Discover 8 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Stevensville (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: St. Mary's Mission, Fort Owen State Park, and North Valley Public Library. Also, be sure to include Benjamin Young House in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Stevensville (Montana).
Table of Contents
St. Mary's Mission
Historical place museum in Ravalli County, Montana. The Historic St. Mary's Mission is a mission established by the Society of Jesus of the Catholic Church, located now on Fourth Street in modern-day Stevensville, Montana. Founded in 1841 and designed as an ongoing village for Catholic Salish Indians, St. Mary's was the first permanent settlement made by non-indigenous peoples in what became the state of Montana. The mission structure was rebuilt in 1866. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[1]
Address: 333 Charlos St, 59870-2005 Stevensville
Fort Owen State Park
State park in Ravalli County, Montana. Fort Owen State Park is a historic preservation area owned by the state of Montana in the United States, located on the northern outskirts of the town of Stevensville, Montana. The park is named for Fort Owen, a mission and later trading post established in 1841 and named for trader John Owen. The park is one acre in size, 3,293 feet in elevation, and is owned and managed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Fort Owen is known as the "cradle of Montana civilization".[2]
North Valley Public Library
Library
Address: 202 Main St, 59870 Stevensville
Benjamin Young House
Building in Stevensville, Montana. Benjamin Young House in Stevensville, Montana, also known as Cole House, is a 1+1⁄2-story cross-gabled Carpenter Gothic house which was built in 1900 and has since been expanded. It was built by a relatively rare plank-wall construction method.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
A root house built in 1909, a root cellar also built in 1909, and a garage are contributing buildings.[3]
Lancaster House
The Lancaster House located at 407 Third St. in Stevensville, Montana is a vernacular "pyramidal cottage" built in 1909. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
It was deemed notable "as a fine example of early 20th century cast concrete block construction in Stevensville. Constructed by David L. Cannon, it illustrates the techniques and craftsmanship employed by one of the most productive local contractors of the 1900s-1910s, as the local economy boomed, and the town grew rapidly." It has a truncated hipped roof.[4]
Bass Mansion
The Bass Mansion, located at 216 N. College St. in Stevensville, Montana, was built during 1908–09. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
It was designed by Missoula, Montana architect A.J. Gibson and its construction was supervised by architect John Brechbill for owner Dudley C. Bass. Dudley C. Bass and his brother William Bass, are credited with pioneering the state's fruit industry by their "renowned" 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) Pine Grove (Fruit) Farm, "renowned" in the east as well as the northwest.
It is a two-story frame building with a monumental pedimented portico having six "quasi-Ionic" columns. Two of the columns are engaged and four support the front of the pediment.[5]
IOOF Hall
The IOOF Hall in Stevensville, Montana, also known as the Stevensville Historical Society Museum, was built starting in 1912. It is a vernacular architecture building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Frank Grant, writing in its National Register nomination, states:
The I.O.O.F. Hall, built ca. 1912, is a fine example of the typical Main Street lodge hall found in many rural communities. Built during a period of optimism and growth in Stevensville, the building suggests that members assumed the lodge would continue to play the significant role in community life that it had played during the frontier era.
The building later served as town hall, library, and firehouse for Stevensville.
It was built where the former Wells Building had stood, until destroyed in the 1905 fire in downtown Stevensville.
The Stevensville Historical Museum is now located at 517 Main Street, Stevensville.[6]
Albert May House
Albert May House in Stevensville, Montana, is a historic house on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was built in 1898. Its third owner, Albert May, served as Mayor of Stevensville. The house is known as an example of the Queen Anne style architecture found in Montana's Bitterroot Valley.[7]