Montana - Big Sky Country

About Montana

Montana, officially the State of Montana, is a landlocked state in the Mountain West region of the United States. With just over 1.1 million residents spread across 147,040 square miles, Montana is the fourth-largest state by area but fourth-least populous, giving it vast open spaces and some of America's lowest population density. Helena serves as the state capital, while Billings is the largest city and commercial center.

Montana's name comes from the Spanish word for "mountain," and the Rocky Mountains dominate the western third of the state with dramatic peaks, deep valleys, and alpine lakes. The eastern two-thirds consist of the Great Plains, featuring rolling prairies, wheat fields, and ranch lands under enormous skies that inspired the nickname "Big Sky Country." This geographic diversity creates two distinct cultural and economic regions—the mountainous west with tourism, forestry, and outdoor recreation, and the plains east focused on agriculture, ranching, and energy production.

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park, established in 1910, encompasses over one million acres of pristine wilderness in northwest Montana. The park preserves dramatic mountain scenery sculpted by glaciers, with over 200 lakes, 175 mountains over 8,000 feet, and remnant glaciers that give the park its name. The Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile engineering marvel completed in 1932, crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass (6,646 ft) and is one of America's most spectacular drives, offering breathtaking views of peaks, valleys, and wildlife.

The park's ecosystems range from prairie grasslands to alpine tundra, supporting incredible biodiversity. Glacier is home to all native large mammals including grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, wolverines, gray wolves, lynx, and mountain goats. The park sits within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, one of the most intact temperate ecosystems on Earth. Hiking trails range from easy lakeside strolls to challenging backcountry routes, with over 700 miles of maintained trails accessing remote valleys, hanging gardens, and alpine basins.

Glacier National Park forms the U.S. portion of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the world's first international peace park, established in 1932 with Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park. Climate change is dramatically affecting the park—in 1850, there were approximately 150 glaciers; by 2015, only 26 named glaciers remained, and scientists project most will disappear by 2030. This makes Glacier a poignant symbol of environmental change while remaining one of America's most spectacular national parks, attracting over 3 million visitors annually.

Yellowstone & Natural Wonders

Montana shares Yellowstone National Park with Wyoming and Idaho, with Yellowstone's northern entrance at Gardiner, Montana, and significant portions of the park in Montana. Yellowstone, established in 1872 as the world's first national park, preserves geothermal wonders including Old Faithful geyser, colorful hot springs, mud pots, and the Grand Prismatic Spring. The park sits atop a supervolcano that last erupted 640,000 years ago and remains geologically active, creating the world's largest collection of geothermal features.

Beyond Yellowstone, Montana boasts remarkable natural features. The Beartooth Highway, called "the most beautiful drive in America" by CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt, climbs to nearly 11,000 feet crossing the Beartooth Plateau between Red Lodge, Montana, and Yellowstone's northeast entrance. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, encompassing over 1.5 million acres, is one of the largest wilderness areas in the Lower 48, protecting pristine forests, rivers, and wildlife habitat with no roads or development.

Montana's rivers are legendary for fly-fishing, particularly the Madison, Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Missouri Rivers, which attract anglers from worldwide pursuing trophy trout. Norman Maclean's novella "A River Runs Through It," later filmed in Montana starring Brad Pitt, captured the spiritual connection between Montana, fly-fishing, and the human experience. The state's abundant wildlife, pristine waters, and wilderness make it an outdoor recreation paradise for hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, and wildlife watching.

Little Bighorn & Native American Heritage

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought on June 25-26, 1876, is one of American history's most famous conflicts. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and five companies of the 7th Cavalry attacked a large encampment of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. The Native American forces, vastly outnumbering Custer's immediate command and fighting to defend their families and way of life, annihilated Custer's battalion, killing 268 soldiers including Custer himself in what became known as "Custer's Last Stand."

The battle represented Native Americans' last major military victory before being forced onto reservations. Within a year, most tribes involved had surrendered due to military pressure, dwindling buffalo herds, and harsh winters. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the battlefield and tells the story from multiple perspectives, honoring both the 7th Cavalry and the tribal warriors who fought to preserve their freedom and protect their people. The site includes Last Stand Hill where Custer and his men died, and the Indian Memorial, dedicated in 2003, which honors the Native Americans who fought to defend their way of life.

Montana is home to seven Indian reservations, including the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Fort Peck (Assiniboine and Sioux), Flathead (Confederated Salish and Kootenai), Blackfeet, Fort Belknap (Gros Ventre and Assiniboine), and Rocky Boy's (Chippewa Cree). Native American heritage remains vital to Montana's culture and history. The state's name appears in the Salish and Kootenai languages as well as English on highway signs, and pow wows, cultural centers, and museums preserve and share tribal traditions.

Ranching & Agriculture

Ranching is synonymous with Montana, where cattle outnumber people and the cowboy culture thrives. Montana has approximately 28,000 ranches and farms covering 58 million acres—about 63% of the state's land area. Cattle ranching dominates, with over 2.5 million beef cattle. The state's vast grasslands, mountain meadows, and ample water make it ideal for livestock. Montana produces significant wheat, barley, hay, and pulse crops including lentils and chickpeas.

Montana's ranch heritage extends back to the open range era of the 1870s-1880s when enormous cattle drives moved herds north from Texas to Montana's grasslands. The harsh winter of 1886-87, which killed thousands of cattle, ended the open range era and led to more sustainable ranching practices including winter feeding, fencing, and smaller herds. Today, Montana ranches vary from family operations spanning generations to large corporate ranches, but the culture of hard work, connection to land, and cowboy traditions remains strong.

Agriculture faces challenges in Montana including unpredictable weather, drought, low commodity prices, and the economic pressures making it difficult for families to maintain ranches. Many ranches supplement income through hunting leases, guest ranches, and conservation easements that preserve open space while providing financial relief. The Montana Land Reliance and similar organizations work to keep ranches intact and productive, recognizing that working ranches preserve wildlife habitat, open space, and cultural heritage.

Mining Heritage & Butte

Montana's motto "Oro y Plata" (Gold and Silver) reflects its mining heritage. Gold discoveries in the 1860s at Bannack and Alder Gulch sparked Montana's first population boom. Virginia City, founded during the Alder Gulch rush, became territorial capital and preserves its gold rush heritage as a National Historic Landmark and tourist destination. These mining camps were lawless until vigilante justice, though brutal, established order.

Butte, "The Richest Hill on Earth," became one of the world's greatest mining centers, producing billions of dollars worth of copper, silver, gold, lead, and zinc. At its peak in the early 1900s, Butte was Montana's largest city with over 100,000 residents from dozens of ethnic groups attracted by mining jobs. The Anaconda Copper Mining Company dominated Montana's economy and politics for decades. Butte's mining heritage is visible in historic uptown buildings, headframes marking mine shafts, and the Berkeley Pit, a massive open-pit copper mine filled with acidic water now being remediated.

Mining declined after the 1980s, leaving economic challenges and environmental legacies. The Berkeley Pit and surrounding areas are a Superfund site undergoing cleanup. Despite this, Butte maintains pride in its heritage, preserving history at the World Museum of Mining and celebrating Irish heritage at the annual An Ri Ra festival. Montana still produces significant metals including palladium, platinum, and molybdenum, though mining employs far fewer people than historically.

Major Cities

Counties

Montana has 56 counties. Major counties include:

Interesting Facts

Neighboring States

Montana shares its northern border with Canadian provinces British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.