View source for Montana

{{short description|U.S. state}}
{{redirect-several|dab=off|Big Sky Country (song)|Montanan (disambiguation)|Treasure State (disambiguation)|Montana (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = Montana
| image_flag = Flag of Montana.svg
| flag_link = Flag of Montana
| image_seal = Montana-StateSeal.svg
| seal_link = Seal of Montana
| anthem = "[[Montana (state song)|Montana]]"{{break}}{{center|[[File:State Song of Montana.ogg]]}}
| image_map = Montana in United States.svg
| nicknames = Big Sky Country, The Treasure State
| motto = {{native phrase|es|"Oro y Plata"|italics=off}}<br/>"Gold and Silver"
| Former = Montana Territory
| population_demonym = Montanan
| seat = [[Helena, Montana|Helena]]
| OfficialLang = English
| LargestCity = [[Billings, Montana|Billings]]
| LargestCounty = [[Yellowstone County, Montana|Yellowstone]]
| LargestMetro = [[Billings metropolitan area|Billings]]
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Greg Gianforte]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[Kristen Juras]] (R)}}
| Legislature = [[Montana Legislature|Legislature]]
| Upperhouse = [[Montana Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Montana House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Montana Supreme Court]]
| Senators = {{nowrap|[[Jon Tester]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Steve Daines]] (R)}}
| Representative = {{plainlist}}
* {{nowrap|[[Montana's 1st congressional district|1]]: [[Ryan Zinke]] (R)}}
* {{nowrap|[[Montana's 2nd congressional district|2]]: [[Matt Rosendale]] (R)}}
{{endplainlist}}
| area_rank = 4th
| area_total_sq_mi = 147,040<ref name=census>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf|title=United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts, 2010 Census of Population and Housing|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|type=PDF|page=41 (Table 18)|date=September 2012|access-date=April 11, 2014|archive-date=October 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019110435/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 380,800 <!--{{convert|147040|mi2|km2}}-->
| area_land_sq_mi = 145,552<ref>{{cite web|url=http://geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/geography/geography_facts/area_of_montana_counties.aspx|title=Area of Montana Counties|publisher=Montana.gov|access-date=February 2, 2020|archive-date=February 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203021608/http://geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/geography/geography_facts/area_of_montana_counties.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| area_land_km2 = 376,980 <!--{{convert|145552|mi2|km2}}-->
| area_water_sq_mi = 1,491
| area_water_km2 = 3,862
| area_water_percent = 1
| population_rank = 43rd
| 2010Pop = 1,132,812
| population_as_of = 2023
| population_est = 
| population_density_rank = 48th
| 2010DensityUS = auto
| 2000Density = auto
| MedianHouseholdIncome = $56,539<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 July 2021 |title=US Census Bureau QuickFacts: Montana |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MT |access-date=May 28, 2022 |website=US Census Bureau |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019090839/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MT |url-status=live }}</ref>
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|40th]]
| AdmittanceOrder = 41st
| AdmittanceDate = November 8, 1889
| Latitude = 44° 21′ N to 49° N
| Longitude = 104° 2′ W to 116° 3′ W
| length_mi = 255
| length_km = 410
| width_mi = 630
| width_km = 1,015
| elevation_max_point = [[Granite Peak (Montana)|Granite Peak]]{{sfn|National Geodetic Survey|2008}}{{sfn|Geological Survey|2001}}
| elevation_max_ft = 12,807
| elevation_max_m = 3903.5
| elevation_ft = 3,400
| elevation_m = 1040
| elevation_min_point = [[Kootenai River]] at {{nowrap|[[Idaho]] border}}{{sfn|National Geodetic Survey|2008}}{{sfn|Geological Survey|2001}}
| elevation_min_ft = 1,804
| elevation_min_m = 557
| timezone1 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain]]
| utc_offset1 = −07:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Mountain Daylight Time|MDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = −06:00
| postal_code = MT
| TradAbbreviation = Mont.
| iso_code = US-MT
| website = mt.gov
| Capital = Helena, Montana
| Representatives = 
}}
{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
|state = Montana
|image_flag = Flag of Montana.svg
|image_seal = Great Seal of Montana.svg
|bird = [[Western meadowlark]]
|butterfly = [[Mourning cloak]]
|fish = [[Westslope cutthroat trout]]
|flower = [[Bitterroot]]
|mammal = [[Grizzly bear]]
|tree = [[Ponderosa pine]]
|fossil = ''[[Maiasaura peeblesorum]]''
|gemstone = [[Sapphire]], [[Agate]]
|image_route = MT-1.svg
|image_quarter = 
|quarter_release_date = 2007 }}

'''Montana''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Montana.ogg|m|ɒ|n|ˈ|t|æ|n|ə}} {{respell|mon|TAN|ə}})<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Montana|access-date=2024-03-08}}</ref> is a landlocked [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Mountain states|Mountain West]] subregion of the [[Western United States]]. It borders [[Idaho]] to the west, [[North Dakota]] to the east, [[South Dakota]] to the southeast, [[Wyoming]] to the south, and the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian provinces]] of [[Alberta]], [[British Columbia]], and [[Saskatchewan]] to the north. It is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|fourth-largest state by area]], but the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|eighth-least populous state]] and the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population density|third-least densely populated state]]. Its [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] is [[Helena, Montana|Helena]], while the [[List of municipalities in Montana|most populous city]] is [[Billings, Montana|Billings]]. The western half of the state contains numerous mountain ranges, while the eastern half is characterized by western [[prairie]] terrain and [[badlands]], with smaller mountain ranges found throughout the state.

