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Preserving and Promoting the Cultural Heritage of the Swan Valley.
The Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS), established in 1988, is dedicated to the discovery, collection, preservation and interpretation of materials that will help establish and illustrate our local history.
Neil Meyer in 1964 at his stud mill.
Courtesy of Neil and Dixie Meyer.
The upper Swan Valley area is unique in that it still retains a plethora of evidence of its varied history. There still exist old Indian trails crisscrossing our mountains. Old trapper cabins and marten notched trees are still around on the landscape. This area was homesteaded and settled at a relatively late date, primarily from the mid-1910s and later, with many artifacts and buildings of that particular era still in existence. Early Forest Service ranger station buildings and cabins are still here. Springboard notched trees and sawmill sites from the early logging days are scattered around the valley. The early dude ranches and lodges are still here today.
Canoeing on Holland Lake, July 4th, 1939, left to right: Kenny Huston, Joan Rader, Junise Nelson, Fern Huston, Rich Nelson, Frank Lundberg, Selma Nelson, and Warner Lundberg. Nelson collection, SEC and USVHS.
Montana: Voices of the Swan
Oral History Project Book Sale!
Over the past decade, many of the Swan Valley's early settlers and residents have been interviewed, sharing their stories of what it was like to be among the first to inhabit this wild and rugged land. Visit our Projects page for details.
Upper Swan Valley Historical Society
P.O. Box 1128 | Condon, MT 59826 | info@SwanValleyHistoricalSociety.org
(406) 754-2745 or (406) 754-3055
© Upper Swan Valley Historical Society. All rights reserved.
Top photo - Swan Peak © Steve Ellis.
Partial funding for this project was provided by Montana's Cultural Trust.