Mission Mountains - Human History

Human History

Recorded human contact with the Mission Mountains began with the native peoples thousands of years ago and runs up to today. The Salish and Kootenai people have used traditionally used the mountains as a place for fishing, hunting, berry-picking and for performing sacred ceremonies. Many say they were, at times, also used for protection against enemies.

Major outside attention first the range came in the 1920s. Forest service employees Theodore Shoemaker led several parties of visitors thorough the range between 1922 and 1924, one which included members of the Great Pacific Railway Company, which owned a great deal of land in the range. On a 1923 trip he triangulated the locations of several peaks, which led to the first map of the high country.

The first major protective action for the Mission Range came on October 21, 1931 when 67,000 acres of land along the east side of the Mission Divide was classified as the "Mission Mountains Primitive Area". The Great Pacific Railway Company owned 30 percent of this land at the time of the classification, which was exchanged over the course of years for other land in the Flathead National Forest.

Further stories about the Mission Mountains and the surrounding area can be found in the local books "In the Shadows of the Missions" and "Indian Trails and Grizzly Tales".