Most of Montana first came under American [[sovereignty]] with the [[Louisiana Purchase]] from France in 1803 and was explored by the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]] shortly thereafter.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Gold Gives Birth to Western Montana |url=https://www.umt.edu/this-is-montana/columns/stories/gold-western-montana.php |first1=Rick |last1=Graetz |first2=Susie |last2=Graetz |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=This is Montana |publisher=University of Montana |language=en |archive-date=January 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105224839/https://www.umt.edu/this-is-montana/columns/stories/gold-western-montana.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Fur trappers followed and were the main economic activity in the area until gold was discovered in 1852. The ensuing gold rush, along with the passage of the [[Homestead Acts]] in 1862, brought large numbers of American settlers to Montana.<ref name=":1" /> Rapid population growth and development culminated in statehood on November 8, 1889. Mining, particularly around [[Butte, Montana|Butte]] and [[Helena, Montana|Helena]], would remain the state's main economic engine through the mid-20th century.

Montana has no official [[List of U.S. state and territory nicknames|nickname]] but several unofficial ones, most notably "Big Sky Country", "The Treasure State", "Land of the Shining Mountains", and "[[The Last Best Place]]".{{sfn|Robbins, J.|2008}} Its economy is primarily based on [[agriculture]], including [[ranch]]ing and [[cereal grain]] farming. Other significant economic resources include [[oil]], [[gas]], [[coal]], [[mining]], and [[lumber]]. The health care, service, defense, and government sectors are also significant to the state's economy. Montana's fastest-growing sector is tourism, with 12.6 million tourists (as of 2019) visiting the state each year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2020 |title=UM Travel Institute: 2020 Tests Montana Tourism |url=https://www.umt.edu/news/2020/08/081820itrr.php |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=[[University of Montana]] |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025180240/https://www.umt.edu/news/2020/08/081820itrr.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Etymology==
The name Montana comes from the Spanish word {{Lang|es|montaña}}, which in turn comes from the Latin word {{Lang|la|montanea}}, meaning "mountain" or more broadly "mountainous country".<ref name="Society1910">{{cite book|author=Montana Historical Society|title=Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yS9EAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA47|year=1910|publisher=Rocky Mountain Publishing Company|page=47}}</ref>{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1991|pp=95–96}} {{Lang|es|Montaña del Norte}} ('Northern Mountain') was the name given by early Spanish explorers to the entire mountainous region of the west.{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1991|pp=95–96}} The name Montana was added in 1863 to a bill by the [[United States House Committee on Territories]] (chaired at the time by [[James Mitchell Ashley|James Ashley]] of [[Ohio]]) for the territory that would become [[Idaho Territory]].{{sfn|Sanders|1910|pp=15–60}}

The name was changed by representatives [[Henry Wilson]] (Massachusetts) and [[Benjamin F. Harding]] (Oregon), who complained that Montana had "no meaning".{{sfn|Sanders|1910|pp=15–60}} When Ashley presented a bill to establish a temporary government in 1864 for a new territory to be carved out of Idaho, he again chose [[Montana Territory]].{{sfn|Library of Congress|1864}} This time, representative [[Samuel S. Cox|Samuel Cox]], also of Ohio, objected to the name.{{sfn|Library of Congress|1864}} Cox complained that the name was a [[misnomer]] given that most of the territory was not mountainous, and thought a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] name would be more appropriate than a Spanish one.{{sfn|Library of Congress|1864}} Other names, such as [[Shoshone]], were suggested, but the Committee on Territories decided that they had discretion to choose the name, so the original name of Montana was adopted.{{sfn|Library of Congress|1864}}

==History==
{{Main|History of Montana}}
[[File:Early Indian treaty territories in Montana.png|thumb|[[Early Indian treaty territories in Montana]]]]
[[File:Assinniboine2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]] family, Montana, 1890–91]]For thousands of years, various [[indigenous peoples]] have inhabited the land that is now Montana. Historic tribes encountered by Europeans and settlers from the United States included the [[Crow people|Crow]] in the south-central area, the [[Cheyenne]] and [[Lakota people|Lakota]] in the southeast, the [[Blackfoot Confederacy|Blackfeet]], [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]], and [[Gros Ventres]] in the central and north-central area, and the [[Ktunaxa|Kootenai]] and [[Bitterroot Salish|Salish]] the ([https://www.thesalishinstitute.com/our-culture/salish-kalispel-pend-doreille-history Séliš or “Flathead”]) in the west. The ([https://kalispeltribe.com/ Ql̓ispé]  or [[Pend d'Oreilles]]) and [[Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation|Kalispel]] tribes lived near [[Flathead Lake]] and the western mountains, respectively. A part of southeastern Montana was used as a corridor between the Crows and the related [[Hidatsa]]s in North Dakota.{{sfn|Wood|Thiessen|1987|pp=156-220}}

As part of the [[Missouri River]] watershed, all of the land in Montana east of the [[Continental Divide]] was part of the [[Louisiana Purchase]] in 1803, except for a tiny portion in the northeast that is part of the [[Hudson Bay drainage basin|Hudson Bay drainage]]. Subsequent to and particularly in the decades following the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]], European, Canadian and American traders operated a [[Fur trade in Montana|fur trade]], trading with indigenous peoples in both western and eastern portions of the area. Though the increased interaction between fur traders and indigenous peoples frequently proved to be a profitable partnership, conflicts broke out when indigenous interests were threatened, such as the conflict between American trappers and the [[Blackfeet Nation|Blackfeet]]. Indigenous peoples in the region were also decimated by diseases introduced by fur traders to which they had no immunity.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Binnema|first1=Ted|last2=Dobak|first2=William A.|title="Like the greedy wolf" : the Blackfeet, the St. Louis fur trade, and war fever, 1807–1831|journal=Journal of the Early Republic|date=Fall 2009|volume=29|issue=3|pages=411–440|doi=10.1353/jer.0.0089|jstor=40541856|s2cid=143630848|issn=0275-1275}}</ref>{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154332/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter5/chapter5.pdf Ch. 5] |pp=92-93}} The trading post [[Fort Raymond]] (1807–1811) was constructed in Crow Indian country in 1807.{{sfn|Hoxie1995|p=54}} Until the [[Oregon Treaty]] of 1846, land west of the continental divide was disputed between the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British]] and [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. governments]] and was known as the [[Oregon Country]]. The first permanent settlement by Euro-Americans in what today is Montana was [[St. Mary's Mission (Montana)|St. Mary's]], established in 1841 near present-day [[Stevensville, Montana|Stevensville]].{{sfn|Montana Catholic|2010}} In 1847, [[Fort Benton, Montana|Fort Benton]] was built as the uppermost fur-trading post on the Missouri River.{{sfn|National Historic Landmark Program|2013}} In the 1850s, settlers began moving into the [[Beaverhead River|Beaverhead]] and [[Big Hole River|Big Hole]] valleys from the [[Oregon Trail]] and into the Clark's Fork valley.{{sfn|Kittredge|Krauzer|1986|pp=14–23}}

