Henry and Mattie Bartlett and their 20-month-old son Charles arrived at Lambert's Landing (later Polson) in February. They were en route to visit Henry's brother, Jim, at the north end of Flathead Lake. However, the lake was still frozen over and no steamboats were running until the ice went out. Mrs. Lambert was ill, and Mattie and Henry helped her prepare and serve meals and care for stagecoach passengers until spring. The Bartletts homesteaded near Bigfork, but returned to help the Lamberts for two more years. While here the Bartletts' second son, Ralph, was born, the first white child born in what was to become Polson.
Creator
unknown
Type
Image
Date Original
1886
Subject
Polson (Mont.); Flathead Indian Reservation (Mont.); Settlers; Henry Bartlett; Mattie Bartlett
Polson Area Historical Photographs - The Paul Fugleberg Collection
