Prescott House - University of Montana

Clarence R. Prescott House, 1897
University of Montana
Missoula, Montana

Prominent state legislator and county commissioner Clarence R. Prescott homesteaded here in 1891, planting a vast orchard of plum, cherry, pear, and apple trees at the base of Mount Sentinel. In 1898, Prescott replaced his original log dwelling with this beautiful Queen Anne style residence. The home was patterned after the childhood home of Prescott’s wife Julia, a schoolteacher, who had come to Montana from Pennsylvania in 1880. Today the Prescott homestead is one of the few remaining links to the agricultural foundations of Missoula. The property was owned by the family until 1955 when the University of Montana purchased the Prescott acreage. Son Clarence Prescott, Jr., was then granted life tenancy of the house and one acre. The house was remodeled in 1996.