The Jocko Valley Library started in the Spring of 1974, with a small group of volunteers collecting donated books from friends and neighbors in the Arlee Valley. The Arlee Methodist Church was the sponsoring organization, and space in their basement served as the first home of the library. At that time there was a large number of active organizations in the community. Each organization donated five dollars per month to support the library. Generous book donations by individuals from Missoula to Kalispell quickly increased the library's collection to more than 2,000 volumes. Shelving was donated or constructed from supplies bought with donated funds.
When the library outgrew the limited space available in the Methodist Church it moved to a small building on Arlee’s Main Street known as the “old liquor store.” Through the generosity of the Catholic Church, a rent and utility free room was provided. The volunteers once again packed up books, dismantled the shelves, and moved.
The Catholic church began a remodeling project which included the area allotted to the library. Once more, the library went looking for a home.
The Brown Building is a 1910 vintage school house.
This was the first school house in Arlee and it was turned into a community center. The basement was originally the Shop and Gym room. Concurrently with the library’s need for a free and larger space and the Jocko Volunteer Fire Departments need for a training room, the basement of the Brown building was able to accommodate both needs. Through the generosity of many local businesses, the Fire Department, and individuals who gave building supplies, money and many hours of skilled free labor, a beautiful room was finished in the basement of the Brown Building. The library was housed in the east half of the basement and the Fire Department’s training room in the west part. The Brown Building Committee generously agreed to provide heat and electricity for the rooms.
With a permanent, rent and utility free home, the number of volunteers continued to be minimal.... Continued
From the Jockco Valley Public Library
Arlee was named after the Salish leader Arlee. In October 1873, he moved a small group of his people from the Bitterroot Valley, which was designated a “conditional reservation” in the 1855 Hellgate Treaty, to the Jocko Agency (later Flathead Indian Agency) located a few miles north of the current town of Arlee. This forced move stemmed from the efforts of a congressional delegation led by future president James Garfield to negotiate Salish removal from the Bitterroot Valley. The town of Arlee gained importance in 1883 when the Northern Pacific Railroad established a depot there. Two years later, the post office opened its doors in Arlee. Another notable event occurred in 1898 when the first (now annual) Fourth of July powwow was held at Arlee.
From the Montana Place Names Companion