Stevensville
Stevensville is the oldest town in the state and claims a number of other important "firsts." The first church—St. Mary’s Mission—was established in 1841, along with the first school in the Northwest. With the Mission came 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. John Owen established his trading post in 1850, and filed Montana’s oldest water right in 1852.

The peaceful community of Stevensville, nestled in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley between the Sapphire and Bitterroot Mountain Ranges, has weathered both boom and bust in agriculture, mining and timber industries. Through the years Stevensville has managed to retain the simplicity and charm of its rural roots.

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Montana Trivia:
Chief Joseph conducted one of the most masterful retreats in military history. Up to that time he had never fought a battle. He led his band of men, women, children, cows and horses from the Ronde Grande in Idaho through Lolo Pass, into Yellowstone Park and through Montana to what he thought was the Canadian border, only to find he was forty miles short. During this time he fought eleven battles against four U.S. armies. All but the last successful.
Related Links
Bitteroot Valley
Chamber of Commerce
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