Editing Frenchtown, Montana

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Frenchtown, Montana
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]]
|image_skyline            = Frenchtown Montana near F.jpg
|imagesize                = 225px
|image_caption            = 
|image_map                = Missoula_County_Montana_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Frenchtown_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in Missoula County and the state of Montana
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Montana]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Montana|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Missoula County, Montana|Missoula]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023">{{cite web |title=2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Montana |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2023_Gazetteer/2023_gaz_place_30.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=June 4, 2024}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 17.55
|area_land_km2            = 17.45
|area_water_km2           = 0.10
|area_total_sq_mi         = 6.78
|area_land_sq_mi          = 6.74
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.04
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US3029350&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=P1. Race – Frenchtown CDP, Montana: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=June 4, 2024}}</ref>
|population_total         = 1958
|population_density_km2   = 112.23
|population_density_sq_mi = 290.68
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
|utc_offset               = -7
|timezone_DST             = MDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -6
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 3038
|coordinates              = {{coord|47|01|57|N|114|15|26|W|region:US-MT|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes and others -->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 59834
|area_code                = [[Area code 406|406]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 30-29350
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2408263<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2408263}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Frenchtown''' is an [[unincorporated community]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Missoula County, Montana|Missoula County]], [[Montana]], United States. It is part of the [[Missoula metropolitan area]]. The population was 1,958 as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020"/>

==History==
[[File:Frenchtown Montana Center.jpg|thumb|left|Grocery and post office]]
Early settlers gave the location a generic name based on the ethnicity or language of the original settlers, namely [[French Canadians]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ccY1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=2RAGAAAAIBAJ&pg=487%2C2128045 | title=Origins of Names on Milwaukee | work=Roundup Record-Tribune & Winnett Times | date=August 22, 1940 | access-date=27 April 2015 | pages=6}}</ref>

The settlement was cofounded around 1858 by two French Canadians moving inland with their [[Métis]] families<ref>Barman, Jean ''French Canadians, Furs, and Indigenous Women in the Making of the Pacific Northwest''. UBC Press. Vancouver 2014. Chapter 7: "Initiating Permanent Settlement"</ref> to escape turmoil further west that followed the arrival of the American federal authorities. Jean-Baptiste Ducharme left [[Puget Sound]] during the Indian Wars (1855-1856) abandoning his land claim as his [[Muck Creek]] neighbors were arrested under martial law. Louis Brown (anglicized name) left the Colville Valley turmoil a few years later with his [[Pend d'Oreille]] wife and their daughters. Meanwhile the [[Kalispel Indian Community]] had moved upriver to a new locale accompanied by Jesuit priest Father Hoecken, who relocated the Saint-Ignatius mission northeast of the future Frenchtown.

The St. Louis Catholic Church was built in 1864.

A post office called Frenchtown was first established in 1868.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MT&county=Missoula | title=Missoula County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=27 April 2015}}</ref>

==Geography==
Frenchtown is located in northwestern Missoula County on the historic [[Mullan Road]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Road to Frenchtown has changed since Stone's journey|url = http://missoulian.com/news/local/road-to-frenchtown-has-changed-since-stone-s-journey/article_202e3a56-c618-11e1-85e4-0019bb2963f4.html|access-date = 2015-10-03|first = Kim|last = Briggeman|website = Missoulian|date = July 4, 2012}}</ref> [[Interstate 90]] now passes through the community, with access from Exit 89. I-90 leads southeast {{convert|16|mi}} to [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]] and northwest {{convert|42|mi}} to [[Superior, Montana|Superior]]. 

[[Frenchtown Pond State Park]] is in the western part of the community. The {{convert|18|acre|ha|adj=on}} pond is a popular site for swimming and paddling sports. It offers four-season fishing for bass, perch and hatchery trout.<ref name="FWP">{{cite web |title=Frenchtown Pond State Park |url=https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/frenchtown-pond/ |publisher=Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks |access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref>

South of town is the [[Clark Fork River]] and the foothills of the [[Bitterroot Mountains]].

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the Frenchtown CDP has a total area of {{convert|6.78|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|0.04|sqmi|km2}}, or 0.59%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/> Mill Creek passes through the center of Frenchtown, while Roman Creek and Houle Creek cross the western portion of the CDP. All three creeks are tributaries of the Clark Fork to the south. 

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|2000= 883
|2010= 1825
|2020= 1958
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,825 people, 291 households, and 235 families residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|271.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 302 housing units at an average density of {{convert|92.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.15% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.59% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.11% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.79% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.36% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.81% of the population.

There were 291 households, out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 34.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,094, and the median income for a family was $45,938. Males had a median income of $36,118 versus $23,750 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $21,225. None of the population or families were below the [[poverty line]].