The first gold discovered in Montana was at [[Gold Creek, Montana|Gold Creek]] near present-day [[Garrison, Montana|Garrison]] in 1852. The Gold rush in the region commenced in earnest starting in 1862. A series of major mineral discoveries in the western part of the state found gold, silver, copper, lead, and coal (and later oil) which attracted tens of thousands of miners to the area. The richest of all gold placer diggings was discovered at Alder Gulch, where the town of [[Virginia City, Montana|Virginia City]] was established. Other rich placer deposits were found at Last Chance Gulch, where the city of Helena now stands, [[Confederate Gulch and Diamond City|Confederate Gulch]], Silver Bow, Emigrant Gulch, and [[Cooke City, Montana|Cooke City]]. Gold output between 1862 and 1876 reached $144&nbsp;million, after which silver became even more important. The largest mining operations were at Butte, with important silver deposits and expansive copper deposits.

===Montana territory===
{{Main|Organic act#List of organic acts|Montana Territory}}
[[File:Montana Territory 1865.jpg|thumb|Montana Territory in 1865<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://coololdphotos.com/1865-map-of-the-territory-of-montana/|title=1865 Map of the Territory of Montana|last=Tom|date=August 8, 2016|website=Cool Old Photos|access-date=March 5, 2019}}</ref>]]

Before the creation of Montana Territory (1864–1889), areas within present-day Montana were part of the [[Oregon Territory]] (1848–1859), [[Washington Territory]] (1853–1863), Idaho Territory (1863–1864), and [[Dakota Territory]] (1861–1864). Montana Territory became a [[territories of the United States|territory of the United States]] on May{{Nbsp}}26, 1864. The first territorial capital was located at [[Bannack, Montana|Bannack]]. [[Sidney Edgerton]] served as the first territorial governor. The capital moved to Virginia City in 1865 and to [[Helena, Montana|Helena]] in 1875. In 1870, the non-Indian population of the Montana Territory was 20,595.{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1976|pp=92–113}} The [[Montana Historical Society]], founded on February{{Nbsp}}2, 1865, in Virginia City, is the oldest such institution west of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] (excluding Louisiana).{{sfn|Montana's Museum|2007}} In 1869 and 1870 respectively, the [[Cook–Folsom–Peterson Expedition|Cook–Folsom–Peterson]] and the [[Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition]]s were launched from Helena into the Upper Yellowstone region. The extraordinary discoveries and reports from these expeditions led to the creation of [[Yellowstone National Park]] in 1872.

===Conflicts===
{{see also|List of military installations in Montana}}

As settlers began populating Montana from the 1850s through the 1870s, disputes with Native Americans ensued, primarily over land ownership and control. In 1855, Washington Territorial Governor [[Isaac Stevens]] negotiated the [[Hellgate Treaty]] between the United States government and the Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai people of western Montana, which established boundaries for the tribal nations. The treaty was ratified in 1859.{{sfn|Hellgate Treaty|1855}} While the treaty established what later became the [[Flathead Indian Reservation]], trouble with interpreters and confusion over the terms of the treaty led Whites to believe the [[Bitterroot Valley]] was opened to settlement, but the tribal nations disputed those provisions.{{sfn|Montana Office of Public Instruction|2010}} The Salish remained in the Bitterroot Valley until 1891.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154347/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter7/chapter7.pdf Ch. 7] |pp=123–146}}

The first U.S. Army post established in Montana was [[Camp Cooke (Montana)|Camp Cooke]] in 1866, on the Missouri River, to protect steamboat traffic to Fort Benton. More than a dozen additional military outposts were established in the state. Pressure over land ownership and control increased due to discoveries of gold in various parts of Montana and surrounding states. Major battles occurred in Montana during [[Red Cloud's War]], the [[Great Sioux War of 1876]], and the [[Nez Perce War]] and in conflicts with [[Piegan Blackfeet]].<!--these may need further breakout later--> The most notable were the [[Marias Massacre]] (1870), [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]] (1876), [[Battle of the Big Hole]] (1877), and [[Battle of Bear Paw]] (1877). The last recorded conflict in Montana between the U.S. Army and Native Americans occurred in 1887 during the [[Crow War#Battle of Crow Agency|Battle of Crow Agency]] in the Big Horn country. Native survivors who had signed treaties were generally required to move onto [[Indian reservation|reservations]].{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1976|pp=114–144}}
[[File:Chief Joseph and Col. John Gibbon.jpg|thumb|Chief Joseph and Col. John Gibbon met again on the Big Hole Battlefield site in 1889.]]

