First
explored for France by François and Louis-Joseph Verendrye in the early
1740s, much of the region was acquired by the U.S. from France as part of the
Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Before western Montana was obtained from Great Britain
in the Oregon Treaty of 1846, American trading posts and forts had been established
in the territory.
The
major Indian Wars (1867–1877) included the famous 1876 Battle of the Little
Big Horn, better known as “Custer's Last Stand,” in which Cheyenne and
Sioux defeated George A. Custer and more than 200 of his men in southeast Montana.
Much
of Montana's early history was concerned with mining, with copper, lead, zinc,
silver, coal, and oil as principal products. Butte is the center of the area that
once supplied half of the U.S. copper.
Fields
of grain cover much of Montana's plains. It ranks high among the states in wheat
and barley, with rye, oats, flaxseed, sugar beets, and potatoes as other important
crops. Sheep and cattle raising make significant contributions to the economy.
Tourist
attractions include hunting, fishing, skiing, and dude ranching. Glacier National
Park, on the Continental Divide, has 60 glaciers, 200 lakes, and many streams
with good trout fishing. Other major points of interest include the Little Bighorn
Battlefield National Monument, Virginia City, Yellowstone National Park, Fort
Union Trading Post and Grant-Kohr's Ranch National Historic Sites, and the Museum
of the Plains Indians at Browning.
Coming
Soon!
See
more on Montana:
Encyclopedia:
Montana Encyclopedia: Geography Encyclopedia: Economy Encyclopedia: Government Encyclopedia:
History Monthly Temperature Extremes
Accredited
Colleges and Universities
Selected
famous natives and residents:
Dorothy Baker author; Dirk Benedict
actor; W. A. (Tony) Boyle labor union official; Gary Cooper actor; John
Cowan prospector and founder of Last Chance Gulch (now Helena); Alfred Bertram
Guthrie Pulitzer Prize–winning author; Chet Huntley TV newscaster; Will
James writer and artist; Dorothy Johnson author; Evel Knievel daredevil
motorcyclist; Myrna Loy actress; David Lynch filmmaker; Mike Mansfield
senator; George Montgomery actor; Jeannette Rankin first woman elected
to Congress; Martha Raye actress; Charles M. Russell painter; Michael
Smuin choreographer; Lester C. Thurow economist and educator.
Capital:
Helena
State
abbreviation/Postal code: Mont./MT
Governor:
Brian Schweitzer, D (to Jan. 2009)
Lieut.
Governor: John C. Bohlinger, D (to Jan. 2009)
Senators:
Max Baucus, D (to Jan. 2009); Conrad R. Burns, R (to Jan. 2007)
U.S.
Representatives: 1
Secy.
of State: Brad Johnson R (to Jan. 2009)
Auditor:
John Morrison, D (to Jan. 2009)
Atty.
General: Mike McGrath, D (to Jan. 2009)
Organized
as territory: May 26, 1864
Entered
Union (rank): Nov. 8, 1889 (41)
Present
constitution adopted: 1972
Motto:
Oro y plata (Gold and silver)
State
symbols: flower bitterroot (1895) tree ponderosa pine (1949) stones
sapphire and agate (1969) bird Western meadowlark (1981) song “Montana”
(1945)
Nickname:
Treasure State
Origin
of name: Chosen from Latin dictionary by J. M. Ashley. It is a Latinized Spanish
word meaning “mountainous.”
10
largest cities (2003): Billings, 95,220; Missoula, 60,722; Great Falls, 56,155;
Butte-Silver Bow,1 32,519; Bozeman, 30,753; Helena, 26,718; Kalispell, 16,391;
Havre, 9,448; Anaconda–Deer Lodge County, 8,953; Miles City, 8,242
Land
area: 145,552 sq mi. (376,980 sq km)
Geographic
center: In Fergus Co., 11 mi. W of Lewistown
Number
of counties: 56
Largest
county by population and area: Yellowstone, 134,717 (2004); Beaverhead, 5,543
sq mi.
State
forests: 7
State
parks: 42
Residents:
Montanan
2004
resident population est.: 926,865
2000
resident census population (rank): 902,195 (44). Male: 449,480 (49.8%); Female:
452,715 (50.2%). White: 817,229 (90.6%); Black: 2,692 (0.3%); American Indian:
56,068 (6.2%); Asian: 4,691 (0.5%); Other race: 5,315 (0.6%); Two or more races:
15,730 (1.7%); Hispanic/Latino: 18,081 (2.0%). 2000 percent population 18 and
over: 74.5; 65 and over: 13.4; median age: 37.5.
1.
The city is part of a consolidated city-county government and is coextensive with
Silver Bow County.
