Montana's first institution of higher learning, a Presbyterian liberal arts college that operated 1878–1916.
The College of Montana was founded in 1878 as the Montana Collegiate Institute, making it the first institution of higher learning in Montana. The school adopted the College of Montana name in 1883 and maintained a Presbyterian Church affiliation throughout much of its existence. Despite its pioneering role, the college struggled with chronic funding shortages and limited enrollment, leading to an erratic operational history.
The college attracted notable faculty and leaders, including literary critic Irving Babbitt and Theodore M. Brantley, who later became chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Augustus M. Ryon founded the college's School of Mines in 1888 and was named the first president of Montana State University in 1893. James R. Reid, who served as college president from 1891 to 1893, became the second president of Montana State University.
The College of Montana closed permanently in 1916. Seven years later, in 1923, the organization merged with Montana Wesleyan College to form Intermountain Union College in Helena, Montana. Intermountain Union subsequently merged with Billings Polytechnic Institute to establish Rocky Mountain College. Historic buildings from the original campus, including Trask Hall, remain in Deer Lodge and are preserved on the National Register of Historic Places.