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Images of Cowboys, Indians, open spaces,
pioneer trails and wild and rowdy miners are
still part of the mystique associated with our
area. But there is more than this and more
than most people imagine for a city of our size.
History is alive and abundant in Bozeman.
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Evidence of Bozeman's unique local
heritage can be found throughout the city.
Bozeman now has eight historical districts and
more than 40 individual properties listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
Native Americans
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Bozeman is an area that was once home to very
early native peoples dating back
thousands of years. Tribal bands
including the Shoshone, Nez Perce,
Blackfeet, Flathead and Sioux, date
back several hundred years. The
area was rich with game, water and
plants used by the natives.
Lewis and Clark
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Europeans may have entered the
valley in the late 1700s as they
searched and trapped for beaver
pelts to send back East for hats and
coats. The Lewis and Clark party left
the first written description of the
valley in both 1805 and 1806 during its
epic journey. For information about
the Lewis and Clark Expedition, visit:
http://lewisandclark.state.mt.us .
Gold & the Bozeman Trail
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When gold was discovered 60 and 80 miles
to the west, the rush was on over the new
Bozeman Trail, established by John Bozeman,
a Georgian also looking for gold.
The trail formed the northern spur off
of the Oregon Trail. This trail began at Landrock
and ended at Virginia City, Montana. John
Bozeman began to lead new settlers over this
trail in 1864. it was open for three years until it
was closed by the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians
who wanted to stop the immigration of new setters
into the area. Many who
followed this trail for gold returned to the
valley to take up farming and business.
A Town is Born
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On July 7, 1864, Daniel E. Rouse and William
J. Beall drafted plans for the townsite. The name
of Bozeman was chosen August 9, 1864, and
named the Gallatin County seat in 1867.
Jim Bridger came to Bozeman in 1864. A well
known frontiersman, Bridger brought the first
wagon train through the canyon north of town
now known as Bridger Canyon. The mountain
range north of town is known as the Bridger
Range.
Nelson Story settled in Bozeman in the mid-1800s.
He drove 3,000 head of cattle from Texas to
Bozeman against the wishes of the US Army
which feared for his safety. Because the army
did not want Nelson to continue, much of the drive
was done in the night when Story was able to
sneak the cattle through.
These cattle formed the beginnings of
Montana's strong cattle industry. He was a
strong supporter of the beginnings of Montana
State College, now MSU, and the historical Ellen
Theater, in downtown Bozeman.
Northern Pacific Railroad
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In 1883 the Northern Pacific Railway finished
its pathway to Bozeman through what is now
known as the Bozeman Pass. This route paralleled
the Bozeman Trail which is now Interstate 90.
The town grew slowly, reaching a population
of barely 3,500 by 1900.
- content from Bozeman Chamber
of Commerce
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