Simultaneously with these conflicts, [[American bison|bison]], a [[keystone species]] and the primary protein source that Native people had survived on for many centuries, were being destroyed. Experts estimate that around 13&nbsp;million bison roamed Montana in 1870.{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1976|pp=145–171}} In 1875, General [[Philip Sheridan]] pleaded to a joint session of [[United States Congress|Congress]] to authorize the slaughtering of bison herds to deprive Native people of their source of food.{{sfn|Bergman|2004}} By 1884, commercial hunting had brought bison to the verge of extinction; only about 325 bison remained in the entire United States.{{sfn|Fish and Wildlife Service—Bison|2013}}

===Cattle ranching===
Cattle ranching has been central to Montana's history and economy since [[Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site|Johnny Grant]] began wintering cattle in the Deer Lodge Valley in the 1850s and traded cattle fattened in fertile Montana valleys with emigrants on the Oregon Trail.{{sfn|National Park Service-Grant-Kohrs|2013}} [[Nelson Story]] brought the first [[Texas longhorn (cattle)|Texas Longhorn cattle]] into the territory in 1866.{{sfn|Schontzler|2011}}{{sfn|Ultimate Montana|2010}} [[Granville Stuart]], [[Samuel Hauser]], and Andrew J. Davis started a major [[open range|open-range]] cattle operation in Fergus County in 1879.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society|2013}}{{sfn|Milner II|O'Connor|2009|pp=161–184}} The [[Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site]] in [[Deer Lodge, Montana|Deer Lodge]] is maintained today as a link to the ranching style of the late 19th century. Operated by the [[National Park Service]], it is a {{convert|1900|acre|km2|adj=on}} working ranch.{{sfn|Grant-Kohrs Ranch|2013}}

===Railroads===
[[File:Buffalo soldiers1.jpg|thumb|[[Buffalo Soldier]]s, Ft. Keogh, Montana, 1890. The nickname was given to the "Black Cavalry" by the Native American tribes they fought.]]

Tracks of the [[Northern Pacific Railroad]] (NPR) reached Montana from the west in 1882 and from the east in 1883. However, the railroad played a major role in sparking tensions with Native American tribes in the 1870s. [[Jay Cooke]], the NPR president, launched major surveys into the Yellowstone valley in 1871, 1872, and 1873, which were challenged forcefully by the [[Sioux]] under chief [[Sitting Bull]]. These clashes, in part, contributed to the [[Panic of 1873]], a financial crisis that delayed the construction of the railroad into Montana.{{sfn|Lubetkin|2006|pp=xv–xviii}} Surveys in 1874, 1875, and 1876 helped spark the [[Great Sioux War of 1876]]. The transcontinental NPR was completed on September 8, 1883, at [[Gold Creek, Montana|Gold Creek]].

In 1881, the [[Utah and Northern Railway]], a branch line of the [[Union Pacific]], completed a [[narrow-gauge]] line from northern [[Utah]] to Butte.{{sfn|Union Pacific Railroad|2013}} A number of smaller spur lines operated in Montana from 1881 into the 20th century, including the [[Oregon Short Line Railroad|Oregon Short Line]], [[Montana Railroad]], and [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad|Milwaukee Road]].

Tracks of the [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railroad]] (GNR) reached eastern Montana in 1887 and when they reached the northern Rocky Mountains in 1890, the GNR became a significant promoter of tourism to Glacier National Park region. The transcontinental GNR was completed on January 6, 1893, at [[Scenic, Washington]]{{sfn|Great Northern Railway|2013}} and is known as the [[Hi Line Subdivision|Hi Line]], being the northernmost transcontinental rail line in the United States.

===Statehood===
{{Main|Admission to the Union|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 
| image1 = 18891109 Montana statehood granted - The Helena Independent.png
| width1 = 200
| caption1 = Reporting statehood from Helena: Full article text is [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:18891109_Montana_statehood_granted_-_The_Helena_Independent.png&oldid=349993158 here].
* ''The official telegram:''
EXECUTIVE MANSION,<br>
WASHINGTON, D.C. November 7, 1889<br>
To Hon. Joseph K. Toole, Governor of the State of Montana:<br>
The president signed and issued the proclamation declaring Montana a state of the union at 10:40 o'clock this morning.<br />
JAMES G. BLAINE	<br>Secretary of State<ref name="HelenaIndependent_18891109">{{cite news |title=A Sovereign People |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/helena-independent-nov-09-1889-p-1/ |work=The Helena Independent |date=November 9, 1889 |page=1 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153340/https://newspaperarchive.com/browse/us/mt/helena/helena-independent/ |url-status=live }} Article's text is [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:18891109_Montana_statehood_granted_-_The_Helena_Independent.png&oldid=349993158 here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154909/https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3A18891109_Montana_statehood_granted_-_The_Helena_Independent.png&oldid=349993158 |date=February 20, 2021 }}.</ref>
| image2 = 18891109 We Crow for Montana - The Butte Daily Miner.jpg
| width2 = 190
| caption2 = This article in a Butte newspaper celebrates "the blessings of true citizenship".<ref name=18891109_ButteDailyMiner>{{cite news |title=We Crow for Montana |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/butte-city-daily-miner-nov-09-1889-p-1/ |work=The Butte Daily Miner |date=November 9, 1889 |page=1 |access-date=July 20, 2020 |archive-date=July 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720060648/https://newspaperarchive.com/butte-city-daily-miner-nov-09-1889-p-1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
Under Territorial Governor [[Thomas Francis Meagher|Thomas Meagher]], Montanans held a constitutional convention in 1866 in a failed bid for statehood. A second [[constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]] held in Helena in 1884 produced a constitution ratified 3:1 by Montana citizens in November 1884. For political reasons, Congress did not approve Montana statehood until February 1889 and President [[Grover Cleveland]] signed an [[omnibus bill]] granting statehood to Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington once the appropriate state constitutions were crafted. In July 1889, Montanans convened their third constitutional convention and produced a constitution accepted by the people and the federal government. On November 8, 1889, President [[Benjamin Harrison]] proclaimed Montana the union's 41st state. The first state governor was [[Joseph Toole|Joseph K. Toole]].{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1976|pp=172–200}} In the 1880s, Helena (the state capital) had more millionaires per capita than any other United States city.{{sfn|Fanselow|2007|pp=170–171}}

===Homesteading===
The [[Homestead Acts#Homestead Act of 1862|Homestead Act of 1862]] provided free land to settlers who could claim and "prove-up" {{convert|160|acre|km2}} of federal land in the Midwest and western United States. Montana did not see a large influx of immigrants from this act because 160 acres were usually insufficient to support a family in the arid territory.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch.13] |p=253}} The first homestead claim under the act in Montana was made by David Carpenter near Helena in 1868. The first claim by a woman was made near Warm Springs Creek by Gwenllian Evans, the daughter of Deer Lodge Montana pioneer, Morgan Evans.{{sfn|Lux|1964|pp=333–348}} By 1880, farms were in the more verdant valleys of central and western Montana, but few were on the eastern plains.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch. 13] |p=253}}

