Fort Connah

	Fort Connah - Quick Facts
HSP Category	Cemetery/Landmark
Period	1846
HSP Style	1850 log cabin
Builder	Hudson's Bay Company
Construction	Post and Sill Style log building
No. Stories	1
Notable Features	Style only used by HBC for their log buildings. It was built on the original site.
Original Use	Store House
Present Use	Operates as a Trading Post during the annual event.

Historical Significance:

Fort Connah, the last British Hudson's Bay post in America, started in 1846 & was completed by Angus McDonald after his arrival in 1847. The present restored structure is the oldest standing bulding in Montana, on the original site located in the scenic Mission Mountain range on the Flathead Indian Reservation. It was the main trade link in dried buffalo meat & buffalo hides, supplying forts on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. Angus' son Duncan was born here & was the last factor at the old fort at its closure in 1871.

Who is Buried Here:

Angus McDonald (1816-1889) Scottish born Hudson's Bay Co trader who was given charge of Ft. Connah in 1847. His wife was Catherine (Bigknife) Bonaparte (1815-1892) whose mother was Nez Perce & father Metis(Iroquois-French). At least 9 of their decendants are also buried here (some stones are missing/buried). The cemetery tombstones have not been recorded previously due to difficult access.

Historical Designations:

National Register of Historical Places
State Historical Commission

Historic Marker:

Marker Text:
Construction of the last Hudson's Bay Trading Post, within the present borders of the United States, was started here in 1846, and was completed in 1847 by Angus McDonald. Angus originally named the fort "Connen" after a river valley in his Scottish homeland, but later changed it to Connah for easier pronunciation by the Salish, Kootenai. Pend d'Oreille and other Indians in the area.
Fort Connah was built about 1/2 mile east of here and remained an important trading center for the Indians until the U.S. Government forced the British owned company to abandon the post in 1871. At its height, Fort Connah consisted of only three buildings. The store house is the only original structure that survives.
The Mission Valley was thrown open for settlement in 1910. Prior to that time it was almost entirely virgin prairie, unplowed. unfenced and beautiul to see.You rode a saddle horse to get places. Some people wish it was ike that today.
Many descendants of Angus McDonald still live here in the Mission Valley.

Tourism:

What you need to know if interested in visiting this destination:

Condition of Property: In Danger
Open to the Public - No
Family Friendly - Yes. Annual Rendez-vous Open House in May. Free to Public.
Lodging - No
Brochure available - Yes
Catalog available - No
DVD available - No

Acknowledgements:

Kuilix Chapter is transcribing gravestones and obituaries are being recorded. Three (3) Kuilix Chapter members are on the Board of the Fort Connah Restoration Society.

Select a State to Explore our Historic Properties

Units Overseas

Directions and application forms can be found on this page or in the Forms section of the DAR members' website.

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