The site of the original St. Mary's Mission, established here in 1841, this was the first non native settlement in the state of Montana, later giving rise to the town of Stevensville, Montana's first town. Montana's oldest continuously occupied settlement, Fort Owen was the site of the first sawmill, flour mill, cattle herd, irrigation and public school in Montana.
The Fort Owen well is one of the few remaining features of the original site, the others being the east barracks, the foundation of the root cellar and parts of the foundation of the west barracks. A few other features, such as partial replicas of the fort's walls, were constructed in the late twentieth century.
Located in the centre of the compound, the stone lined well was hand dug in the late 1850s, with the well house being erected over it in 1860. Now partially filled in but still with water at the bottom, in 1977 the well itself had a new wood frame well house erected over it which replicates the original.
This well would have been in use, with draw works above it, for many years, possibly until the fort became abandoned. Though it ceased to be used as a trading post in about 1889, the barracks were used by the cattle ranch which began to operate here at about the same time. The east barracks were used as a bunkhouse for ranch hands at least until 1912. The site of the fort remains surrounded by a working cattle ranch.
In 1937 a group of citizens purchased one acre of land surrounding the fort for the purpose of establishing a historic site. In 1956 the land was donated to the state to become Fort Owen State Park. The park also became a state monument at that time.
THE WELLHOUSE
The Fort Owen wellhouse was completed in the autumn of 1860 during the final phase of adobe reconstruction of the Fort. The wellhouse covered a stone-lined well shaft from which water was drawn. The building was reconstructed in 1977 based on historic photographs and archaeological evidence.
From the plaque at the well