The campus of the University of Montana sits in a picturesque spot, surrounded by the town of Missoula, soaring mountains on all sides, and the rushing waters of the Clark Fork River. Construction on the campus began at the tail end of the 19th century. Most of the buildings on campus are much newer, but a few old structures remain. What was once an empty, open field is now a bustling campus, crowded with buildings, cut through by roads, and brimming with trees in every direction.

This exhibit is intended as a companion piece to the Montana History Portal walking tour of the University of Montana, through our partnership with Adventure Lab. If you walk the tour, you will be able to compare the historic photos below with the views you see today in the 21st century.  For those who don't have the chance to visit these places in person, we have embedded Google Street Views with each photo, which will allow you to compare the University of today to the University of the past. One of the most striking things you will notice in these comparison views is the dramatic increase in greenery on the campus - wide open spaces are now home to hundreds of trees and bushes, obscuring what were once clear sight lines.

We have launched a free, self-guided tour of the campus, using a mobile app called "Adventure Lab." This app is free to download on your phone. Our tour will walk you to various locations on campus. There you will have the opportunity to view historic photos of the campus that give a sense of what it looked like at various times over the past 125 years, in the very spot you are standing.

We hope you will stop by if you are in Missoula and check it out! You can view the Adventure Lab here:

https://adventurelab.page.link/P4qT

Images for this digital exhibit were provided by the University's own Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library.

University Hall/Main Hall

Constructed in 1898, University Hall is the oldest building on campus. It dominates the open space of the Oval, a wide open multipurpose grassy area. The building is interchangeably referred to as Main Hall and University Hall, but the official name is University Hall. In the early days of the university, the grounds were wide open, and formal athletic facilities were limited. This 1904 photos shows Roy McPhail pole vaulting 9'6" in a grassy area right next to University Hall - note that there is no pad for his landing! At this spot now, there are walkways and trees, but University Hall looms in the background, mostly unchanged. Link to pole vaulting photo

Bench Near The Oval

The earliest plans for the campus show the prominent Oval open space, surrounded by buildings. The basic layout of the Oval has changed little in over a century, it remains a wide open, green space. The configuration of the walkways has changed a bit, but remains very close to what it was when the University opened at the end of the 19th century. In this circa 1915 photo, two well-dressed men, possibly faculty, sit on a bench. Behind them you can see the curve of The Oval walkway. The building in the background is Women's Hall, now the Math building. Mount Sentinel can be seen in the background. Link to the bench photo

Original Men's Gym

This interesting looking structure served as the first men's gymnasium on campus. It sat just a bit north of University Hall, in the approximate location of the current University Center. It was built in 1922, and featured a grandstand on the other side of the building, overlooking Dornblaser Field where many sporting events were held, such as football and track. A new men's gymnasium (now called Schreiber Gym) opened in 1921, and the original gym was converted to a women's gym. It served in that role until 1957, and was demolished in 1965 to make way for the new University Center. Link to photo of original men's gym photo

Gifford Pinchot Hall of Forestry

The Forestry Building is one of the older structures on campus, built in 1922. The following year it was named the Gifford Pinchot Hall of Forestry, after the first Chief of the Forest Service. The building features a unique decorative aspect, with a terracota pine tree and "M" between the second and third floors. This photo shows the building under construction in May 1922, with Cook Hall, Mount Jumbo, and Mount Sentinel in the background. Link to photo of construction of Forestry Building

Please note that there is no Google Street View available from this vantage point.

Heating Plant

The University's Heating Plant seems almost out of place, with its towering smokestack. This critical piece of infrastructure was built in 1922. At the time, it was located in a sparse, empty spot. Note the lack of trees or significant structures in the vicinity, though the "M" on Mount Sentinel is seen in the background. Work on this important functional building has continued for over a century, with an addition in 1933, modernization of boilers in 1959, and ongoing projects that continue into the 21st century. Today, the building is surrounded by parking lots, and is now dwarfed by neighboring Aber Hall. Link to photo of Heating Plant

Adams Center (Field House)

One of the largest structures on campus is the multi-purpose Adams Center. It was built in 1953 and originally called simply the Field House. It has been remodeled and expanded various times over the years, including major work in 1970 and 2000. The current name Adams Center was applied in 1999 - shortened from the name Harry Adams Event Center given in 1998. This large facility is the home for many University sporting events, as well as a variety of performances and entertainment before a large audience. Link to photo of University Field House

Women's Basketball Team

In the early days of the university, sporting facilities were much simpler than they are today. This 1905 photo shows the women's basketball team posing on a dirt court with backboard. The only thing that remains the same today is University Hall in the distance. In the closer background is Science Hall, demolished in 1983. The campus at this point was small and simple. There are a few trees in the distance, planted around the Oval. Note the huge stacks of wood outside Science Hall. This photo is a good example of how trees have dramatically changed the look of campus over the course of more than a century. Link to photo of University of Montana women's basketball team

Football Game

The Grizzlies have been playing football on campus since 1897. The original playing field was located right at the foot of Mount Sentinel. In this 1914 photo you can see an on-field celebration near one end zone. Note the spectators on the sidelines, as well as their vehicles parked right next to the field. The field was later named Dornblaser Field, after the 1912 Grizzly team captain who was killed in action during World War I. The football field was ringed by a track oval, which looped past the grandstand of the old gym. The field was upgraded over the course of many decades, before the final game was played here in 1968. Games were first moved to an off-campus stadium and then to Washington-Grizzly Stadium in 1986. Link to photo of 1914 football game

Original Library (now Social Sciences)

The University's first library was built in 1921. In this photo, you can see that the campus was still largely wide open and undeveloped at that time. In 1979 it was renamed the Social Sciences building. If you look closely at the decorative front entrance (link to a 1925 photo) you can see that "Library" is carved in the stone. That has since been removed (link to current Google Street View) and is quite visible today. Link to photo of library construction

Fine Arts Building

The University's Fine Arts Building and George and Jane Dennison Theater began its life as the Student Union in 1935. It was renamed the Fine Arts Building in 1955, and had an addition built in 1998. This 1945 photo shows a very different scene from today. At that time, Maurice Avenue still cut through campus in what is now pedestrian only access - you can see cars parked along the side of the road. As is the case in many of the Google Street Views on campus, what was once a wide open vista is now greatly obscured by trees.

Link to photo of Student Union

Bibliography

Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana. "100 Years of Forestry at The University of Montana." Accessed March 2023. http://exhibits.lib.umt.edu/forestry/history

Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana "Buildings and Grounds - University History Research Guide." Last modified May 4, 2021. https://libguides.lib.umt.edu/c.php?g=275461&p=1836048

United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, University of Montana Historic District, August 17, 1992. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/20813bab-709f-4f3e-a723-150e7c0dbd3f

Photo Credits

Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library