Information and history of the state of Montana

First explored for France by François and Louis-Joseph Verendrye in the early 1740s, much of the region was acquired by the U.S. from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

On November 8, 1889, Montana became the forty-first state in the union.

Fields of grain cover much of Montana's plains. It ranks high among the states in wheat and barley, with rye, oats, flaxseed, sugar beets, and potatoes as other important crops. Sheep and cattle raising make significant contributions to the economy.

Some Montana Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Mammal	3. State Flower	4. State Gemstones	5. State Grass
6. State Tree	7. State Insect	8. State Fossil	9. State Fish	10. State Flag

1. Western Meadowlark -The western meadowlark was designated the official state bird of Montana in 1931.
2. Grizzly Bear- Montana designated the grizzly bear as the official state animal in 1983. Grizzly bears can be found in Glacier National Park and the mountains of northwest Montana.
3. Bitterroot - Montana designated bitterroot as the official state flower in 1895.
4. Sapphire and Montana Agate - Montana designated both the sapphire and Montana Agate as the official state gemstones in 1969.
5. Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Bluebunch wheatgrass was designated the official state grass of Montana in 1973.
6. Ponderosa Pine - Montana designated the ponderosa pine as the official state tree in 1949.
7. Mourning Cloak Butterfly - Montana designated the mourning cloak butterfly as the official state butterfly in 2001. Often the first butterflies to emerge in the spring.
8. Duck-billed Dinosaur - Montana designated the duck-billed dinosaur as the official state fossil in 1985. Fossil skeletons of this dinosaur have been found with nests of eggshells and hatchlings, proving for the first time that some dinosaurs lived in herds and fed and raised their offspring.
9. Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout - Also called westslope cutthroat trout, the blackspotted cutthroat trout is native to Montana.
10. Montana - The original banner was hand-made and carried by Montana volunteers in the Spanish-American war, but the design was not adopted as Montana's official state flag until 1904.

Did you know?

• The most visited place in Montana is Glacier National Park, known as the crown jewel of the continent. It lies along Montana's northern border and adjoins Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, forming the world's first International Peace Park.
• Buffalo in the wild can still be viewed at the National Bison Range in Moiese, south of Flathead Lake and west of the Mission Mountains.
• Just south of Billings, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his troops made their last stand. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument features the Plains Indians and United States military involved in the historic battle.
• Yellowstone National Park in southern Montana and northern Wyoming was the first national park in the nation.
• 46 out of Montana's 56 counties are considered frontier counties with an average population of 6 or fewer people per square mile.
• The average square mile of land contains 1.4 elk, 1.4 pronghorn antelope, and 3.3 deer.