By Jeanne O'Neill & Riga Winthrop
Fort Connah in northwestern Montana, the last Hudson's Bay Company trading post in the continental United States, was central to the early fur trading era of northwestern Montana but its story has languished over the years through neglect and the fact that history, literally, passed it by. Located some six miles south of Ronan and immediately east of U.S. Highway 93 along Post Creek, one remnant building of the old trading post remains standing, labeled by many historians as the oldest standing man-made structure in Montana. Now the dramatic story of Fort Connah and efforts to restore it are the focus of this new book by Jeanne O'Neill and Riga Winthrop of Stevensville, Montana. Their journey of inquiry into Fort Connah led them to learn intimate and long-forgotten details of this incredible trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company as well as the main participants in its history, Scotsman Angus McDonald and his Nez Perce wife, Catherine, the Salish people, and others. Chapters in the book cover the history of Fort Connah, the key players in the era of its hey-day, a chapter outlining additional historical aspects taking place regionally at the time that would affect Fort Connah, and a detailed bibliography.
Dr. Harry Fritz, chairman of the Department of History at the University of Montana, said in the book's Foreword that “You'll find much rewarding information in this book – about the early fur trade, about Angus McDonald and his family, about Native Montanans on the edge of white settlement. Above all, you'll learn about, and be able to visit, a surviving relic of a bygone era, the Hudson's Bay Company's last outpost in the Mission Valley, Fort Connah.” 6x9 format, 148 pages, many photographs. Foreword by Dr. Harry Fritz and a Preface by Dr. Joe McDonald, president of Salish-Kootenai College and great-grandson of Angus McDonald.
ISBN 1-931291-17-9 (softcover) – $13.95
ISBN 1-931291-18-7 (hardcover) – $18.95
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