Location: On Highway 93; 42 miles north of Missoula, near National Bison Range. Population: 780.
St. Ignatius is a small community on the Flathead Reservation, located at the base of the magnificent Mission Mountains in one of the state’s most scenic valleys. These towering, snow-clad sentinels are spectacular from any direction, but the panoramic view cresting the long hill on Highway 93 from the south is absolutely breathtaking.
Travelers should allow time to visit the historic St. Ignatius Mission. This impressive Jesuit mission was built in 1891, with fifty-eight beautifully painted murals designed by Brother Joseph Carignamo, the Mission cook.
Housed in an authentic 1870 log building, Four Winds is the oldest continuously operating trading post in Montana. Shop where the local tribes buy their supplies and your purchase will help preserve the traditional arts of several western bands. Beads, bells, antique and contemporary moccasins, porcupine hair roaches, pipes, bags, deer and moose hides, music, reproduction bead and quillwork, blankets, parfleches, books and more.
