On Feb. 13, 1893, the Montana State Legislature authorized the creation of the University of Montana. The University opened its doors on Sept. 11, 1895 in Missoula. From 1893 to 1913, it was known as the University of Montana-Missoula. From 1913 to 1935, students called it State University of Montana.

In March, 1913, the Legislature allocated $6,000 for supplies so the school could construct its own building. By 1922, students had outgrown this two-story building behind Main Hall, dubbed The Shack. Architect Ole Bakke of Missoula designed a new three-story building with money raised by a state bond.

This new structure, opened in 1922, was named the Gifford Pinchot Hall of Forestry in 1923 for the first Chief of the USDA Forest Service. Currently, the school’s administrative offices, several classrooms and some faculty offices are still housed in this 1922 building. In 1914, forestry students built a fire lookout on Mt. Sentinel, which was staffed by students in summers before it burned down in 1929.