land. He taught them how to honor the land and animals to sustain life over time. In a sense, these stories and other lessons were the first courses offered in the Missoula Valley. Indigenous histories of Western Montana closely mirror the geologic record, offering insight about 10,000 years of history. As we commemorate the 130th anniversary of the University of Montana, we must recognize the relative brevity of this institution’s story. We acknowledge that we are here to learn in the aboriginal territories of the Salish and Kalispel people.
The first non-Natives to encounter the Missoula Valley were those on the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the early 1800s. The settlers who followed brought profound changes to the human and natural landscapes of Montana. The signing of the 1855 Hellgate Treaty at Council Grove in Missoula resulted in the forced removal of the Salish people to the Flathead Reservation. Founded as the Hellgate Trading Post in 1860, Missoula grew throughout the 19th century due to its proximity to the Mullan Military Road and the expansion of the Northern Pacific Railroad through the valley in 1883. The lumber industry grew during this time, supporting development and other extractive industries, especially mining, across Western Montana. It would continue for decades. In 1889, Montana became a state. Two years laters, government officials forced Chief Charlo to lead his people out of the Bitterroot Valley and north to the Flathead Reservation. In February 1893, the Montana Legislature established the University of Montana. It was the new state’s first university, to be built on a landscape that had been educating people for millennia.
In its earliest years, UM functioned mainly as a preparatory school for teenagers. When it opened, the college had no campus of its own. Classes for about 50 students operated out of the Willard School in an arrangement with the city of Missoula. By the end of its first operating year, the student body grew to 135. UM’s first completed building, Main Hall, was dedicated on June 8, 1898. UM’s original charter declared the university’s commitment to educating men and women on equal terms. It was fitting that the first graduating class consisted of four graduates: two men and two women. Throughout the early decades of the 20th century, UM grew exponentially. Campus now includes 64 built structures and 9 colleges that support over 11,000 undergraduate and graduate level students.
For thousands of years, people have come to this valley to learn together. The next time you step foot on the “M” or look upon UM’s campus and the city beyond, imagine past and future generations sharing knowledge here.
Compare these images and think about the profound changes brought to the Missoula Valley in the 130 years following UM’s founding. How have the places you know best changed in your lifetime?
