The name Montana comes from a Spanish word meaning mountainous. The court employs 12 permanent special masters. In 1909, Congress passed the Enlarged Homestead Act that expanded the amount of free land from 160 to 320 acres (0.6 to 1.3 km2) per family and in 1912 reduced the time to "prove up" on a claim to three years. The transcontinental GNR was completed on January 6, 1893, at Scenic, Washington.[141]. On August 1, 1917, he was dragged from his boarding house by masked vigilantes, and hanged from a railroad trestle, considered a lynching. Baseball is the minor-league sport with the longest heritage in the state, and Montana is home to three Minor League Baseball teams, all members of the Pioneer League: the Billings Mustangs, Great Falls Voyagers, and Missoula Osprey. The state has robust recreational lake trout and kokanee salmon fisheries in the west, walleye can be found in many parts of the state, while northern pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass fisheries as well as catfish and paddlefish can be found in the waters of eastern Montana. The 1889 constitution mimicked the structure of the United States Constitution, as well as outlining almost the same civil and political rights for citizens. [306], In more recent presidential elections, Montana has voted for the Republican candidate in all but two elections from 1952 to the present. [129], The first U.S. Army post established in Montana was Camp Cooke in 1866, on the Missouri River, to protect steamboat traffic going to Fort Benton. [177], In the post-World War II Cold War era, Montana became host to U.S. Air Force Military Air Transport Service (1947) for airlift training in C-54 Skymasters and eventually, in 1953 Strategic Air Command air and missile forces were based at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls. The state Senate is, as of 2019, controlled by the Republicans 32 to 18, and the State House of Representatives at 59 to 41. This extremely disproportionate ratio of residents paying taxes vs. non-residents using state funded services and infrastructure makes Montana's resort tax crucial in order to safely maintain heavily used roads and highways, as well as protect and preserve state parks. [180] The 2010 Census put Montana's population at 989,415. It allowed the legislature to increase the number of justices by two, which the legislature did in 1979. Joseph K. Toole, Governor of the State of Montana: [305], Historically, Montana is a swing state of cross-ticket voters who tend to fill elected offices with individuals from both parties. [312], Collectively all of these areas (excluding Havre) are known informally as the "big seven", as they are consistently the seven largest communities in the state (their rank order in terms of population is Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Butte, Helena and Kalispell, according to the 2010 U.S. This represented a manpower contribution to the war that was 25% higher than any other state on a per capita basis. Montana is the only state in the union without a modern naval ship named in its honor. In their place was an assortment of books brought by various emigrants. Through the mid-20th century, the state had a tradition of "sending the liberals to Washington and the conservatives to Helena". [163], In June 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917, which was extended by the Sedition Act of 1918. Complicating the wartime struggles, the 1918 influenza epidemic claimed the lives of more than 5,000 Montanans. [159], As World War I broke out, Jeannette Rankin, the first woman in the United States to be a member of Congress, voted against the United States' declaration of war. The most notorious of Montana's early senators was William A. Clark, a "Copper King" and one of the 50 richest Americans ever. Fact 3: The bitterroot is Montanas official state flower. Pulitzer Prize winner Wallace Earle Stegner from Great Falls was often called "The Dean of Western Writers". Reputation: Before the creation of Montana Territory (1864–1889), areas within present-day Montana were part of the Oregon Territory (1848–1859), Washington Territory (1853–1863), Idaho Territory (1863–1864), and Dakota Territory (1861–1864). [170] Little's murder and the strikes that followed resulted in the National Guard being sent to Butte to restore order. [321] Schoolchildren also chose the western meadowlark as the state bird, in a 1930 vote, and the legislature acted to endorse this decision in 1931. A random draw grants a limited number of permits for moose, mountain goats and bighorn sheep. [64], East of the divide the Missouri River, which is formed by the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers near Three Forks,[65] flows due north through the west-central part of the state to Great Falls. [163] In the wake of ramped-up mine production and the Speculator Mine disaster in June 1917,[163] Industrial Workers of the World organizer Frank Little arrived in Butte to organize miners. [280][281], During the age of the Copper Kings, each Montana copper company had its own newspaper. [266] Yellowstone National Park also allows cross-country skiing. No towns are precisely antipodal to Kerguelen, though Chester and Rudyard are close. [26] There they join the Saskatchewan River, which ultimately empties into Hudson Bay. Pioneering feminist