The [[Desert Land Act|Desert Land Act of 1877]] was passed to allow settlement of arid lands in the west and allotted {{convert|640|acre|km2}} to settlers for a fee of $.25 per acre and a promise to irrigate the land. After three years, a fee of one dollar per acre would be paid and the settler would own the land. This act brought mostly cattle and sheep ranchers into Montana, many of whom grazed their herds on the Montana prairie for three years, did little to irrigate the land and then abandoned it without paying the final fees.{{sfn|Lux|1964|pp=333–348}} Some farmers came with the arrival of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railroads throughout the 1880s and 1890s, though in relatively small numbers.{{sfn|Toole1|1959|p=228}}

[[File:Mennonite family in Montana 1937.jpg|thumb|[[Mennonite]] family in Montana, c.&nbsp;1937]]

In the early 1900s, [[James J. Hill]] of the Great Northern began to promote settlement in the Montana prairie to fill his trains with settlers and goods. Other railroads followed suit.{{sfn|Toole1|1959|pp=223–224}} In 1902, the [[Reclamation Act]] was passed, allowing irrigation projects to be built in Montana's eastern river valleys. In 1909, Congress passed the [[Enlarged Homestead Act]] that expanded the amount of free land from {{convert|160|to|320|acre|km2|1}} per family and in 1912 reduced the time to "prove up" on a claim to three years.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch. 13] |p=254}} In 1916, the [[Stock-Raising Homestead Act]] allowed homesteads of 640 acres in areas unsuitable for irrigation.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch. 13] |p=255}} This combination of advertising and changes in the Homestead Act drew tens of thousands of homesteaders, lured by free land, with World War I bringing particularly high wheat prices. In addition, Montana was going through a temporary period of higher-than-average precipitation.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch. 13] |pp=256–258}} Homesteaders arriving in this period were known as "honyockers", or "scissorbills".{{sfn|Toole1|1959|p=228}} The word ''honyocker'' possibly derived from the ethnic slur ''hunyak{{sfn|Howard|1959|p=181}}'' and was applied in a derisive manner at homesteaders, who were perceived as being "greenhorns", "new at his business", or "unprepared".{{sfn|Stuart|1913|pp=133–137}} However, most of these new settlers had farming experience, though many did not.{{sfn|Toole1|1959|p=229}}

{{blockquote|Honyocker, scissorbill, nester ... He was the Joad of a [half] century ago, swarming into a hostile land: duped when he started, robbed when he arrived; hopeful, courageous, ambitious: he sought independence or adventure, comfort and security ... The honyocker was farmer, spinster, deep-sea diver; fiddler, physician, bartender, cook. He lived in Minnesota or Wisconsin, Massachusetts or Maine. There the news sought him out—Jim Hill's news of free land in the Treasure State ... |[[Joseph Kinsey Howard]], ''Montana, High, Wide, and Handsome'' (1964){{sfn|Lux|1964|pp=333–348}}}}

However, farmers faced a number of problems. Massive debt was one.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch. 13] |p=261}} Also, most settlers were from wetter regions, unprepared for the dry climate, lack of trees, and scarce water resources.{{sfn|Toole1|1959|pp=229–230}} In addition, small homesteads of fewer than {{convert|320|acre|ha}} were unsuited to the environment. Weather and agricultural conditions are much harsher and drier west of the 100th<!--some sources say 96th?--> meridian.{{sfn|Libecap|Hansen|2002|pp=86–120}} Then, the droughts of 1917–1921 proved devastating. Many people left, and half the banks in the state went bankrupt as a result of providing mortgages that could not be repaid.{{sfn|Extension Service|2013}} As a result, farm sizes increased while the number of farms decreased.{{sfn|Libecap|Hansen|2002|pp=86–120}}

By 1910, homesteaders filed claims on over five million acres, and by 1923, over 93&nbsp;million acres were farmed.{{sfn|Toole1|1959|p=230}} In 1910, the Great Falls land office alone had more than a thousand homestead filings per month,{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch. 13] |p=259}} and at the peak of 1917–1918 it had 14,000 new homesteads each year.{{sfn|Holmes|2009|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154307/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter13/chapter13.pdf Ch. 13] |p=261}} Significant drops occurred following the drought in 1919.{{sfn|Libecap|Hansen|2002|pp=86–120}}

===Montana and World War I===
As [[World War I]] broke out, [[Jeannette Rankin]], representative of Montana and the first woman in the United States to be a member of Congress, voted against the United States' declaration of war. Her actions were widely criticized in Montana, where support for the war and [[patriotism]] was strong.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} In 1917–1918, due to a miscalculation of Montana's population, about 40,000 Montanans, 10% of the state's population,{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} volunteered or were [[Conscription|drafted]] into the armed forces. This represented a manpower contribution to the war that was 25% higher than any other state on a [[per capita]] basis. Around 1,500 Montanans died as a result of the war<!--this number includes KIA and later deaths in and out of the war zone, verified here: http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/w/page/21639730/Montana%20War%20Casualties#WorldWarI19171918--> and 2,437 were wounded, also higher than any other state on a per capita basis.{{sfn|Howard|1959|pp=202–203}} Montana's [[United States Army Remount Service|Remount station]] in [[Miles City, Montana|Miles City]] provided 10,000 [[Horses in World War I|cavalry horses]] for the war, more than any other Army post in the country. The war created a boom for Montana mining, lumber, and farming interests, as demand for war materials and food increased.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}}

