Historical Fort Missoula

32. William T. Hamilton

In 1858, William T. Hamilton and a Scottish halfbreed named McKay were hired as army scouts at Fort Walla Walla. On their way to eastern Montana to investigate a rumor that the Indians east of the Rockies were planning an uprising, they camped one night where Missoula is now. Hamilton noticed all of the Indian trails converging there and it struck him that the place would be a good spot to establish a trading post. Hamilton returned, alone, to the Missoula Valley in the fall. He built a two-room log cabin west of where the Rattlesnake Creek meets the Clark Fork River. Although his establishment never attained the status of a genuine trading post, he did sell whisky. His cabin is considered to be the first building constructed in what is now the city of Missoula. Hamilton remained in the valley until 1864 when he moved to Fort Benton.

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