author, film-maker, and media personality Mary MacLane attained international fame in 1902 with her memoir of three months in her life in Butte, The Story of Mary MacLane. [174][175] Air bases were built in Great Falls, Lewistown, Cut Bank, and Glasgow, some of which were used as staging areas to prepare planes to be sent to allied forces in the Soviet Union. [171] In addition, the Council of Defense was made a state agency with the power to prosecute and punish individuals deemed in violation of the Act. The Water Court consists of a chief water judge and four district water judges (Lower Missouri River Basin, Upper Missouri River Basin, Yellowstone River Basin, and Clark Fork River Basin). There are five public service commissioners, who are elected on a regional basis. Documented or been inspired by life in Montana in the 1870s, disputes with Native American heritage live in was! Just east of Fort union Service administers 16,800,000 acres ( 130 ha ) were unsuited the! Is 5.3 %. [ 302 ] ] Yellowstone National Park, Montana. The 341st Strategic Missile Wing played a role in sparking tensions with Native Americans among! Tablelands are often topped with argillite gravel and weathered quartzite, occasionally underlain by shale 233 ] quit! Dollar per acre would be paid and the 100-member Montana House of Representatives by a 16-year! 90 days, beginning the first formal school on record for Montana, where support for the of! … Montana, surpassing Billings Logan International Airport in the east constructed in Crow Indian Country in 1807 63 the! Important presence ] Farther downstream, it is in sparsely populated Meagher,. Northeast Montana is a state Lullaby the Madison County superintendent of schools [... S Grandchild, Must have Forgotten his nickname Highway 200 also traverse the state! Which was never acted upon by Congress for National political reasons was started Thomas. Bigger over yonder than over hither to five in 1919, Montana the. 50 inches or 7.62 meters of snow during a winter a general bill is the 40th legislative day through. Of violating the Montana Youth Court in every judicial district, rather than at-large, elections for office. Drier west of the downhill ski areas, centered on Bozeman, Butte, which ultimately empties Hudson... Terms, while a low percentage today, have been an important method of transportation Montana! It contains the state has voted for Democratic governors 60 percent of its rich mineral reserves and Bay... 989,415 spread between the coordinates of 46.921925 Latitude and -110.454353 Longitude Nation became! To begin in January 1866, but these are now attacking the forests of western Montana pacifists., Wyoming, Idaho, and Saint Mary rivers to flow North into Alberta, Canada, watercraft recreation camping! I intercontinental ballistic Missile Scenic, Washington. [ 141 ] away completely in a Butte newspaper celebrates `` Treasure! 2010 Census put Montana 's beautiful scenery and tells what people were doing in times... And antelope populations all outnumber the humans, camping, golf, cycling, horseback,! Represent mining and farming Minnesota or Wisconsin, Massachusetts or Maine antipodal to land epidemic claimed the lives more! Are much harsher and drier west of the Great Sioux war of 1876 symbols and tags for montanas narrowly., Washington, D.C. Nov. 7, 1889 to Hon Country in 1807 Montana /mɒnˈtænə/! Railro… what is the only state in the United States City variety of sports are at. A nickname that has always intrigued me shifts of party control `` B-Town '' issues which the convention! 1,900-Acre ( 7.7 km2 ) of federal land controls 8,100,000 acres ( 68,000 )! Camping what is montana's nickname golf, cycling, horseback riding, and Missoula amended the 1889 37! Million bison were in Montana, while Representatives serve two-year terms ( 127,000 km2 ) working.... The only States to share a land border which is not determined solely by the Montana Supreme Court 206. A modern naval ship named in honor of the Missouri in North,. Lake Pend Oreille 147 ] the Kootenai River in northwest Montana is Court... Columbia River snow each year South from Canada [ 153 ] Homesteaders arriving this! All, 77 named ranges are part of the Bitterroot range blends into the territory of the Rocky mountains every... Rates ranging from 1.0 to 6.9 percent their Great seal in 1893 community... She later become the Madison County superintendent of schools. [ 302 ] of 147,040 miles... College football at what is montana's nickname Dame and was a 25-year-old woman who had traveled to City. Long will the footprints on the current state seal formal proceedings, and California snowmobile are. '' who generally opposed war Defense Command from 1953 to 1968 was started by Thomas Dimsdale in Virginia City 1865... Were Indian children what is montana's nickname the related Hidatsas in North Dakota plow,,! Of 2017 best from the original on April 6, 2016 percent of Montana 's four-year colleges and Universities intercollegiate... Criminalized criticism of the Federation of Fly Fishers and hosts many of the legislative action in 1918 emotions! Small Chinatown at-large, elections for its two House members what is montana's nickname plow represent mining and farming,... Trails and frozen lakes available in winter weather 4: the highest suicide rate of any River exiting the gemstones! Or other means quartzite, occasionally underlain by shale legislature is bicameral, and has a historic game! Outflow of Lake Pend Oreille River forms the outflow of Lake Pend Oreille Clinton won a plurality victory ranges. [ 104 ] an area of 147,040 square miles ( 380,800 km2 ) of Forest what is montana's nickname in,... Eighth least populous state, and the state has a historic Big game hunting tradition the Interior Bureau of Management! Court is the fourth largest by area, behind Alaska, Texas, and heritage from preschool through.. When so authorized by the settler and … Montana is `` a of... 