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Billings, Helena, Missoula, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Kalispell, Ashland, Roundup, Black Eagle, Birney, Arlee, Antelope, Angela, Anaconda, Alzada, Alder, Alberton, Acton, Absarokee, Bighorn, Bigfork, Big Timber, Big Sky, Big Sandy, Big Arm, Biddle, Belt, Belgrade, Belfry
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Before the
white settlers arrived, two groups of Indian tribes lived in
the region that is now Montana. The Arapaho, Assiniboine,
Atsina, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, and Crow tribes lived on the
plains. The mountains in the west were the home of the
Bannack, Flathead, Kalispell, Kootenai, and Shoshone tribes.
Other nearby tribes (such as the Sioux, Mandan, and Nez
Perce) hunted in the Montana region
Much of the region was acquired by the U.S. from France as
part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The northwestern
part was gained by treaty with Great Britain in 1846. At
various times, parts of Montana were in territories of
Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Dakota, Oregon, Washington
and Idaho.
First explored for France by François and Louis-Joseph
Verendrye in the early 1740s. The American explorers
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led their expedition
across Montana to the Pacific Coast in 1805. They returned
in 1806 and explored parts of Montana both going and coming.
By 1807, Manuel Lisa set up Montana's first fur-trading
post.
In 1841 missionaries built St. Mary's Mission, the first
attempt at a permanent settlement. In 1847, the American Fur
Company built Fort Benton on the Missouri River. This town
is now Montana's oldest continuously populated town.
The U.S. claim to NW Montana, the area between the Rockies
and the N Idaho border, was validated in the Oregon Treaty
of 1846 with the British. Montana was then still a
wilderness of forest and grass, with a few trading posts and
some missions.
Cattle raising began in Montana in the mid-1850s, when
Richard Grant, a trader, brought the first herd to the area
from Oregon. Gold was discovered in Grasshopper Creek in
1862. Thousands of prospectors built mining camps throughout
Montana as gold strikes were discovered. Some of these
include Bannock, Diamond City, and Virginia City.
The mining camps had almost no effective law enforcement.
Finally, the citizens took the law into their own hands. One
famous incident involved the two biggest gold camps--Bannack
and Virginia City. The settlers learned that their sheriff,
Henry Plummer, was actually an outlaw leader. The men of
Bannack and Virginia City formed a vigilance committee to
rid themselves of the outlaws. These vigilantes hanged
Plummer in January 1864. They adopted as their symbol the
numbers "3-7-77." These numbers may have represented the
dimensions of a grave: 3 feet wide, by 7 feet long, by 77
inches deep. Many outlaws were hanged or driven from Montana
by the vigilantes.
A large number of early prospectors came from the South,
particularly from Confederate Army units that broke up in
the Civil War (1861-1865). One of the major gold fields was
called Confederate Gulch, because three Southerners found
the first gold there.
During the boom years, gold dust was the principal money.
For example, missionaries did not pass collection plates at
church services. They passed a tin cup for gold dust.
Chinese laundrymen even found gold in their wash water after
they washed the miners' clothing.
Sidney Edgerton, an Idaho official, saw the need for better
government of the wild mining camps. At the time, Montana
was part of Idaho Territory. Edgerton wrote to Washington,
D.C., urging the creation of a new territory. Montana became
a territory on May 26, 1864, and Edgerton served as its
first governor.
In 1866, Nelson Story, a cattleman, drove a thousand
longhorn cattle from Texas to Montana. Story's herd started
the Montana cattle industry in earnest.
The coming of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883 opened
the way to the eastern markets and caused even more growth.
But disaster struck the cattle industry in the bitterly cold
winter of 1886-1887. Cattle died by the thousands in the
howling blizzards and frigid temperatures. Ranching
continued after this, but on a smaller, more careful, basis.
In 1876, the U.S. Army arrived at the Little Bighorn River
to place all Native Americans on reservations. In the famous
battle known as “Custer's Last Stand,” Sioux and Cheyenne
Indians killed Lieutenant George A. Custer and a large part
of his men. The last serious Indian fighting in Montana
started when the U.S. government tried to move the Nez Perce
Indians from their lands in Oregon. Chief Joseph of the Nez
Perce led his tribe toward Canada through Montana. The
Indians and U.S. troops fought several battles in Idaho, and
then a two-day battle at the Big Hole in southwestern
Montana. Troops under Colonel Nelson A. Miles captured Chief
Joseph's Indians about 40 miles (64 km) from the Canadian
boundary in October 1877.
