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Photograph of the Prescott Property, 1910s.

 

Map of the Prescott Property, 1942.

In 1878 Clarence R. Prescott, Senior moved to Missoula, Montana, to work for his uncle, C.P. Higgins. He served as city marshal from 1891-1895, and in 1897 he and his wife, Julia, built a house on their homestead at the base of Mount Sentinel. The home was two stories, had eleven-rooms, and was surrounded by fruit orchards. Clarence Sr. and Julia had five children. On January 27, 1939, Clarence Sr. died and the couple’s son, Clarence Jr., moved back home.

In 1945, Clarence Jr. leased the university forty acres of land surrounding the house for a forestry nursery and a pharmacy drug garden. Ten years later, the university purchased the land and home from the Prescott family. The sale agreement stipulated that Clarence Jr. had the right to live in his family home as long as he wanted, and could “have the fruits of the trees adjacent thereto.” Clarence Jr. lived in the house and worked in his garden until his death in 1993 at the age of 100. In 1996 the university completed a major remodel of the home and now uses the building for events and receptions.