Fort Missoula was established by the US Army in 1877, in what is now the city of Missoula. It was created to protect settlers in western Montana against perceived threats, including from the Nez Perce Indian tribe. It never had walls and was an “open fort” concept — common west of the Mississippi — which required the troops to be aggressive in their defense of the fort.
Few structures of the original Fort remain. One is this attractive log building, constructed in 1878. It is the noncommissioned officers (NCO) quarters, and is a building designed to hold two families. It has served a variety of purposes during its history and has been restored. It was donated to the Museum in 2007 by the Western Montana Ghost Town Preservation Society.
The photo shown above of the NCO cabin was used as last weekend’s One Clue Mystery photo. Congratulations to George G, who recognized where Gumbo was.
The green building adjacent to the NCO is the Carriage House, also original to the site. It was used to store tack and buggy for families living in the NCO cabin.