In June 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the [[Espionage Act of 1917]], which was extended by the [[Sedition Act of 1918]].{{sfn|History Channel|2013}} In February 1918, the Montana legislature had passed the Montana Sedition Act, which was a model for the federal version.{{sfn|University of Montana|2005}} In combination, these laws criminalized criticism of the U.S. government, military, or symbols through speech or other means. The Montana Act led to the arrest of more than 200 individuals and the conviction of 78, mostly of German or Austrian descent. More than 40 spent time in prison.<!--sources vary: 42 to 47--> In May 2006, then-Governor [[Brian Schweitzer]] posthumously issued full pardons for all those convicted of violating the Montana Sedition Act.{{sfn|Montana Sedition Project|2013}}

The Montanans who opposed U.S. entry into the war included immigrant groups of German and Irish heritage, as well as pacifist [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] people such as the [[Hutterites]] and [[Mennonites]], many of whom were also of Germanic heritage. In turn, pro-War groups formed, such as the Montana Council of Defense, created by Governor [[Samuel V. Stewart]] and local "loyalty committees".{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}}

War sentiment was complicated by labor issues. The [[Anaconda Copper Company]], which was at its historic peak of copper production,{{sfn|Butte-Anaconda Historic District|2006|p=18}} was an extremely powerful force in Montana, but it also faced criticism and opposition from [[Socialism|socialist]] newspapers and unions struggling to make gains for their members.{{sfn|Murphy|1980}} In Butte, a multiethnic community with a significant European immigrant population, labor unions, particularly the newly formed Metal Mine Workers' Union, opposed the war on grounds it mostly profited large lumber and mining interests.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} In the wake of ramped-up mine production and the [[Speculator Mine disaster]] in June 1917,{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} [[Industrial Workers of the World]] organizer [[Frank Little (unionist)|Frank Little]] arrived in Butte to organize miners. He gave some speeches with inflammatory antiwar rhetoric. On August 1, 1917, he was dragged from his boarding house by masked [[Vigilantism|vigilantes]], and hanged from a railroad trestle, considered a [[lynching]].{{sfn|New York Times|1917}} Little's murder and the strikes that followed resulted in the [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] being sent to Butte to restore order.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} Overall, anti-German and antilabor sentiment increased and created a movement that led to the passage of the Montana Sedition Act the following February.{{sfn|Foner|1987|p=289}}<!--"The immediate effect of the lynching of Frank Little was the spread of the miners' strike. The union claimed it had proof that the Anaconda Copper Company had perpetrated the crime, and the workers' anger enabled the MMWU to close most mines, and because of the lack of ore, major smelters closed all over the state. But on August 10, Federal troops were ordered to Butte to patrol the streets leading to the mines. And as the strike spread, Senator Myers of Montana introduced into the U.S. Senate an anti-sedition bill that could have been used to guarantee the strike's defeat. When this failed to pass, a special session of the Montana legislature passed what have been called "incredible laws curbing the freedom of speech". One such law was the Montana Sedition Act which provided that{{nbsp}}... [text of source]"--><!--keep, useful--> In addition, the Council of Defense was made a state agency with the power to prosecute and punish individuals deemed in violation of the Act. The council also passed rules limiting public gatherings and prohibiting the speaking of German in public.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}}

In the wake of the legislative action in 1918, emotions rose. U.S. Attorney [[Burton K. Wheeler]] and several district court judges who hesitated to prosecute or convict people brought up on charges were strongly criticized. Wheeler was brought before the Council of Defense, though he avoided formal proceedings, and a district court judge from [[Forsyth, Montana|Forsyth]] was [[Impeachment in the United States|impeached]]. Burnings of German-language books and several near-hangings occurred. The prohibition on speaking German remained in effect into the early 1920s. Complicating the wartime struggles, the [[Spanish flu|1918 influenza epidemic]] claimed the lives of more than 5,000 Montanans.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} The suppression of [[civil liberties]] that occurred led some historians to dub this period "Montana's Agony".{{sfn|Murphy|1980}}

===Depression era===
An economic depression began in Montana after World War I and lasted through the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] until the beginning of [[World War II]]. This caused great hardship for farmers, ranchers, and miners. {{sfn|Brief History of Montana|2013}}{{sfn|McDean|1986|pp=117–126}}

===Montana and World War II===
<!-- Will extract from {{cite book |last=Hurt |first=R. Douglas |title=The Great Plains during World War II |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln, NE |year=2008 |url=https://www.questia.com/library/117908709/the-great-plains-during-world-war-ii}}-->
<!--Fort Missoula, Enemy Alien Internment Camp-->
<!--Sugar Beet labor crisis-->

By the time the U.S. entered World War II on December 8, 1941, many Montanans had enlisted in the military to escape the poor national economy of the previous decade. Another 40,000-plus Montanans entered the armed forces in the first year following the declaration of war, and more than 57,000 joined up before the war ended. These numbers constituted about ten percent of the state's population, and Montana again contributed one of the highest numbers of soldiers per capita of any state. Many Native Americans were among those who served, including soldiers from the Crow Nation who became [[Code Talkers]]. At least 1,500 Montanans died in the war.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society-WWII|2013}} Montana also was the training ground for the [[First Special Service Force]] or "Devil's Brigade", a joint U.S.-Canadian commando-style force that trained at [[Fort William Henry Harrison]] for experience in mountainous and winter conditions before deployment.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society-WWII|2013}}{{sfn|Werner|Welply|2006|pp=5, 10, 66}} Air bases were built in Great Falls, Lewistown, Cut Bank, and [[Glasgow, Montana|Glasgow]], some of which were used as staging areas to prepare planes to be sent to allied forces in the [[Soviet Union]]. During the war, about 30 Japanese [[Fu-Go balloon bomb]]s were documented to have landed in Montana, though no casualties nor major forest fires were attributed to them.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society-WWII|2013}}

In 1940, [[Jeannette Rankin]] was again elected to Congress. In 1941, as she had in 1917, she voted against the United States' declaration of war after the [[Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor]]. Hers was the only vote against the war, and in the wake of public outcry over her vote, Rankin required police protection for a time. Other pacifists tended to be those from "peace churches" who generally opposed war. Many individuals claiming [[conscientious objector]] status from throughout the U.S. were sent to Montana during the war as [[smokejumper]]s and for other forest fire-fighting duties.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society-WWII|2013}}

In 1942, the U.S. Army established [[Rimini, Montana|Camp Rimini]] near Helena for the purpose of training sled dogs in winter weather.

