Sec. B Page 1 Missoulian Centennial From Town to City – 1880 to 1900
From Town to City – 1880 to 1900
By E. J. Erlandson – Centennial Editor
The period from 1880 to 1900 saw Missoula grow from a small western town into a bustling city due principally to two major events – the coming of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1883 and the opening of the State University in 1895.
The railroad brought with it a flood of supplies greatly needed by the growing community – supplies which earlier arrived only in small quantities by stage coach, pack train and freight wagon. The first big business blocks sprang up in the central business district, the first large schoolhouses appeared, churches were built and the community experienced a rapid growth.
The University opened its doors in the old Willard on South 6th street west on Sept. 11, 1895, and in 1899 on completion of Main Hall and Old Science Hall the institution moved to its present site. The school brought a cultural tone to the Garden City as well as a decided boost to its economy.
It was a period of raw western life, with gunfights and knifings commonplace, houses of ill fame running open. But the community’s churches and schools grew rapidly, and the residents turned out in great numbers for the many traveling companies which presented operas and variety acts as the main source of entertainment.
Horses and bicycles were the principal transportation. There were many serious runaways and even an accident or two involving the collision of horse and bicycle.
Baseball and football got their start during this period in western Montana. Horse racing was a major sport with local horses and those of Marcus Daly’s Bitter Root stables followed closely by avid fans.
There was the big fight over location of the state capital, Daly backing Anaconda and W. A. Clark the Helena site. Helena won out, although Missoula County’s vote favored Anaconda by a 163-vote margin. Paris Gibson and Great Falls offered the only opposition to Missoula in its campaign for the University, the legislation establishing it in the Garden City enacted in 1893.