Montana Historical SocietyArchives
MC 44
Owen, John,
1818-1889
John Owen papers
1850-1871
.75 linear feet of shelf space
John Owen (1818-1889), a pioneer fur trader in the Northwest,
built Fort Owen in the Bitterroot Valley, Montana Territory, and served as a special agent
for the Flathead Indians. Collection contains diaries and journals (1850-1871); a combined
register of births, deaths, and marriages of Fort Owen residents; a letterpress book
(1858-1859); an account book (1850-1860) for trade at Fort Owen, which also contains
accounts (1876-1889) for some other firm; and a bill of sale (1850) for the land on which
the St. Mary's Mission was built.
2:5-5
English
A native of Pennsylvania, born in 1818, John Owen first came to what is now Montana as a
sutler for Colonel Loring's Oregon-bound column. In 1850, he purchased the site of St.
Mary's Mission from Jesuit missionaries, and there built his trading post, Fort Owen. Owen
operated his post as a trading center for white trappers and Indians of the area, and his
fort also served as a way station to an increasing influx of settlers. Fort Owen contained
the first commercial grist mill in the area and served other important functions. In 1856,
because of his special relationship with the Flathead Indians, Owen was appointed special
agent to that tribe and its affiliates. He held this position until 1862. Owen's mind began
to fail in the early 1870s, and he was hospitalized in Helena until 1877, when he was
transferred to the care of relatives in Philadelphia. He died there on July 12, 1889.
This collection contains sixteen diaries, detailing John Owen's life and his many
excursions throughout the Northwest (1850-1871). Also, there are a register of births,
deaths, and marriages; (1858-1860); copied outgoing letters (1858-1859); and an account book
for trade at Fort Owen (1850-1860). This last volume also was used for mercantile and farm
accounts (1876-1889), possibly by the Fort's subsequent owner, Washington J. McCormick.
:
Arranged by series
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical
Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection.
In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright
owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers.
Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society
Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places
should search under these terms.
Owen, John,
1818-1889
Fort Owen (Mont.)
St. Mary's Mission (Mont.)
Frontier and pioneer life--Montana
Fur trade--Montana
Trading posts--Montana
Vital statistics--Montana
Overland journeys to Montana
Montana
Pioneers
Overland Journeys to the Northwestern
United States
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection
Biographical Materials
1 / 1
Letters of information re John Owen [from Mary
Winslett; library staff]
1922
Incoming Correspondence
1 / 2
J.W. Denver; Phillip H. Sheridan
1873
Outgoing Correspondence
1 / 3
"Fort Owen Register and Letter Book 1858 and 1859";
miscellaneous
1858-1860, 1869
Miscellaneous Correspondence
1 / 4
U.S. Deptartment of Interior to Benjamin F. Potts re John
Owen land claim
1875
Diaries
1 / 5
"Journey from Fort Owen via Fort Hall to Walla Walla
in 1851"; "Diary and A/c Book of Ft. Owen in 1851 and 1852"; "Diary of a Journey from
Ft. Owen to the Dalles in 1852"
1851-1852
1 / 6
"Journey from Ft. Owen to Salmon River & Return
in 1854"; "Diary of a Journey from the Dalles to Ft. Owen in 1854"; "Fort Owen Journal
1854-1855"
1854-1855
1 / 7
"Fort Owen Diary for 1856"; "Fort Owen Journal 1857
and 1858"; "Diary of a trip from Walla Walla to Fort Owen in 1857.--Also of return
trip to Walla Walla in 1858"
1856-1858
1 / 8
"Diary of a Journey to Ft. Benton in 1858"; "Fort
Owen Journal 1860-1861"; "Fort Owen Diary, M.T. 1862, 1863 & part of 1865"
1858-1865
1 / 9
"Diary of a Journey from Fort Owen to Walla Walla in
1863, etc. etc."; "Diary of a Journey from the North Plate [Platte] to Montana in
1864"
1863-1864
2 / 1
"Fort Owen diary for 1865, 1866 & 1867"; untitled
diary
1865-1871
Financial Records
2 / 2
"Fort Owen a/c Book"
1850-1860, 1876-1889
Legal Documents
2 / 3
"Application for Admission of Maj. Jno. Owen, Insane,
to the Territorial Hospital, Lewis & Clarke Co."
1874
2 / 4
Bill of sale for land on which Fort Owen was built
1850