== Smurfit-Stone mill ==
[[File:Smurfit Stone Frenchtown Montana 4.jpg|thumb|left|[[Smurfit-Stone Container|Smurfit-Stone]], Frenchtown, MT]]
[[File:Control room balcony.jpg|thumb|View of main equipment hall from control room balcony, September 2020.]]
[[File:Smurfit-Stone switching engine.jpg|thumb|A small diesel locomotive abandoned at the mill's loading docks.]]
In September 2015, the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]] announced that it was close to an agreement for testing and [[environmental remediation]] of Frenchtown's [[Smurfit-Stone Container|Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.]] mill site.<ref>{{Cite web|title = EPA pledges progress in 'month or two' at former Smurfit site|url = http://missoulian.com/news/local/epa-pledges-progress-in-month-or-two-at-former-smurfit/article_71b94c88-dc2c-50bc-8b40-60b1da8f8c80.html|access-date = 2015-10-03|first = Martin|last = Kidston|website = [[Missoulian]]|date = 2015-10-03}}</ref> Contaminants on the site include [[Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds|dioxins]] and [[Toxic heavy metal|heavy metals]], which has raised concerns that the site might be eligible for the federal [[Superfund]] list.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Former Frenchtown mill site may need Superfund cleanup|url = http://missoulian.com/news/local/former-frenchtown-mill-site-may-need-superfund-cleanup/article_7f8c19aa-fd31-11e1-a76c-001a4bcf887a.html|access-date = 2015-10-03|first = Rob|last = Chaney|website = Missoulian|date = September 13, 2012}}</ref> The [[paper mill]], which produced [[containerboard]], "began production in 1957 under Waldorf Paper Products Co. of [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul, MN]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.logging.org/pdf_files/SMURFIT_STONE.PDF|title = Investment group buys Smurfit's Frenchtown mill|date = May 5, 2011|access-date = 2015-10-03|website = Missoulian via logging.com|last = Briggeman|first = Kim}}</ref> The mill employed 417 workers at the time of its closure in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Smurfit-Stone closure: Towns struggle to put old mill sites to use|url = http://missoulian.com/news/local/smurfit-stone-closure-towns-struggle-to-put-old-mill-sites/article_2e5413c8-f82d-11de-a10f-001cc4c002e0.html|access-date = 2015-10-03|first = Betsy|last = Cohen|date = January 3, 2010|website = Missoulian}}</ref> A meeting was held in February 2017 to create a Community Advisory Group to work with the Superfund grantmaking process. Cleanup of PCBs at the mill site was ongoing as of April 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://missoulian.com/news/local/investigations-into-pcbs-berms-ongoing-at-frenchtown-superfund-site/article_f9d9fb6e-2029-5c51-a852-10d5f01e7d9b.html|title=Investigations into PCBs, berms ongoing at Frenchtown Superfund site|last=Briggeman|first=Kim|work=missoulian.com|access-date=2017-07-01|language=en}}</ref> As the second largest taxpayer in Missoula county, the mill was the source of nearly 20% ($134281) of the Frenchtown fire district's budget, and 21.7% ($825,976) of the Frenchtown school district's budget.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Missoulian|first=BETSY COHEN of the|title=Smurfit-Stone to permanently close Frenchtown mill|url=https://missoulian.com/news/local/smurfit-stone-to-permanently-close-frenchtown-mill/article_9411ca4e-e8d2-11de-a2a0-001cc4c03286.html|access-date=2021-01-23|website=missoulian.com|language=en}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Education==
[[Frenchtown K-12 Schools|Frenchtown Public Schools]], a unified K-12 school district which covers all of the CDP,<ref name=MissoulaCoSDMap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st30_mt/schooldistrict_maps/c30063_missoula/DC20SD_C30063.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Missoula County, MT|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-03-13}}</ref> serves all grade levels for the community<ref>{{cite web |title=Frenchtown School District |url=https://www.ftsd.org/ |publisher=Frenchtown School District |access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref> The district had 1,463 students enrolled for the 2021-2022 school year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frenchtown K-12 Schools |url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?ID2=3011520&details=1 |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref> [[Frenchtown High School]]'s team name is the Broncs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Member Schools |url=https://www.mhsa.org/memberschools |publisher=Montana High School Association |access-date=19 April 2021}}</ref>

The Missoula Public Library has a branch location in Frenchtown.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hours & Locations |url=https://www.missoulapubliclibrary.org/home/about/hours-locations/ |publisher=Missoula Public Library |access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref>

==Media==
Missoula Community Radio owns the station [[KFGM-FM]], which is licensed in Frenchtown.<ref>{{cite web |title=KFGM-FM |url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=166027 |publisher=FCC |access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref>

The newspaper provider is the ''Missoulian'', based in nearby Missoula.

==Infrastructure==
[[Interstate 90 in Montana|Interstate 90]] runs through the southern part of the community. The intersection of [[U.S. Route 93 in Montana|US Route 93]] with I-90 is {{convert|8|mi|km|0}} to the southeast in [[Wye, Montana|Wye]].

The nearest airport is the [[Missoula Montana Airport]], {{convert|10|mi|0}} to the southeast of Frenchtown.

==Notable People==
*[[Chris La Tray]] (born 1967), writer and Montana Poet Laureate (2023-2024)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Frenchtown, Montana}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010519200427/http://www.frenchtownmt.com/ Community website] 
* [https://scholarworks.umt.edu/frenchtown_oralhistory/ Frenchtown Historical Society Oral History Project] (University of Montana Archives)

{{Missoula County, Montana}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Missoula County, Montana]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Montana]]