DescriptionThe Salish named the place where Polson now sits Pied e’ lai, “Foot of the lake.” In 1864, Baptiste Eneas built and operated a ferry across the Flathead River where it exited the lake. When Henry Lambert opened a trading post and general store nearby in 1881, the spot became known as Lambert’s Landing. In 1898, the community took the name of pioneer rancher David Polson, but it did not incorporate until 1910, when the area boomed with the sudden influx of homesteaders attracted by the opening of the Flathead Indian Reservation to non-Indians. When the Montana legislature created Lake County in 1923, Polson won the coveted county seat from Ronan. Personal NamesEneas, BaptisteLambert, HenryPolson, DavidOther Name(s)Pied e' laiLambert's LandingContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation2927 ft.CountyLake County
