Outline of Montana
Montana is the fourth largest state of the United States. Only Alaska, Texas, and California have larger areas than Montana. Western Montana is a land of tall, rugged mountains. There, miners dig deep into the earth to tap the state's vast deposits of copper, gold, and silver. Eastern Montana is a land of broad plains. The view from these vast, open plains has earned Montana a nickname, The Big Sky Country. On the plains, herds of cattle graze on the prairie grasses, wheat grows in the fertile soil, and wells bring up petroleum from deep under the ground. Eastern Montana also has the largest coal reserves in the United States. Billings is the largest city in Montana.
Early Montana was Indian country. But gold was discovered in Montana in 1862, and great numbers of eager prospectors rushed to the area. Mining camps sprang up overnight, and wealth came to the territory. But the gold also brought problems. Outlaws spread terror in the mining camps until groups of citizens called vigilantes took the law into their own hands. The vigilantes hanged many outlaws and drove others away. Montana was the scene of another struggle--the Indians' last efforts to keep their land. The last stand of Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer was fought in Montana. In addition, the final battles of the Nez Perce War were fought in the state.
The mountains, the battlefields, the old gold camps, and the vast, lonely distances of Montana still make a visitor feel close to the American frontier. In the state's capital, Helena, the main street is called Last Chance Gulch. The name comes from a gold camp that once stood on that site. Even today, when a basement is dug for a building in Helena, the digging sometimes produces gold dust.
Montana's most important rivers are the Missouri and its branch, the Yellowstone. These rivers drain about six-sevenths of the state. The Missouri starts in southwestern Montana, as a smaller stream called the Jefferson River. At Three Forks, Montana, the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers meet, and from this point the river is called the Missouri. The Missouri flows north past Helena, then through a deep scenic gorge called the Gates of the Mountains. It then curves eastward. Fort Peck Dam, on the Missouri in northeastern Montana, is one of the largest earth-fill dams in the United States. The Missouri leaves Montana at the North Dakota border. The main tributaries of the Missouri in Montana are the Marias, Milk, Sun, and Teton.
Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula are the only cities in Montana that have more than 55,000 people. Montana has four other cities with a population of more than 10,000. They are, in order of population, Butte, Bozeman, Helena, and Kalispell. Most of Montana's cities began as mining towns or as centers of trade for farm and ranch areas. Butte grew from a mining camp. So did Helena, the state capital. Missoula developed as an agricultural trade center.
Montana's Western heritage is reflected in the rodeos and Indian ceremonies that are held throughout the state. Almost every Montana town has a rodeo. Nationally ranked riders compete for large cash prizes in some rodeos. In others, hometown cowboys and cowgirls show their skill. Rodeo owners buy wild horses in a May Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City. Indians on Montana's reservations perform colorful dances and ceremonies.
Few states equal Montana in attractions for outdoor recreation. People from all over the world travel to Montana to fish, camp, and hike. Montana's mountains and lakes are perfect for winter activities, such as ice fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and skiing. Lovers of the outdoors also enjoy the state's national parks, national forests, dude ranches, ski lodges, summer resorts, and other attractions. Montana's wide-open spaces are home to a wide variety of birds and animals that are no longer found in many other states. Trips to old ghost towns, Indian battle sites, and points along the Lewis and Clark trail in Montana interest history enthusiasts.
The name Montana comes from a Spanish word meaning mountainous. Early travelers, who saw the sun glistening on the lofty, snow-capped peaks, called the area the Land of Shining Mountains. These mountains contained a wealth of gold and silver, which gave the state another nickname, the Treasure State. Glacier National Park has mountain peaks so steep and remote that they have never been climbed.
