06/30/2026
On the right you see Missoula Mills. This was the reason Missoula was created. Higgins and Worden need a good source or water for their Mill. They were located on Grant Creek but it didn't have a strong enough year round flow. So, they moved to what is now the north east corner of Higgins Ave. Bridge (now known as Beartracks Bridge). They diverted water from Rattlesnake Creek with a flume that went through the back yards of homes on east Front Street. If you go into the basement of The Trailhead, you will see a bricked in section of the wall that once was the conduit through which the flume flowed.
1895- Looking north along Higgins Avenue from the Higgins Avenue bridge, Missoula, Montana. A horse-drawn vehicle crosses the bridge. Street-car tracks can be seen on the left side of the bridge. The photograph shows the north truss segment of the pre-1908 flood Higgins Street bridge. The Hammond Building is on the left on the north side of the river. The First National Bank building is on the right.
📸 Historic photo courtesy of the Montana History Portal and the University of Montana Mansfield Library.
