Two Rivers History Net - Clark Fork River, Blackfoot River, Milltown, Bonner, Montana

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Community History along the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers

Welcome to Two Rivers History.net, the virtual interpretive center devoted to exploring the rich history found at the Confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers and neighboring communities of Bonner, Milltown, Piltzville, Pine Grove, and West Riverside, just east of Missoula, Montana.

The confluence is a place of national historical significance. Through brief essays, slideshows, and multimedia clips this website uncovers some of the layers of history that began with the last ice dam in the area that unleashed the Glacial Lake Missoula floods some 13,000 years ago and continues forward to present day with the restoration of Two Rivers Confluence. There's a lot of history in between and this website is devoted to telling some of the those stories, oftentimes in the voices of community members themselves.

This website is a project of the History & Culture Committee of the Milltown Superfund Redevelopment Working Group and was made possible by a grant from the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula and historic mitigation funds from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Two Rivers History.net is a work-in-progress, so bear with us. Please check back soon for new additions. And send us your thoughts, suggestions and stories.

Preserving History Today

Bonner-Milltown residents have long treasured their past. Read about more than 30 years of efforts aimed at preserving and celebrating local history.

The Bonner Mill

Bonner was a timber town from its very beginning. Read about more than 120 years of mill history in Bonner.

Meet the Communities

The confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers is surrounded by several unincorporated communites. Learn more about them.

The Great Flood of 1908

Just over a century ago the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers saw perhaps there greatest flood since the last ice dams burst some 13,000 years ago. Check out the slideshow and essay.

History in the News

Community at the Confluence Set for August 15
You’re invited to the Friends of 2 Rivers Community at the Confluence salute “To the River,” noon – 4 p.m. Sunday, August 15 at the old Montana Power Park at the former Milltown Dam site (future state park). This event is family oriented and free! This year's activities include:

Music by the Slayden family Blue Mountain Music Makers, Wild Bill Ochsner, and Dan Dubuque
Program Our Wildlife Neighbors by Jamie Jonkel, FWP
Family activities by Watershed Education Network, Great Bear Foundation, Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Bonner Milltown History Center, fly casting demos, and letterboxing
Displays by CFRTAC, Bear Aware, Trout Unlimited, Bonner Milltown History Center, Natural Damage Resource Program
Community Picnic: Bodacious Bison Burgers! Juicy Bratwursts! Fresh sweet corn! Captain Hook’s ice cream treats! Buy lunch or bring a picnic basket.

For more information and driving directions, visit the Friends of 2 Rivers website.

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History Center Summer Hours
The Bonner Milltown History Center is open for business this summer by appointment in the Bonner Post Office Building. The mission of the History Center is to keep our local and timber heritage alive for the education and enjoyment of the public and to do that the goal is to collect oral histories, historic photographs, documents, and artifacts related to local and mill history. For more information, contact Judy Matson, 258-6335.

History in the News

More History Inside