Archives West Finding Aid

Gail L. Owen was born on November 29, 1937 in Fort Benton, Montana. Owen, the sixth of eight children, grew up in Missoula, Montana, and graduated from high school there in 1956. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering in 1960 and pursued graduate studies in the field of history. In 1966, Owen began working for the family building business in Missoula, Montana, while conducting historical research and writing. He published his book, The Betterment of Man, in 1973. He also published a number of historical articles in scholarly journals.

In 1973, Owen helped organize the Concerned Citizens for a Quality Environment (CCQE). The group was formed in response to the announcement by the Hoerner-Waldorf Corporation of their planned expansion of their pulp mill. The CCQE was concerned with the increase in air pollution in the Missoula Valley that would occur as a result of the expansion. The CCQE facilitated letter-writing campaigns to local newspapers and to Montana Senator Mike Mansfield in attempt to stop the expansion. In the end the campaign was not successful and the Hoerner-Waldorf Corporation moved forward with the expansion. In 1975, Owen began building a prototype solar home in Hamilton, Montana, for the Montana state alternative energy program. Owen moved to the home in 1976 and lived out the remainder of his life there. Owen died on December 14, 2003.