Montana Flag on Our Flagpole

Montana – The Treasure State

Introduction:

Montana is a state in the Northwestern United States.

Montana is the 4th largest in area, the 8th least populous, and the 3rd least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states.  The western half of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges.  Smaller island ranges are found throughout the state.  The eastern half of Montana is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands.

Montana is bordered by Idaho to the west, Wyoming to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the north.

Montana in the United States
Montana in the United States

The economy is primarily based on agriculture, including ranching and cereal grain farming.  Other significant economic resources include oil, gas, coal, hard rock mining, and lumber.  The health care, service, and government sectors also are significant to the state’s economy.

The state’s fastest-growing sector is tourism.  Nearly 13 million tourists annually visit Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooth Highway, Flathead Lake, Big Sky Resort, and other attractions.

Origin of the Name:

The name Montana comes from the Spanish word Montaña which in turn comes from the Latin word Montanea, meaning “mountain”, or more broadly, “mountainous country”.  Montaña del Norte was the name given by early Spanish explorers to the entire mountainous region of the west.

Geography:

Topography:

The state’s topography is roughly defined by the Continental Divide, which splits much of the state into distinct eastern and western regions.  Most of Montana’s 100 or more named mountain ranges are in the state’s western half, most of which is geologically and geographically part of the Northern Rocky Mountains.  The Absaroka and Beartooth ranges in the state’s south-central part are technically part of the Central Rocky Mountains.  The Rocky Mountain Front is a significant feature in the state’s north-central portion, and isolated island ranges that interrupt the prairie landscape are common in the central and eastern parts of the state.  About 60 percent of the state is prairie, part of the northern Great Plains.

Montana Terrain
Montana Terrain

Between many mountain ranges are rich river valleys. The Big Hole Valley, Bitterroot Valley, Gallatin Valley, Flathead Valley, and Paradise Valley have extensive agricultural resources and multiple opportunities for tourism and recreation.

East and north of this transition zone are the expansive and sparsely populated Northern Plains, with tableland prairies, smaller island mountain ranges, and badlands.

Rivers, Lakes and Reservoirs:

Montana has thousands of named rivers and creeks, 450 miles of which are known for “blue-ribbon” trout fishing.  Montana’s water resources provide for recreation, hydropower, crop and forage irrigation, mining, and water for human consumption.  Montana is one of few geographic areas in the world whose rivers form parts of three major watersheds.  Its rivers feed the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay.  The watersheds divide at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park.

St Mary Lake Glacier National Park
St Mary Lake Glacier National Park

There are some 3,000 named lakes and reservoirs in Montana, including Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States.  Other major lakes include Whitefish Lake in the Flathead Valley and Lake McDonald and St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park.  The largest reservoir in the state is Fort Peck Reservoir on the Missouri river, which is contained by the second largest earthen dam and largest hydraulically filled dam in the world.

History:

Early Days:

Various indigenous peoples lived in the territory of the present-day state of Montana for thousands of years.  Historic tribes encountered by Europeans and settlers from the United States included the Crow in the south-central area; the Cheyenne in the very southeast; the Blackfeet, Assiniboine and Gros Ventres in the central and north-central area; and the Kootenai and Salish in the west.  The smaller Pend d’Oreille and Kalispel tribes lived near Flathead Lake and the western mountains, respectively.

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