Sample Page
Montana Album: Great Falls
The Military Connection
Ever since the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the American military forces have been in Montana. The Expedition, officially named the Corps of Discovery, was a unit of the First Infantry Regiment.
It was only a few short years after the Expedition's return to St. Louis in 1806 that the adventurers who had been attracted to the distant lands of the West were asking the federal government for military protection. The history of Montana contains many stories of military campaigns, fort building, "successes" and "failures" as the wilderness was transformed into a territory and eventually a state.
Fort Shaw
The military established their first residence on the Great Falls area in 1867 when Fort Shaw was built. It was one of three forts for the Montana Territory authorized by Congress in 1865. These forts were to be built to establish peace and good order. Not just to protect white settlers from Indians, but to protect everyone from those who would not live within the law. Fort Shaw was named in honor of Col. Robert G. Shaw who had distinguished himself during the Civil War...
The Military Connection
Ever since the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the American military forces have been in Montana. The Expedition, officially named the Corps of Discovery, was a unit of the First Infantry Regiment.
It was only a few short years after the Expedition's return to St. Louis in 1806 that the adventurers who had been attracted to the distant lands of the West were asking the federal government for military protection. The history of Montana contains many stories of military campaigns, fort building, "successes" and "failures" as the wilderness was transformed into a territory and eventually a state.
Fort Shaw
The military established their first residence on the Great Falls area in 1867 when Fort Shaw was built. It was one of three forts for the Montana Territory authorized by Congress in 1865. These forts were to be built to establish peace and good order. Not just to protect white settlers from Indians, but to protect everyone from those who would not live within the law. Fort Shaw was named in honor of Col. Robert G. Shaw who had distinguished himself during the Civil War...