About
Founded in 1982 by Alan Bradley, Bitterroot Valley Bank began serving the Lolo area with a focus on personal service, a core value that is in practice to this day. By 2011 the bank had grown to six branches under the umbrella of Family of Banks, including locations in Missoula, Frenchtown, Bonner, Superior and St. Regis. In 2012, Bitterroot Valley Bank merged with Ravalli County Bank, the oldest chartered bank in the state, founded by Copper King Marcus Daly in 1895. The bank had been in the Shonkwiler family since 1967, first by Lincoln and then his son Chuck, who is the current president of the Hamilton, Corvallis, and Stevensville offices. The banks in Ravalli County have served the Bitterroot Valley for 120 years. In 2015, West One Bank and their two offices in Kalispell joined the Family of Banks, allowing the bank to service customers in the Flathead Valley. TrailWest Bank’s iconic steer head logo has its roots in the longhorn cattle ranch, owned by Bill and Ramona Holt of Lolo, Montana, who were original investors in the bank. The longhorn is the quintessential symbol of the West — an animal known for its toughness and ability to survive adverse conditions, qualities that have embodied the bank throughout the generations.