First Presbyterian Church of Kalispell
540 South Main
Kalispell, Montana 59901
Phone (406) 752-7488
Fax (406) 755-8130
email: info@pcusa-kalispell.org
A Brief History of the First Presbyterian Church - Kalispell, Montana
Milestones and Transitions: 1888 - 1919
Owing to the great distance he was removed from the railroad and great expense of travel, Reverend Fisher was absent from the Spring, 1888 Presbytery meeting. He had mailed, in advance, his application for the renewal of his commission. He had believed Presbytery understood that his family needed the farm’s supplemental income, but two members reported that they had heard that George was farming and not preaching. So, at this meeting George was set adrift from financial aid without an opportunity to report on progress in the mission field which he was, in fact, diligently and faithfully pursuing. In order to support his family, George began banking logs in addition to eking out a meager subsistence on the farm.
Located at an important intersection of several pack trails southwest of present-day Kalispell and about a mile from the Fisher farm, the Ashley Church formally organized June 2, 1889 with seven members. Through his sheer determination, discipleship and keen insight into the future, George expanded his ministry to include the Stillwater River area, Creston, Bigfork and Demarsville in addition to growing his flock and preaching every Sunday at Ashley. George’s standing in the community grew as he became known. It was not uncommon for him to travel for several days at a time to officiate at marriages, baptisms and funerals prompting the wife of the first publisher of the InterLake newspaper in 1889 to remark that: “Reverend Fisher married and buried more people than all of the other preachers put together. He was so human and saw the best in everyone”.
It wasn’t long before a seminal event took place that would shape the region’s future for decades to come – the arrival of the Great Northern Railroad. While the company was determining its route through the Flathead, local communities were rife with speculation, knowing the rail division point guaranteed prosperity. Demarsville boasted navigable waters, Ashley bragged that it was the valley’s natural outlet to the west and the new town of Columbia Falls championed its superior location where the tracks emerged from Black Rock Canyon. None of these were chosen however; instead a brand new town of Kalispell, founded by James J. Hill, became the choice for the division. Almost overnight there was a mass exodus from surrounding small towns to Kalispell. Charles Conrad established the first town site company carving lots out of farmland and marketing them in April, 1891. Kalispell was booming by summer with 23 saloons, 6 gambling halls, 6 honky-tonks, 2 Chinese restaurants and laundries and 4 general stores open for business, quickly followed by three banks. At the peak of construction, the railroad employed over 6,000 men were employed as laborers, surveyors, graders, track layers and cooks.
Pastor Fisher watched these developments with interest and was poised to make some moves of his own. As the new town began to take shape, the Fishers realized their farm was right in the middle of planned development. As commerce mobilized around the new town center, the church needed to do so as well, reasoned Reverend Fisher. His local congregation of 17 members agreed and plans for the new Presbyterian Community Church were made.
First, trusting the Lord to lead the way, George moved boldly to sell
the family farm pledging a portion of the proceeds to build the new
church. With a Session of six men, the team began construction on
September 13, 1891. The building located at 2nd Avenue East and 3rd
Street was dedicated June 1892. The Flathead Monitor newspaper noted:
“the outside of the church is complete and a credit to the town. It is a
building beautiful for situation and a joy to all those who wish well
for Zion. It is symmetrical in dimensions and a great contrast to the
sheep shed shaped churches of less than a hundred years ago. The tower
stands almost 100 feet in the air holding an eighteen hundred pound bell
which can be heard ten miles away”.
By September, the independent Sunday School, previously conducted at the post office, merged with First Presbyterian Community Church. At the time, the importance of Sunday School was of paramount concern in the minds of parents of young children and Reverend Fisher remarked that he would have abandoned the idea of establishing a church in Kalispell were it not for the community’s active interest in Sunday School. Mary saw the integral role women could play and led in establishing the First Aid Society. This later became the Women’s Society (and then the Presbyterian Women), thus beginning a legacy of women working on behalf of the church through organizing suppers, bazaars and fundraising for world missions. The early church wasted no time in making an impact in the community. Reverend Fisher led the church until 1900. The home that he built, at 441 2nd St. West, still stands. Subsequently, he owned and operated two other farms and continued missionary work until his death.
1920s - 1950s