The Place:
Civilization first came to Polson in 1864 with the construction of a ferry across the Flathead River here at its mouth. Apparently no one was actually interested in living or doing business at the site until a general store was built nearby in 1881 and the spot came to be known as Lambert's Landing, after the store owner. The community soon began to flourish, however, being given the name
Polson, after pioneer rancher Flathead River. Incorporated in 1910, the town and the area saw a strong influx of homesteaders with the opening of the Flathead Reservation to homesteading. When Lake County was created in 1923, it was Polson which garnered the title of
County Seat, doubtless to the dismay of Ronan, the next largest town, about 12 miles south on Highway 93.
The "Dirty Thirties" treated Montana, as it did most areas, badly, but it did leave Polson with two brand new civic buildings, the Polson City Hall and the Art Deco Lake County Courthouse.
With a population of about 4,500, Polson remains the largest city in Lake County, which itself has a population of around 29,000. When visiting, be sure to stop in at the
Miracle of America Museum, the single largest collection of antiques and artifacts in Montana, the result of one man's passion for collecting. If you're the slightest bit interested in antiques, machinery of any and all types, artefacts and memorabilia you could easily fritter away an entire day here. It has huge collections both inside and outside.
Polson, a charming lakeside community located on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Polson has several city parks along the lakeshore that offer spectacular views, picnicking, sunbathing and lake access. The Polson Country Club is a beautiful 18-hole golf course on the shores of the lake.
While in Polson, visit its quaint local shops, restaurants and fine art galleries. Learn more about local history at the Polson-Flathead Historical Museum, which contains the original Allard Stagecoach, Calamity Jane’s saddle, displays of Polson’s past, and a pictorial history of Kerr Dam construction. See the largest collection of antique artifacts in western Montana at the Miracle of America Museum. Polson is also home to the Glacier Brewing Company, where visitors can sample locally made brews in the tasting room.
Polson is the trading center for one of Montana’s most fertile farming areas. Polson holds an annual Cherry Festival to celebrate its location in a prime cherry-growing region with numerous orchards. Other events not to be missed include the annual Main Street Festival, the Sandpiper Gallery Art Festival, and performances of classic comedies and musicals by the Port Polson Players.
From the Flathead Convention and Visitor Bureau
David Polson was born of Scottish descent in 1834 in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1849 David joined the Gold Rush and migrated to California, working his way west with a string of pack horses. Later he moved on to Carson City Nevada. From there he traveled by pack train to Walla Walla, Washington before heading east into Orofino, Idaho.
David and Mary Kane, a Nez Perce Indian woman whom David met in his travels, were married in 1861 and had one child, Agnes. The exact date he and Mary Kane arrived in the Polson area is unknown. Fellow Rancher Billy Irvine believed it to be 1865. Another source states that in 1870 David and Mary packed up and moved to the Flathead Indian Reservation and located on a ranch five miles east of what was then Lambert’s Landing. He raised stock and became very popular among
the Flathead Indians.
David Polson was said to have had a hospitable nature and to have been a renowned fiddler, leading an orchestra that played for dances as far away as Missoula and Frenchtown. David died in 1900.
The manner in which Polson was named goes, according to one source, like this:
The area settlers elected Batiste Eneas and David Polson to name the town. After much discussion, David Polson suggested they name the town Eneas. Eneas was honored but hastily declined and recommended they name the town Polson as he thought it was a more fitting sounding name for a town.
Hence: Polson Montana was named. We know not whether this is true, but we suppose that it probably is.
The Salish named the place where Polson now sits Pied e’ lai, “Foot of the lake.” In 1864, Baptiste Eneas built and operated a ferry across the Flathead River where it exited the lake. When Henry Lambert opened a trading post and general store nearby in 1881, the spot became known as Lambert’s Landing. In 1898, the community took the name of
pioneer rancher David Polson, but it did not incorporate until 1910, when the area boomed with the sudden influx of homesteaders attracted by the opening of the Flathead Indian Reservation to non-Indians. When the Montana legislature created Lake County in 1923, Polson won the coveted county seat from Ronan.
From the Montana Place Names Companion