Pioneers (pre-1900)
Prior to 1850, Montana was unsettled territory. Much of the state was part of a much larger Dakota Territory in 1863 and the western most portion of the state became part of the Oregon Territory in 1848. The territory was the realm of fur traders and Native Americans. The first European settlements were Christian missions in the western part of the state (1821). A fur trading settlement at Fort Benton on the Missouri River was established in 1847. In the 1850s, pioneers traveling along the Mormon and Oregon Trails started moving north into the Beaverhead River country establishing Montana's first cattle ranches. Gold was first discovered in Montana at Gold Creek near present day Garrison, Montana in 1852. Major gold strikes were made at Alder Gulch, Montana in 1864 spawning present day Virginia City, Montana and Bannack, Montana, the first territorial capital. In 1883 the Northern Pacific Railway completed its transcontinental route across Montana followed by the Great Northern Railway in 1893. From the first gold strikes to the beginning of 20th century, pioneers flowed into Montana to establish mines, cattle ranches, lumber mills, banks, mercantiles, tourism, Yellowstone National Park and farms across the state. The following individuals played a prominent role in this pioneer period of Montana history.
| Name | Lifetime | Montana connection | Comments | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bozeman, JohnJohn Bozeman | 1835–1867 | Lived in Bozeman and Deer Lodge | Entrepreneur; established the Bozeman Trail (1863), a cutoff route from the Oregon Trail in Wyoming to Bannack, Montana; guided miners to Virginia City through the Gallatin Valley; established town of Bozeman in Gallatin Valley | |
| Clark, William A.William A. Clark | 1839–1925 | Lived in Bannack, Deer Lodge, and Butte | Entrepreneur; Copper King; banker; railroader; United States Senator (1899–1900, 1901–1907) | |
| Daly, MarcusMarcus Daly | 1841–1900 | Lived in Butte | Entrepreneur; Copper King; horse breeder | |
| De Smet, Pierre-JeanPierre-Jean De Smet | 1801–1873 | Established Christian missions in Flathead Valley and Bitterroot Valley of Montana | Belgian Roman Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits); missionary work among the Native Americans of the Western United States in the mid-19th century | |
| Earp, MorganMorgan Earp | 1851–1882 | Lived in Butte (1877–1880); law officer there (1879–1880) | Brother of Deputy U.S. Marshals Virgil and Wyatt Earp; participated in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | |
| Everts, Truman C.Truman C. Everts | 1816–1901 | Lived in Helena | Member of the 1870 Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition exploring the area which later became Yellowstone National Park; became lost for 37 days during the 1870 expedition and later wrote about his experiences for Scribner’s Monthly; appointed Assessor of Internal Revenue for the Montana Territory by President Abraham Lincoln (1864–1870) | |
| Heinze, F. AugustusF. Augustus Heinze | 1869–1914 | Lived in Butte | Entrepreneur; Copper King | |
| Jane, CalamityCalamity Jane | 1852–1903 | Lived in Miles City, Livingston and Paradise Valley | Also known as Martha Jane Cannary Burke; frontierswoman; professional scout; acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok; fighter of Native American Indians | |
| Johnson, Liver-EatingLiver-Eating Johnson | 1824?–1900 | Lived near Alder Gulch and Red Lodge | Mountain man of the American Old West; inspiration for the film Jeremiah Johnson (1972) | |
| Kohrs, ConradConrad Kohrs | 1869–1914 | Lived near Deer Lodge | Cattle baron; the home ranch near Deer Lodge, Montana is now the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site | |
| Langford, Nathaniel P.Nathaniel P. Langford | 1832–1911 | Lived in Helena | Explorer; businessman; bureaucrat; vigilante; historian; played an important role in the early years of the Montana gold fields, territorial government and the creation of Yellowstone National Park; appointed Collector of Internal Revenue and National Bank Examiner for the Montana Territorial government (1864–1869) | |
| Story, NelsonNelson Story | 1838–1926 | Lived near and in Bozeman | Cattle rancher and "Cattle King"; gold miner; vigilante; led first major cattle drive from Texas into Montana (1866) along the Bozeman Trail, which inspired Lonesome Dove | |
| Washburn, Henry D.Henry D. Washburn | 1832–1871 | Lived in Helena | Led the 1870 Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to explore what would become Yellowstone National Park; Mount Washburn, located within the park, is named for him; surveyor general of Montana in 1869 and served until his death (1869–1871) U.S. Representative from Indiana; general in the Union Army during the American Civil War | |
| Willson, Lester S.Lester S. Willson | 1839–1919 | Lived in and buried in Bozeman | U.S. Civil War officer in the Union Army; Assistant Quartermaster General of New York; Montana merchant and politician in Bozeman, Montana |
Read more about this topic: List Of People From Montana
Famous quotes containing the word pioneers:
“Printer, philosopher, scientist, author and patriot, impeccable husband and citizen, why isn’t he an archetype? Pioneers, Oh Pioneers! Benjamin was one of the greatest pioneers of the United States. Yet we just can’t do with him. What’s wrong with him then? Or what’s wrong with us?”
—D.H. (David Herbert)