History
Gallatin History Timeline
By Rachel Phillips
Gallatin County is a unique place. Throughout our history, environmental and
geographical attributes intersected and interacted with the people who lived here, creating new
ideas and opportunities. This timeline showcases some of the important events in our history—
how people and environment mixed to create Gallatin County’s unique story.
Pre-White Settlement: Madison Buffalo Jump
Native people, including the Piegan, Shoshone, Salish, and Crow, regularly hunted in and
traveled through the Gallatin Valley. Snowmelt from nearby mountains fed numerous rivers and
streams and the tall grass attracted bison, deer and elk. For 2,000 years, the cliffs of the Madison
Buffalo Jump furnished an efficient way for native people to hunt bison, providing food, shelter
and clothing.
1805: Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark reached the headwaters of the Missouri River at Three Forks in July
1805 and named the three large rivers converging there Jefferson (for President Thomas
Jefferson), Madison (for Secretary of State James Madison), and Gallatin (for Secretary of the
Treasury Albert Gallatin). The Expedition took note of the fertile valley with its abundant
waterways and beaver.
1840s: Fur Trade
Eager to capitalize on the popularity of beaver pelts in fashion trends, mountain men like
Jim Bridger roamed the Rocky Mountains trapping and trading. In the 1860s, Bridger would
himself lead settlers to the Gallatin Valley on the Bridger Trail, which passed on the west side of
the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and into the Gallatin Valley through the mountain range
near Bozeman that today bears his name.
1862-1863: Gold Rush Begins
Gold was discovered in what would later become southwest Montana in 1862 (Bannack)
and 1863 (Alder Gulch). Within months, thousands of miners flooded the area – among them an
ambitious Georgian named John Bozeman.
1862: Gallatin City
Gallatin County’s first settlement, Gallatin City, was established near the headwaters of
the Missouri River in 1862. Nearby waterways and wagon routes to Alder Gulch, Last Chance
Gulch (Helena), and Fort Benton made Gallatin City a convenient stage stop and way station for
early Montana travelers. The settlement featured a hotel, store and flour mill. Gallatin City
served as the first county seat until 1867, when voters transferred the honor to Bozeman.
1864: Bozeman Established
John Bozeman and John Jacobs, an experienced mountain man, adopted the Bozeman
Trail as a quicker route to the booming gold-mining camps of Virginia City (Alder Gulch) and
Bannack. Though 800 miles shorter than Jim Bridger’s trail, the route itself was problematic as it
trespassed through Sioux, Crow, and Cheyenne treaty-held territories. Late in 1863, John
Bozeman met visionaries Daniel Rouse and William Beall. The three agreed that the eastern end
of the Gallatin Valley was a prime location for a settlement catering to trail-worn immigrants.
Many weary travelers decided to plant roots in the Gallatin Valley and “mine the miners” instead
of continuing on to Virginia City to mine gold. Farmers grew crops in the fertile soil at the foot
of the Bridger Mountains, while merchants and entrepreneurs built general stores, mills,
boardinghouses, and saloons.
1867: Fort Ellis
After John Bozeman’s untimely death in 1867, area citizens pushed the federal
government to build a fort near town. Fort Ellis was in operation by the end of the summer, but
its greatest value proved to be economic rather than protective. In addition to providing a stable
and convenient market for local ranchers, the fort housed soldiers who journeyed into town to
spend their money. Tragically, in January 1870, 2
nd U.S. Cavalry troops from Fort Ellis
participated in the Baker Massacre along the Marias River in northern Montana. Soldiers
attacked an innocent Piegan village, killing 217 men, women and children.
1872: Yellowstone National Park
The world’s first national park was created in 1872, just 90 miles from Bozeman. Part of
the 1872 Hayden Survey party departed from Fort Ellis in July, and proceeded to explore, map,
photograph, and record the wonders of the new park for a national audience.
1872: Bozeman’s First Bank
Bozeman’s first bank, the First National Bank, opened for business in 1872, just months
after the establishment of Yellowstone National Park. The institution closed in 1878, but was
closely followed by others, including Bozeman National Bank and Gallatin Valley National
Bank (1882), Commercial National Bank (1892), and Gallatin State Bank (1902). The 1912 city
directory lists nine banks in the Gallatin Valley – one in Belgrade, three in Bozeman, two in
Three Forks, two in Manhattan, and one in Salesville (Gallatin Gateway).
1883: Northern Pacific Railroad
The first Northern Pacific Railroad engine steamed into Bozeman on March 14, 1883.
Construction boomed as the railroad provided easy shipping opportunities and sparked new
confidence in future economic growth. In addition, the railroad expanded the market for local
agricultural products and provided easier access to Yellowstone National Park.
