Last updated: 1/7/2021
Stevensville, Montana
Street Address
517 Main Street
Stevensville, MT 59870
Mailing Address
P O Box 750
Stevensville, MT 59870

Hours

Open Memorial Day to Labor Day
Wednesday - Saturday
11 AM - 4 PM

Admissions

Free admission

Free

Museum Type(s)

Staff

Ruth Baker
phone: 406-550-3672
Description

The Stevensville Historical Museum is a small, independent museum located in Stevensville, Montana, the first pioneer settlement in what is now the State of Montana.

Mission

The Stevensville Historical Museum’s goals are to research, collect, preserve and display the documents and artifacts regarding the unique history of the Stevensville community and the surrounding Bitterroot Valley.

History

St. Mary’s Mission was established in 1841 by Jesuit missionaries who were asked by the Salish Indians to come to the valley. John Owen purchased the Mission property in 1850 and established a trading post, Fort Owen.

The town of Stevensville began as a settlement just south of Fort Owen. Stevensville, Montana is home to some of the most fascinating history and is recognized as the first permanent pioneer settlement in what is now the state of Montana. Stevensville was the first county seat of Ravalli County and lays claim to many “firsts” in Montana: the first church, St. Mary’s Mission established in 1841, along with the first school in the Northwest. With the Mission came structured agriculture; Stevensville grew the first grain, ground the first flour, milled the first lumber, had the first planted fruit trees and practiced the first irrigation in Montana.

Facilities

Small museum located in a house in Stevensville, Montana

Governance

Independent museum not supported by any governmental entity.

ADA
Parking
Exhibitions
Museum Events
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

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2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

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