Polson served as the southern terminus for the Flathead Fleet: nearly 100 side- and stern driven paddle wheelers, square-bowed grain barges, workhorse logging tugs and freighters, speedy launches and excursion boats. The combination of railroads and land roads brought this vibrant era of Flathead Lake transport to a close, but“ Port Polson” continues to attract a modern flotilla of fishing and pleasure boats.

F

rom the early 1880s well into the 1900s,