Bitterroot Valley

In the winter of 1859, settlers from Bitterroot Valley and the Flathead agency presented a petition to the Washington legislature for the establishment of Bitterroot County. The petition garnered 77 signatures, predominantly from members of the Mullan wagon-road company, with few actual pioneers included. Although the petition was not formally presented until the 1860-1861 session, it ultimately contributed to the creation of Shoshone and Missoula counties in the region. Notable signatories included W.W. Johnson, J.A. Mullan, and G.C. Taliaferro, among others.