1890: Manhattan Malting Company
By the late 1880s, word of Gallatin Valley’s rich agricultural land had spread outside
Montana. In 1890, New York maltsters and brewers formed the Manhattan Malting Company,
located near the small settlement of Moreland in western Gallatin County. The investors
purchased land, formed the West Gallatin Irrigation Company to construct a massive irrigation
canal, and built elevators and a malting plant. The settlement was soon renamed Manhattan after
the Manhattan Club in New York City. The Manhattan Malting Company recruited farmers from
Holland to settle in Gallatin County and grow high quality barley. The Malting Company thrived
until 1919, when prohibition laws halted operations.
1892: Bozeman Streetcar
In the early 1890s, Bozeman competed fiercely with Helena, Anaconda, and Butte for the
honor of being named the state capital. In the fervor of competition, city leaders transformed the
modest farm and ranch community into a sophisticated city and installed a modern electric
streetcar line. Bozeman’s modern trolley system transported passengers from the Northern
Pacific Depot (North Ida Ave. and Front Street) to Main Street (via Church Avenue) and then up
9
th Avenue. The track later expanded to include north and south Bozeman Avenues, Peach Street,
Rouse Avenue, South Grand Avenue, West Alderson Street, and South 7th Avenue.
1893: Montana Agricultural College (MSU)
Despite its efforts, Bozeman lost the state capital competition. However, it did gain an
incredible asset in 1893—a land grant school named Montana State College of Agriculture and
Mechanic Arts. The low hill south of town that was originally intended for the state capitol
building soon became home to Montana State College (later named Montana State University).
1896: Bozeman’s First Hospital
Dr. Henry Foster arrived in Bozeman in 1882. He performed a successful cesarean
section in town in 1893 – likely the first such procedure in the state. Foster quickly gained
notoriety and in 1896, he constructed a hospital on the corner of Lamme Street and North Tracy
Avenue. The hospital accommodated 20 patients, provided hot water and electricity, and boasted
colorful wall and ceiling frescoes.
1906: Sweet Pea Carnival
The Sweet Pea Carnival began in 1906 as a signature summer event meant to stimulate
local commerce. Each year through 1916, excited locals adorned Main Street with streamers,
coated carriages and automobiles in paper sweet pea blossoms, and crowned a Sweet Pea Queen.
In 1918 and 1919, World War I and the Spanish Influenza pandemic halted Sweet Pea
celebrations. In 1977, after a sixty-year hiatus, the Sweet Pea Festival was revived.
1909: Gallatin Valley Electric Railway
The Gallatin Valley boasted Montana’s only interurban railway line, which began service
in 1909. The GVER Depot was located on East Main Street, near where the Bozeman Public
Library sits today. The interurban railway connected Bozeman with Salesville (Gallatin
Gateway), Bozeman Hot Springs, Three Forks, Logan, Manhattan, Belgrade, Springhill, and
Menard. Passengers easily travelled throughout the Gallatin Valley and spur lines provided local
farmers and ranchers with a convenient way to transport cattle and wheat to the Milwaukee main
line at Three Forks and the Northern Pacific Railroad freight yard in Bozeman.
1947: First Commercial Flight at Gallatin Field Airport
Gallatin County’s first airport, Siefert Airport near Belgrade, was dedicated on April 21,
1928 and named for local aviation pioneer Wayne Siefert. A second airport replaced the first one
a year later and was equipped with six runways. The airport moved a third time in 1942, when
officials took advantage of favorable area weather conditions and a natural gravel bar just east of
Belgrade. The new airport was named Gallatin Field. On June 22, 1947, Northwest Airlines
provided the first commercial flight to the Gallatin Valley and a large celebration was held at
Gallatin Field. Those attending the festivities enjoyed a parade and a chuckwagon breakfast.
1970: Big Sky
In early 1970, NBC news anchor Chet Huntley, along with the Chrysler Realty
Corporation and other investors, established Big Sky of Montana, Inc. In the early 1970s,
construction commenced on the Big Sky resort in Gallatin Canyon, partway between Bozeman
and West Yellowstone. Development included downhill ski runs and lifts, condominiums,
restaurants, shops, and eventually a golf course. Chet Huntley died on March 20, 1974, shortly
before Big Sky Resort was formally dedicated.
2017: Gallatin Historical Society Celebrates 40 Years
The Gallatin Historical Society was founded in 1977 and soon transformed the old county
jail building into a museum, which continues to operate on Main Street today. For more
information about these and other events in Gallatin County history, visit the Gallatin History
Museum at 317 W. Main St. in Bozeman. For a fun timeline video clip visit
Rachel Phillips is the Research Coordinator at the Gallatin History Museum in Bozeman.
Visit the Gallatin History Museum at 317 W Main Street in Bozeman,
www.gallatinhistorymuseum.org, or on Facebook.