Downtown Missoula: A Historical Walking Tour of Montana's Heart

(3 reviews)

Missoula, Montana audio tour: Downtown Missoula: A Historical Walking Tour of Montana's Heart

This is a 1.1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Missoula, Montana

The United States

$24.99

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About the Tour

Montana's second-largest city sits in a valley carved by an ancient glacier, where multiple cultures and industries have converged to create a distinctive Western town. On this walking tour, you'll discover how Missoula transformed from a 19th-century trading post into a vibrant cultural center.

Along the way, you'll encounter the colorful characters, architectural gems, and dramatic stories that shaped this mountain community's unique identity.

The tour begins in the heart of downtown. You'll weave through Missoula's historic streets, exploring buildings like the elegant Florence Hotel and passing landmarks that showcase the city's evolution from railroad hub to automobile center. You'll learn about the contentious relationship between the city's founding father, C.P. Higgins, and his business rival, Andrew Hammond, whose competition shaped downtown's development.

You'll cross the Clark Fork River with views of Brennan's Wave, a man-made kayaking feature, and see the Spanish Mission Revival-style Milwaukee Road Depot. You'll explore the “seedier” side of Missoula's history, including tales of notorious madams like Mary “Mother” Gleim, whose exploits included diamond smuggling and attempted murder. The tour ends at the historic Missoula Mercantile, now beautifully preserved as part of the Residence Inn, where you can browse historical artifacts and artwork.

During this 90-minute journey into Missoula's past, you'll have a chance to:

Visit the Wilma Theater, an eight-story “skyscraper” built in 1921 for Vaudeville star Edna Wilma
Discover the story behind Missoula's name, derived from the indigenous Salish term “Nmesulé” meaning “Shimmering Cold Waters”
See historic buildings along “Gasoline Alley,” where the automobile culture transformed West Main Street in the 1920s
Learn how labor activists fought for free speech rights on Missoula's street corners in the early 1900s
Explore Art Moderne and Romanesque Revival architecture throughout the downtown area
View the iconic M on Mount Sentinel, which survived multiple iterations before becoming the concrete landmark visible today

Walk in the footsteps of Missoula's early settlers, railroad workers, madams, and entrepreneurs on this journey through a city that blends Western history with modern mountain-town vibrancy.

Tour Producer

Local Missoula Tours

1 tour

Experience downtown Missoula the way locals know and love it—alive with stories, color, and character. Our walking tours invite you to wander through historic streets, vibrant murals, iconic landmarks, and the hidden corners most visitors never find. Along the way, you’ll hear the legends, lore, and lived experiences of someone who calls Missoula home, bringing the city’s past and present to life in a way that’s warm, authentic, and unforgettable.

Preview Location

Location 14

Gleim II & I: 255 & 265 W Front St

Come to a stop in front of 255 W Front Street.

You should see the red brick Gleim II building that was built around 1893. It was one of eight brothels owned and operated by Mary “Mother” Gleim, who had the risqué career we spoke about on the way here. Mary also owned a con... Come to a stop in front of 255 W Front Street.

You should see the red brick Gleim II building that was built around 1893. It was one of eight brothels owned and operated by Mary “Mother” Gleim, who had the risqué career we spoke about on the way here. Mary also owned a considerable number of properties in Missoula and elsewhere.

Gleim was well known to authorities and appeared frequently before the county judge on various charges arising from her drunken rages, including verbal and physical assaults. She also appeared countless times in civil court for refusal to pay contractors and to evict tenants who could not pay their rent. In addition to brothel-keeping, she was reputed to be a smuggler of diamonds, opium, and Chinese railroad workers. The Missoula Downtown Association does a number of amazing history tours that dive more into these topics if you are interested.

Despite all her dramas, Gleim retained the title to this building until her death in 1914. After the brothel closed, the building housed an automobile repair shop and later a billiards parlor. After two fires swept the downtown, it was restored in 1995 and captured a Historic Preservation Award for that effort.

Let's keep walking just a bit further down Front to 265 West Front Street to see another of Mother Gleim's properties.

Stop and look at 265 West Front Street and you'll see Gleim I, a classically styled brick building that served as the headquarters for Mary Gleim’s Bordello businesses on Front Street.

Ironically, Mary bought the building with the intention of turning it into an actual female boarding house, but quickly saw the potential of brothels with the large amount of railroad workers in town.

After serving as a brothel until 1916 the building housed billiard parlors, cigar shop, and in the spirit of Mother Gleim, an adult theater in the 1970s. The building is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is an excellent example of Romanesque Revival architecture with its arched windows, brick pilasters, and checkerboard banding and granite sills. The original arches were also discovered in a 1980's renovation.

On that note, let's move from railroad times to automobile times as we head across the street to Zip Auto Service!

Continue down Front until you see the crosswalk on your right. Read More

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Major Landmarks

140 N Higgins Ave
The Florence Building
The Wilma
Old Milwaukee Depot
Caras Park
Residence Inn by Marriott Missoula Downtown
A Carousel for Missoula

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Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
218 E Main St C, Missoula, MT 59802, USA
Total distance

2km
Final location
125 N Pattee St, Missoula, MT 59802, USA
Distance back to start location

69.88m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins on the corner of North Higgins and East Main outside of the PaddleHeads Post and Destination Missoula Visitor's Center: 140 N Higgins Ave, Missoula, MT 59802. During opening hours, there is a public restroom available.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

The Florence Hotel has numerous local shops we recommend exploring, as well as the Mercantile at the end of your walking tour. You’ll find food, beverages and restrooms in both locations.

The Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC) and the Missoula Art Museum (MAM) are both free art museums along your route that we encourage you to visit.

Best time of day

The tour is available year-round at any time of the day. In order to access the part of the tour that goes into the Florence Hotel, the building is usually open between 8am and 10pm. More information about the building can be found at www.florencebuilding.com.

Precautions

Summer afternoons in Missoula can be quite warm, so we recommend bringing a water bottle, sunglasses, and a hat.

Please dress appropriately for the weather in all seasons, as winters can be cold and icy. Regardless of the season, there are plenty of restaurants, shops, bar and coffee spots to duck into along the tour if needed.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”