Fortin Ranch House
While Lincoln County is best known for timber production, some of its industrious early settlers made their living ranching. Following construction of the Great Northern Railroad to Kalispell in 1893, an influx of newcomers arrived in the lush Tobacco Valley. Among the earliest settlers were Quebec-native Octave Fortin and his German wife Lena. They selected a well-watered 160-acre homestead between the Tobacco River and Dickey Lake. Their early influence helped name the town of Fortine, Fortine Creek, and Fortine Creek Road (Octave never corrected the spelling). In 1902, the Fortins became the first settlers in the township to gain full title to their ranch. By then they had five sons, a log house and outbuildings, and were selling cattle, hay, and grains. While many homesteaders failed at ranching in this forested area, the Fortins persevered, taking on other work to keep the ranch going. In 1903-4, when the Great Northern Railway rerouted the Whitefish to Eureka rail line within a half-mile of the Fortin Ranch house, Octave and Lena stayed up late preparing meals to feed the railroad workers. In 1910, Octave cut and hauled railroad ties for the Great Northern while working as a county deputy sheriff. By 1911, the couple had made enough money to build this front-gabled National style farmhouse. They continued ranching with help from sons Oscar and Walter until they died in the early 1940s. New owners purchased the ranch in 1949. Since its construction, the Fortins’ white house has become a local landmark and reflection of the area’s ranching history.
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