The Mission Valley
Location: St. Ignatius.
The Mission Valley, called by the Indians “Place of Encirclement,” was occupied by bands of Salish and Kalispel speaking people when the white man came. By treaty with the Government in 1855 it became a part of the reservation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and included some Pend d’Oreille, Kalispel, and Nez Perce.

St. Ignatius Mission, the second built in Montana, was established in 1854 by the Jesuits. The first church was built of whipsawed timber and was held together with wooden pins. Through efforts of the priests the Mission prospered. Four Sisters of Providence from Montreal opened the first school in 1864. The Ursulines arrived in 1890 and opened a school for younger children.

In 1910 the unallotted land on the reservation was thrown open to settlement. The whites and barbed wire moved in.
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