HELP EXPAND, PRESERVE, AND REVITALIZE
FORT OWEN STATE PARK

We are seeking funding to preserve and enhance the historical and educational resources at Fort Owen State Park for the enjoyment of all park visitors.

The Montana State Parks Foundation in partnership with The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and the Friends of Fort Owen are taking on the important project.

We seek to preserve and restore the original trading post structures including repairs to the adobe walls, the roofs, and foundation. Additionally, improving and expanding the interpretive, cultural, and historical displays held within the buildings and other locations within the park will take place in the next two years.

Accessing Fort Owen State Park, which is currently limited, will also be addressed by improving road access, building additional visitor parking, and providing new access for school and tour busses. These improvements will enhance the visitor experience and will allow the park to become accessible to people of all abilities. 

Fort Owen State Park is a place that tells Montana’s rich history and should be preserved

Once this unique project is completed, Fort Owen State Park will be better equipped to handle its growing number of visitors and provide first-class educational and interpretive resources for the surrounding area. 

The park itself will double in size, historic structures, and incredibly rare historical archaeology will be preserved and interpreted. 

Visitors will benefit from improved access and wayfinding, enhanced interpretive information, improved amenities, and additional events at the park. 

The nearby communities of Stevensville, Hamilton, and Missoula will see increased traffic to local businesses, additional tax revenues, and other ancillary benefits as more visitors come to experience and enjoy Fort Owen State Park. 

A LOT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED

We are pleased to announce that Montana State Parks Foundation has received a charitable grant that will help the historic preservation, access improvement, and amplification of Fort Owen State Park.

The grant was received through The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for $507,500.

With these funds, we purchased property to double the size of Fort Owen state park and developed critical access, including a new road, and parking areas, and found historical artifacts during an archeological study.

But there’s still a lot to be done…

WILL YOU SUPPORT THIS PROJECT?

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