Courthouse History & Murals

Edgar Samuel Paxson (1852–1919) is best known for his painting titled Custer's Last Stand, which he completed in 1899. In 1906, he moved his studio from Butte to Missoula, where he lived until his death. In 1912, Missoula County commissioners engaged the artist to create a series of murals based on the writings of the Corps of Discovery, led by Captains Lewis and Clark. Eight murals were installed in the County courthouse and debuted to the public in June 1914. 

The eight scenes, plus two additional paintings discovered during a 1978 restoration of the Courthouse, are reproduced in full color. These 10 paintings are important works of public art and depict notable events like the arrival of Father Ravalli at Fort Owen and the signing of the 1855 Hellgate Treaty.

A free brochure about the Paxson murals at the Missoula County Courthouse is available. This brochure serves as both a viewing guide to visitors and as a stand-alone souvenir. Missoula County printed this publication in response to the popularity of the murals with members of the public, who often ask for more information about the paintings.

An essay about the history and contents of the murals, written in collaboration with the Séliš-Ql̓ispé Culture Committee of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, provides new context for these dramatic paintings. Representatives from the Nimiipuu (also known as the Nez Perce), Onondaga/Miꞌkmaq, CSKT and others added contributed to the essay to provide more nuanced perspectives:

“To Paxson, Lewis and Clark symbolized the bygone days of the heroic west, but to the Séliš and Nimiipuu the legacy of the explorers was the loss of their language, traditional lands and culture. Paxson lived in Montana during a period that University of Montana historian Dan Flores calls, ‘The heyday of nostalgic interpretation of a vanished west.’” While the series of murals are historically relevant, the County welcomes contemporary interpretations of the paintings.

The brochure was printed in partnership with the Missoula Art Museum. The murals are a part of the Missoula County Art Collection, which MAM manages. The public is invited to stop by the Clerk of the Court’s office on the second floor of the Courthouse to pick up a brochure and see the murals in person.

The Missoula County Courthouse complex is situated on a 100,000 square foot lot at 200 W. Broadway in the heart of Missoula’s central business district. The Courthouse was constructed in 1910 and is a listed building in the National Register of Historic Places. The Annex and space linking it to the Courthouse was added in 1966. The building footprint covers 20,620 square feet, and the combined square footage of the buildings, including the clock and bell towers, totals 90,485 gross square feet.

For many years the Courthouse Complex has been home to the following departments: County Commissioners’ Office, Auditor’s Office, Clerk and Recorder/Treasurer, District and Justice Courts, County Attorney, Sheriff, Human Resources, Technology, Finance, Surveyor’s Office, Facilities, Elections, and Emergency Services. Faced with pressure for additional space for law and justice activities and the desire to maintain them in a single downtown location, Missoula County initiated a comprehensive master planning process in 2010.

To accommodate law and justice expansion, the plan identified the need to move the County administrative departments and storage for evidence and archived records to other locations.

In 2011, the County completed construction and renovation of buildings for evidence storage and records management. In addition, a new building was acquired through a lease-purchase with sufficient square footage to accommodate seven administrative departments previously located in the Courthouse Complex including the Commissioners’ Office. The vacated space provided the opportunity to renovate the Courthouse and Annex and provide more functional space to the courts and other departments serving the public.

In addition to the improvements to the utilization of space, the construction includes updates to aging mechanical, electrical, life safety, and fire sprinkler systems. Also included is remediation of asbestos-containing materials and lead paint, replacement of energy inefficient aluminum frame windows, and correction of building code and physical accessibility deficiencies.

The design and renovation of the Courthouse Complex was a complicated seven-year project completed in five phases. Several departments were moved to temporary space within the Courthouse and Annex while their permanent quarters are constructed. The final phase of the renovation project is the exterior of the Courthouse including the lawn, trees, landscaping, sprinkler system, parking lot and lighting. The Courthouse re-opened to the public in August 2018.