Water has been central to Montana's history, first through rivers that served transportation and trade, then by sustaining the livestock and crops of ranchers and homesteaders, and continuing as a foundation for the state's agriculture, industry, and tourism. The Milk River, which parallels Highway 2 from Glasgow to Hinsdale, is one of the most important rivers in north central Montana. Among its earliest users was Augustin Armel, also known as Hamel, who arrived about 1820 and worked at major American Fur Co. posts on the Missouri River until the 1850s. In 1855 he opened Hammell's House, the first trading post on the Milk River, about 7 miles southwest of here near Vandalia, and Tom Campbell's House followed near the same site in 1870, though neither lasted long and no physical remains have been found. Later settlers raised mostly cattle, sheep, and wheat, and because they needed water on more land than naturally had it, irrigation became important in the region. The Lower Milk River Valley Water Users Association promoted construction of the Vandalia Dam and Canal in the early 1900s, and area rancher H. H. Nelson, who became involved in irrigation after establishing Vandalia in 1904, served as director and superintendent for construction of the dam at Vandalia and the canal running east to Nashua. The dam was completed in 1917, although Nelson's hopes for a sizable settlement at Vandalia never materialized.