===Other military===
During World War II, the planned [[battleship]] [[USS Montana|USS ''Montana'']] was named in honor of the state but it was never completed. Montana is the only one of the first 48 states lacking a completed battleship being named for it. [[Alaska]] and Hawaii have both had nuclear submarines named after them. Montana is the only state in the union without a modern naval ship named in its honor. However, in August 2007, Senator [[Jon Tester]] asked that a [[submarine]] be christened USS ''Montana''.{{sfn|Tester|2007}} Secretary of the Navy [[Ray Mabus]] announced on September 3, 2015, that ''Virginia'' Class attack submarine [[USS Montana (SSN-794)|SSN-794]] will become the second commissioned warship to bear the name.<ref>{{Cite web|title = U.S. Navy submarine will be named U.S.S. Montana|url = http://www.kxlh.com/story/29951846/us-navy-submarine-will-be-named-uss-montana|access-date = September 4, 2015|first = Aja |last = Goare|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905060919/http://www.kxlh.com/story/29951846/us-navy-submarine-will-be-named-uss-montana|archive-date = September 5, 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>

===Cold War Montana===
In the post-World War II [[Cold War]] era, Montana became host to [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] [[Military Air Transport Service]] (1947) for airlift training in [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster|C-54 Skymasters]] and eventually, in 1953 [[Strategic Air Command]] air and missile forces were based at [[Malmstrom Air Force Base]] in Great Falls. The base also hosted the [[29th Training Systems Squadron#Air Defense Command|29th Fighter Interceptor Squadron]], [[Aerospace Defense Command|Air Defense Command]] from 1953 to 1968. In December 1959, Malmstrom AFB was selected as the home of the new [[LGM-30 Minuteman|Minuteman I]] [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]. The first operational missiles were in place and ready in early 1962. In late 1962, missiles assigned to the [[341st Missile Wing|341st Strategic Missile Wing]] played a major role in the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]. When the Soviets removed their missiles from Cuba, President [[John F. Kennedy]] said the Soviets backed down because they knew he had an "ace in the hole", referring directly to the Minuteman missiles in Montana. Montana eventually became home to the largest ICBM field in the U.S. covering {{convert|23500|sqmi|km2}}.{{sfn|Malmstrom|2013}}

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Montana}}
{{See also|Regional designations of Montana|Ecological systems of Montana|List of mountain ranges in Montana|List of forests in Montana}}
[[File:Montana Map.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Montana]]

Montana is one of the eight [[Mountain States]], located in the north of the region known as the [[Western United States]]. It borders [[North Dakota]] and [[South Dakota]] to the east. [[Wyoming]] is to the south, [[Idaho]] is to the west and southwest, and the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian provinces]] of [[British Columbia]], [[Alberta]], and [[Saskatchewan]] are to the north, making it the only state to border three Canadian provinces.

With an area of {{convert|147040|sqmi|km2}},<ref name=census/> Montana is slightly larger than [[Japan]] or [[Germany]]. It is the fourth-largest state in the United States after [[Alaska]], [[Texas]], and [[California]],{{sfn|Anderson|2012|p=4}} and the largest landlocked state.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Montana {{!}} Capital, Population, Climate, Map, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Montana-state|access-date=February 17, 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|archive-date=March 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316111018/https://www.britannica.com/place/Montana-state|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Topography===
[[File:Montana Relief 1.jpg|thumb|left|Relief map of Montana]]

The state's [[topography]] is roughly defined by the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|Continental Divide]], which splits much of the state into distinct eastern and western regions.{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1991|p=6}} Most of Montana's hundred 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]].{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1991|p=6}}{{sfn|Madej|Jones|2007}} The [[Absaroka Mountains|Absaroka]] and [[Beartooth Mountains|Beartooth]] ranges in the state's south-central part are technically part of the Central Rocky Mountains.{{sfn|Elias|2002|p=55}} The [[Rocky Mountain Front]] is a significant feature in the state's north-central portion,{{sfn|Graetz|Clemenz|1984|p=59}} and isolated [[island range]]s that interrupt the [[prairie]] landscape common in the central and eastern parts of the state.{{sfn|Aarstad|Arguimbau|Baumler|Porsild|2009|p=58}} About 60 percent of the state is prairie, part of the northern [[Great Plains]].{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1991|pp=6–7}}

The [[Bitterroot Mountains]]—one of the longest continuous ranges in the Rocky Mountain chain from Alaska to [[Mexico]]{{sfn|Cooper|2009|p=11}}—along with smaller ranges, including the [[Coeur d'Alene Mountains]] and the [[Cabinet Mountains]], divide the state from Idaho. The southern third of the Bitterroot range blends into the Continental Divide.{{sfn|Cooper|2009|p=45}} Other major mountain ranges west of the divide include the [[Cabinet Mountains]], the [[Anaconda Range]], the [[Mission Range|Missions]], the [[Garnet Range]], the [[Sapphire Mountains]], and the [[Flint Creek Range]].{{sfn|Merrill-Maker|2006|pp=57–63}}

The divide's northern section, where the mountains rapidly give way to prairie, is part of the [[Rocky Mountain Front]].{{sfn|Kudray|Cooper|2006|p=1}} The front is most pronounced in the [[Lewis Range]], located primarily in [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]].{{sfn|Ross|1959|p=10}} Due to the configuration of mountain ranges in Glacier National Park, the [[Northern Divide]] (which begins in Alaska's [[Seward Peninsula]]){{sfn|Enright|2010|p=xxiii}} crosses this region and turns east in Montana at [[Triple Divide Peak (Montana)|Triple Divide Peak]].{{sfn|Temple|2008|p=493}} It causes the [[Waterton River]], [[Belly River|Belly]], and [[St. Mary River (Montana-Alberta)|Saint Mary]] rivers to flow north into [[Alberta]], Canada.{{sfn|Ross|1959|p=8}} There they join the [[Saskatchewan River]], which ultimately empties into [[Hudson Bay]].{{sfn|Canadian Council for Geographic Education|2013}}

