Editing Kalispell, Montana (section)

===Early founding===
The first European settler to explore the Flathead Valley was likely surveyor [[Peter Fidler]] of the Hudson's Bay Company in the 18th century. From 1870, permanent settlement and the introduction of livestock brought permanent changes, as did the near-eradication of local bison populations.<ref name="flatheadwatershed">{{cite web | url=http://www.flatheadwatershed.org/cultural_history/exploration.shtml | title=Cultural History-Brief History of the People }}</ref>

In 1884, a short-lived town called Ashley was founded where Kalispell is today. Three years later nearby '''Demersville''' was founded. Demersville quickly grew to be the largest town in the area, but when the [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railroad]] bypassed the town it was abandoned just as quickly, with people moving the short distance to the new town of Kalispell.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nwmthistory.org/exhibitions/greetings-from-demersville/ | title=Greetings from Demersville – Northwest Montana History Museum }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://flatheadbeacon.com/2021/05/19/short-wild-life-demersville/ | title=The Short Wild Life of Demersville | date=May 19, 2021 }}</ref>