Geography and Landforms:

Montana is bordered by Canada on the north and by Idaho and Wyoming on the south. On the east, Montana is bordered by North and South Dakota, and on the west, it is bordered by Idaho.

Major rivers in Montana include the Clark Fork River, the Missouri River, and the Yellowstone River.

The eastern three-fifths of Montana is covered by the Great Plains. The Great Plains are high, gently rolling areas with wide river valleys. The western portion of the state rises up in tall, rugged Rocky Mountain country. There are more than 50 mountain ranges in this region; they have provided Montana its name and yielded a fortune of gold and silver.

The Continental Divide separates waters running west into the Pacific Ocean and east to the Atlantic Ocean, and runs through the Rocky Mountain Region. Montana is the only state that has rivers that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay, and the Pacific Ocean.

History:

The first white explorers to come to Montana were part of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804 through 1806. Soon after this group, however, came fur traders and trappers who were interested in the vast natural resources and trade with the Native Americans. Unfortunately, they also brought disease and alcohol to the Native people, and changed their economic system forever. Although the fur trade brought great change to the area, it was relatively short lived, dying out by the 1840s due to the over-hunting of beaver, and the loss of popularity of beaver pelts used for men’s hats.

After the fur traders, the next group to come to Montana was Roman Catholic missionaries. They established St. Mary’s Mission in the Bitterroot Valley, probably the first permanent white settlement in Montana. Along with their efforts to bring Christianity to the Native populations, they also promoted agriculture, and they built a sawmill for use in the lumber trade.

In the 1860s, gold was discovered in the area, and prospectors came in great numbers. Montana became a territory in 1864, and the influx of people coming to look for wealth led to the creation of “boomtowns.” Unfortunately, when the gold ran out, these towns quickly declined.

The number of white settlers coming to Montana meant that the Native people lost access to their traditional hunting grounds. In the 1870s, trying to defend their territory, the Sioux and the Cheyenne defeated US troops at the Battle of Little Bighorn, and Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians won a victory in the Big Hole Basin. In the long run, however, the Native Americans could not match the strength of the United States Army.

After the miners, the next group to settle Montana was cattle ranchers. There was a great demand for meat from the miners and other settlers, and the availability of free land to those who wanted to establish ranches made the enterprise profitable. The coming of the railroads in the 1880s also meant there was an easy way to ship meat to other parts of the country, further strengthening the ranchers’ position in the state.

By 1889, Montana was admitted to the Union as the 41st state. Although the promise of gold had not been realized, Butte became famous when silver and copper were discovered. The Anaconda copper mine, owned by Marcus Daly, became one of the world’s largest.

In 1909, the Enlarged Homestead Act brought more homesteaders to Montana for the availability of inexpensive land. The new settlers had success with wheat farming until the beginning of the 20th century when drought and changes in the market for grain ruined many farmers.

First Inhabitants:

The first inhabitants of the area now known as Montana were nomadic people who followed the mammoth and the buffalo and gathered plants. Although some tribal people believe their ancestors have lived in the northern Rocky Mountain region since the world began, archaeologists believe the first inhabitants crossed the Bering Strait from Asia around 12,000 years ago. There is evidence of a thriving culture living west of the Rocky Mountains as early as 9,000 years ago.

By the time white explorers first came to Montana, tribal groups of Native Americans were living in the area. The Crow lived in south central Montana, the Cheyenne lived in the south east, Blackfeet, Assiniboine and Gros Ventres lived in the central and north central areas and the Kootenai and Salish lived in the western area. Finally, there were Pend d’Oreille Indians around Flathead Lake and Kalispel Indians in the western mountains. When the first white traders came west, there may have been as many as 15,000 people belonging to the Blackfeet Nation living in this area.

Each of these tribal cultures worshipped all sources of life and believed the earth was sacred. Their contact with white traders and the introduction of guns and horses into these societies changed them forever and made them dependent upon trade for their existence. Their use of horses for hunting made them much more efficient in killing the bison upon which they lived, but may also have led to the near extinction of these animals.