Between 1880 and 1890, the population of Montana grew from
about 39,000 to nearly 143,000. The people of Montana first
asked for statehood in 1884, but they had to wait five
years. Finally, Montana was admitted as the 41st state on
November 8, 1889. Joseph K. Toole of Helena became the first
state governor.
Much of Montana's growth during the 1880s and 1890s came
because of the mines at Butte. The earliest mines produced
gold. Then silver was discovered in the rock ledges of the
Butte Hill. Later, miners found rich veins of copper. Miners
came to Butte from Ireland, England and other areas of
Europe. Smelters were built, and more men were hired to
operate them. The Butte Hill became known as "the Richest
Hill on Earth."
Butte Hill was called the Richest Hill on Earth during the
1880s. Gold, silver, and eventually copper have been mined
there. Marcus Daly and William Clark controlled the largest
mines and competed both in business and politics.
Clark wanted to be a U.S. Senator, but Daly opposed him. In
the campaign of 1899, Clark was accused of bribery. He won,
but resigned rather than face an investigation by a Senate
committee. Two years later, Clark won his Senate seat in a
second election. He was helped by F. Augustus Heinze,
another mine owner. Heinze had arrived in Butte long after
Daly and Clark became millionaires. But Heinze became
wealthy though clever use of mining law and court suits.
First Daly, then the others sold their properties to a
single corporation, which became the Anaconda Company. The
Company organized an electric power company, built a
railroad, and constructed dams. It also controlled forests,
banks, and newspapers. Anaconda became so important in the
life of the state that Montanans referred to it simply as
"The Company."
Montana became the 41st state on Nov. 8, 1889. In the years
that followed, dams were built that provided water for
irrigation and electricity for industrial use. Food
processing plants opened and railroads were extended.
During the early 1900s, Montana made increasing use of its
natural resources. New dams harnessed the state's rivers,
providing water for irrigation and electric power for
industry. The extension of the railroads assisted the
processing industries. New plants refined sugar, milled
flour, and processed meat. In 1910, Congress created Glacier
National Park, which became an attraction for tourists.
Many lost their farms and their jobs. The U.S. government
continued to develop natural resources in Montana. More than
10,000 workers were paid to build the Fort Peck Dam. Others
helped with irrigation, soil conservation, and construction
of parks and public roads. This program was called The New
Deal.
Jeannette Rankin of Missoula was elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives in 1916. She was the first woman to serve
in Congress. She won fame in 1941 as the only member of
Congress to vote against U.S. entry into World War II.
Rankin said she did not believe in war and would not vote
for it.
The Great Depression (1929-1939) also hit the nation. Demand
for the state's metals dropped because of the nationwide lag
in production. Drought contributed to the drop in farm
income, crought on by the depression.
However, state and federal programs continued to develop
Montana's resources during the 1930s. The building of the
giant Fort Peck Dam helped provide jobs. Completion of the
dam in 1940 provided badly needed water for irrigation.
Other projects included insect control, irrigation, rural
electrification, and soil conservation. The construction of
parks, recreation areas, and roads also continued under
government direction. In 1940, Montana voters elected
Republican Sam C. Ford of Helena as governor. He was only
the third Republican state governor in Montana history.
Montana's economy flourished during World War II
(1941-1945). Flour, meat and metals were all in demand.
After the war, prices for grain dropped and many farms were
abandoned in search for work in the cities. Oil was
discovered in Williston Basin and the Anaconda Aluminum
Company opened a large plant in northwestern Montana.
In 1972, Montana voters narrowly approved a new state
Constitution. The Constitution went into effect in 1973.
Montana's gas, oil, and coal industries expanded rapdily
during the 1970s, when an energy shortage developed in the
United States. Coal production increased sharply, from less
than 3 million to more than 30 million tons per year. Huge,
open-pit strip mines operated at Colstrip and other
southeastern Montana sites. The Montana Power Company built
four coal-burning, electric power plants at Colstrip. A 30
percent coal severance tax contributed needed funds to the
state. But, in the early 1980s, fuel prices fell, and
Montana's production leveled off.
Montana's traditionally important industries experienced
major difficulties during the mid-1980s. Farmers suffered
hardships brought on by drought, low farm product prices,
and reduced sales to foreign markets. The lumber industry
cut fewer logs than in the past. In addition, the mining
industry lost thousands of jobs. The Anaconda Company, once
the leading mining company in the state, gave up copper
mining altogether.
Montana, today, remains a state rich in natural resources.
But state leaders seek to broaden Montana's economy by
attracting small business and by promoting electronics and
other advanced-technology ventures. The Science and
Technology Alliance, created in 1985, looks for new uses for
raw materials. The state is also working to expand its
tourist industry.
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