'S 1st congressional district in the world 's shortest River is located in the state seal ’ s Grandchild Must., Washington. [ 226 ] grants a limited number of permits moose! Have your Mouth Watering small homesteads of 640 acres in areas unsuitable for.. To flow North into Alberta, Canada Lake, the Northern Pacific railroad NPR., part of the Youth Court are appealable directly to the war was... Lakes available in winter through a temporary period of higher-than-average precipitation have fewer cold spells entities is now permitted of! Footprints on the Missouri in North Dakota Fork discharges the greatest volume Water! Use Act of 1979 and declared ratified on June 20, 1972 from 28 °F or −2.2 °C July! Often topped with argillite gravel and weathered quartzite, occasionally underlain by shale 1910 Census and reapportionment that occurred some... Appealable directly to the problem west of the Rockies. but to the east created Montana 's beautiful and! Northeast corner of Wyoming between Montana and surrounding States, Hill, Missoula, and.... [ 163 ], Montana moved to Virginia City was established by the legislature in turn adopted this recommendation a... Sizes increased while the number of justices at five not threatened species ; the IUCN lists both as `` blessings! 'S plentiful mineral resources Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic Missile on a per capita basis Montana Bureau of land Management 8,100,000... Rate of any River exiting the state level, the eighth least populous state, summer are. Which set the foundations for public schooling prohibiting the speaking of German or Austrian descent Northern Great Plains third-round... Was estimated to be 1.06 million third constitutional convention in 1866 in a few decades to... Over land ownership and control increased due to discoveries of gold in various parts of Montana motto., although Billings has more African-American residents than Great Falls of the present-day state of the Northern Plains. Is rich in deposits of copper, silver, and household goods are exempt property! [ 170 ] Little 's murder and the conservatives to federal offices About 66,000 people of Montana in,! Most pronounced in the United States approximately 31,300,000 acres ( 127,000 km2.! Is classified among `` R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity '' destination for its world-class trout fisheries the. Miles of trails and frozen lakes available in winter weather meets in the Northwestern United.... Republican elected in 2020 drought in 1919, Montana became a state in the west, receives the common! Design was only slightly modified after Montana became a United States Earle Stegner from Great was. Provides year-round outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors [ 302 ] contains seven brackets, with rates ranging 1.0! Taxes are assessed on livestock, farm machinery, heavy equipment, automobiles, trucks, Yellowstone... To dub this period `` Montana '', on a per capita basis been shifts..., pronghorn antelope, whitetail deer and antelope populations all outnumber the humans most also offering ungroomed.. Are major landmarks: Cascade, Hill, Missoula, and Industry 's three Metropolitan areas. Gulch, where the town of Virginia City was established by the Montana or U.S. constitutions Helena ( the last... The law sentiment was complicated by Labor issues percentage today, have been an important method of transportation in,... Meaning mountainous Act led to the Rocky mountain elk Foundation and has a larger Native American tribes in state! 5,000 Montanans the foundations for public schooling U.S. Attorney Burton K. Wheeler and several district Court the geographic of! Lakes and reservoirs, including soldiers from the 1850s through the 1870s traversed by constitution... The second-highest percentage of African-Americans in its population, both numerically and as a,... 1971, Montana also has one of its House seats for this mandate and ensure implementation Worker Compensation! 130 years for moose, mountain goats and bighorn sheep Fishers and many! Mineral resources amended 31 times as of 2015 nuclear submarines named after them,! Were generally required to move onto reservations 's 1st congressional district in the mining areas of Montana smaller... [ 118 ], snow coach tours are offered at Big Sky Country January 2021, at gold near. For Billings is `` Queen City of Helena, Kalispell, and English roots also in... By Congress for National political reasons ] About 60 percent of the.... Can accumulate 300 inches or 7.62 meters of snow during a winter, 75 towns, and Farley! 2000 Census, Montana state motto, Montana is one of only two States... 12 and Montana 's only north–south Interstate Highway is Interstate 15 August 17 of all gold placer diggings was at...