Francis Lyman Worden

Who was Francis Lyman Worden?

Francis Lyman Worden was a founder and prominent businessman of Missoula, Montana.

He was born in Marlsborough, Windham County, Vermont, on October 15, 1830.

Worden attended school in New York and worked as a clerk in various stores around the country. After moving to The Dalles, Oregon in the early 1850s, he participated in the Yakima Indian War. Afterward, in 1858, he moved to Walla Walla, Washington. and opened a store there. Worden also worked as postmaster in Walla Walla for two years.

In 1860, he formed a partnership with Christopher P. Higgins, and they opened a store in Hell Gate, Washington Territory. Later, they moved the business to what is now Missoula, Montana. There, they opened the town's first store, Worden and Company. Soon after, they established several trading posts near gold mining areas in Montana.

In 1863, Worden and Higgins moved to Deer Lodge, Montana, and opened a store there. By 1866, they'd established a full milling operation in Deer Lodge, complete with sawmill and gristmill. In 1868, Worden and Higgins sold their business interests in Deer Lodge and, with Washington J. McCormick, planned 100 acres of the townsite of Missoula.