|
|
|
|
Researched by Tensie P. |
|
The Basic Information
Montana has a lot of nicknames such as “The Land of Shining Mountains”, “Big Sky”,” The Last Best Place” or sometimes even “Treasure State”. Montana is known for its mining. Montana mines gold, silver, and even rubies sometimes. Montana’s state motto, “ Oro y’ Plato” actually means silver and gold.
Montana is located in the north–west corner of the United States just east of Idaho. The population is close to 902,195. Montana is nearly three times the size of England but only one-third of Montana ISN’T Great Plains. Montana is a very large state; only Alaska, Texas, and California are larger.
One of the most important things to know about Montana is the state symbol. The state bird is the Western Meadowlark. The state tree is the Ponderosa Pine. The state flower is the Bitterroot. The state song is “Montana”.
Important Dates in the History of Montana
1803 Eastern Montana became U.S. territory through the Louisiana Purchase.
1805-1806 Lewis and Clark explored in Montana and were the first white men to enter Montana. After Lewis and Clark more men entered to trade with Montanans.
1846 North Western Montana became U.S. territory through the Oregon Treaty with England.
1864 Montana was officially the forty-first state
1876 the battle of the “Little Bighorn” took place.
1905 Montana’s state flag was adopted.
The Land in Montana
Montana’s 2005 population estimate is 902,195 people. Out of those, 31,000 are farmers and ranchers. Montana’s major occupation is farming and ranching. Montana is large enough to fit eleven eastern states inside of it. Those states are Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, South Carolina, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Delaware.
Famous Montanans
Montana has lots of famous people who either lived there or were born there. For example people such as Gary Cooper, an actor who was born in Montana. Evil Knievel was a professional, dare devil, motorcyclist. Charles M. Russell was a famous Montanan also. He preserved all of the olden days by painting the old country scenes on sides of buildings, even in museums. The leader of the Sioux tribe, Sitting Bull lived in Montana. Even Chet Huntley, the television host lived in Montana, too. Chet Huntley also owned a resort called the Huntley Resort. David Lynon, another famous Montanan, was a film director. There were also two authors born in Montana: James Welch and A.B. Guthrie. James Welch wrote about Native Americans, fur trappers, ghost towns, rodeos, frontier Museums and square dancing. Another famous person is Jeanette Rankin; she was the first woman to work in the U.S. House of Representatives. There was also a comedian who lived or lives in Montana and his name is Dana Carvey. Marcus Daly was a mine owner in Montana. That only begins the list of the famous people of Montana.
Montana’s Major Cities
Montana has many cities, such as Kalispell, Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, Butte, Bozeman. Billings is the largest city in Montana with a population of 89,847 people.
Tourist Attractions
In Montana there are many things to do. If you’re into the outdoors (hiking, boating, fishing, camping, and sightseeing), you’re in the right place. In Montana you can go to Glacier National Park and see some of the most majestic mountains on earth. Fort Peck Dam is available for boating, fishing, camping, and sightseeing. Flathead Recreation Area offers fishing, boating, and swimming. It also has the largest lake in the U.S. west of the Mississippi river. If you love animals then you should probably go to Benton Lake National Wildlife refuge. Ten thousands of animals are raised there annually. It also has the most productive waterfowl nesting site in the U.S. Grasshopper Glacier is another place that many tourists visit. Grasshopper Glacier features grasshoppers that have been trapped in ice from a very long time ago. Another place that people like to visit is Bannock. Bannock looks like it did in 1865. If you like waterfalls and sightseeing then Giant Springs would be a very nice place for you to stay. They feature waterfalls from big ones to small ones, and not only that but each day there about ninety million gallons (4.5 billion liters) of water soaks into the ground.
|
Alwin, John and Malone P., Michael. “Montana.” Encarta 2001 Bloom, Judith and Fradin Brindell, Dennis. Montana. Christofferson, Orval C. Personal interview. January 20, 2005. Fritz, Harry, and Hansen, Katherine. “Montana.” World Book Encyclopedia, 2001. pp. 742-762. “Montana for Kids.” www.montanakid.com visited January 2005. “Montana,” By Judson B., Katherine 1913 pp. 1-6, 15-18, 21-26 Tirrell, Norma (resident) pp. 14, and 28 |
Top of page