A child races along the sidewalk on East Pine Street, June 24, 1923. Missoula’s first residential neighborhood developed in the 1870s and 1880s as prominent citizens, including Francis Worden and Joseph Dixon, built their homes there. Worden imported maple trees for the boulevards. In 1915, Dixon petitioned the city to create green medians and tree-lined boulevards on East Pine in keeping with Missoula’s image as the “Garden City.” (87-285, R.H. McKay Photographs, K. Ross Toole Archives, The University of Montana—Missoula)

 
 

As cars and traffic have become primary considerations, the medians on East Pine Street have survived many challenges, as have many of the historic residences in the area. Retaining the medians slows traffic, helping the neighborhood retain its unique urban character instead of blending into the busy and treeless surrounding streets. The area became a National Register of Historic Places historic district in 1989. (Photo by Kristi Hager, 2006)