East of the divide, several roughly parallel ranges cover the state's southern part, including the [[Gravelly Range]], [[Madison Range]], [[Gallatin Range]], [[Absaroka Mountains]], and [[Beartooth Mountains]].{{sfn|Burger|2004|pp=10–11}} The Beartooth Plateau is the largest continuous land mass over {{convert|10000|ft|m}} high in the continental United States.{{sfn|Cunningham|1990|p=77}} It contains the state's highest point, [[Granite Peak (Montana)|Granite Peak]], {{convert|12799|ft|m}} high.{{sfn|Cunningham|1990|p=77}} North of these ranges are the [[Big Belt Mountains]], [[Bridger Mountains (Montana)|Bridger Mountains]], [[Tobacco Root Mountains|Tobacco Roots]], and several island ranges, including the [[Crazy Mountains]] and [[Little Belt Mountains]].{{sfn|Montana State Library|2013}}

[[File:St Mary Lake.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[Saint Mary Lake]] in Glacier National Park]]

Between many mountain ranges are several rich river valleys. The [[Big Hole River|Big Hole]],{{sfn|Florence|Nystrom|Gierlich|2001|pp=506–507}} [[Bitterroot Valley|Bitterroot]],{{sfn|Florence|Nystrom|Gierlich|2001|pp=501–502}} [[Gallatin County, Montana|Gallatin]],{{sfn|Florence|Nystrom|Gierlich|2001|pp=575–577}} [[Flathead Valley|Flathead]],{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1991|p=357}}{{sfn|Peterson|2012|p=24}} and [[Paradise Valley (Montana)|Paradise Valleys]]{{sfn|Florence|Nystrom|Gierlich|2001|pp=579–580}} have extensive agricultural resources and multiple opportunities for tourism and recreation.

East and north of this transition zone are the expansive and sparsely populated [[Great Plains|Northern Plains]], with [[Plateaus|tableland]] prairies, smaller island mountain ranges, and [[badlands]].{{sfn|Merrill-Maker|2006|p=50}} The isolated island ranges east of the Divide include the Bear Paw Mountains,{{sfn|Fletcher|Bradshaw|Axline|Shope|2008|p=93}} [[Bull Mountains]],{{sfn|Vasapolli|2003|p=16}} [[Castle Mountains (Montana)|Castle Mountains]],{{sfn|United States Forest Service|2007|p=207}} [[Crazy Mountains]],{{sfn|Merrill-Maker|2006|p=58}} [[Highwood Mountains]],{{sfn|Mining and Scientific Press|1899|p=408}} [[Judith Mountains]],{{sfn|Mining and Scientific Press|1899|p=408}} [[Little Belt Mountains]],{{sfn|United States Forest Service|2007|p=207}} [[Little Rocky Mountains]],{{sfn|Mining and Scientific Press|1899|p=408}} the [[Pryor Mountains]],{{sfn|Merrill-Maker|2006|p=58}} [[Little Snowy Mountains]], [[Big Snowy Mountains]],{{sfn|Vasapolli|2003|p=16}} [[Sweet Grass Hills]],{{sfn|Vasapolli|2003|p=16}} and—in the state's southeastern corner near [[Ekalaka]]—the [[Long Pines]].{{sfn|Madej|Jones|2007}} Many of these isolated eastern ranges were created about 120 to 66&nbsp;million years ago when [[magma]] welling up from the interior cracked and bowed the earth's surface here.{{sfn|Jewell|McRae|2012|p=439}}

The area east of the divide in the state's north-central portion is known for the [[Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument|Missouri Breaks]] and other significant [[rock formation]]s.{{sfn|Ballard|2008|pp=92–94}} Three [[butte]]s south of [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]] are major landmarks: Cascade, Crown, Square, Shaw, and Buttes.{{sfn|Merrill-Maker|2006|p=49}} Known as [[laccolith]]s, they formed when [[igneous rock]] protruded through cracks in the sedimentary rock.{{sfn|Merrill-Maker|2006|p=49}} The underlying surface consists of [[sandstone]] and [[shale]].{{sfn|Fisher|1908|pp=23–24}} Surface soils in the area are highly diverse, and greatly affected by the local geology, whether glaciated plain, intermountain basin, mountain foothills, or tableland.{{sfn|Soil Conservation Service|1953|p=4}} Foothill regions are often covered in weathered stone or broken [[slate]], or consist of uncovered bare rock (usually igneous, [[quartzite]], sandstone, or shale).{{sfn|Soil Conservation Service|1953|pp=7–8}} The soil of intermountain basins usually consists of [[clay]], [[gravel]], [[sand]], [[silt]], and [[volcanic ash]], much of it laid down by lakes which covered the region during the [[Oligocene]] 33 to 23&nbsp;million years ago.{{sfn|Soil Conservation Service|1953|p=8}} Tablelands are often topped with [[argillite]] gravel and weathered quartzite, occasionally underlain by shale.{{sfn|Soil Conservation Service|1953|pp=10–11}} The glaciated plains are generally covered in clay, gravel, sand, and silt left by the [[proglacial lake|proglacial]] [[Lake Great Falls]] or by [[moraine]]s or gravel-covered former lake basins left by the [[Wisconsin glaciation]] 85,000 to 11,000 years ago.{{sfn|Soil Conservation Service|1953|p=11}} Farther east, areas such as [[Makoshika State Park]] near [[Glendive]] and [[Medicine Rocks State Park]] near Ekalaka contain some of the most scenic [[badlands]] regions in the state.{{sfn|Montana Outdoors|2002}}

The [[Hell Creek Formation]] in Northeast Montana is a major source of [[dinosaur]] [[fossil]]s.{{sfn|Archibald|1997|p=223}} [[Paleontologist]] [[Jack Horner (paleontologist)|Jack Horner]] of the [[Museum of the Rockies]] in [[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]] brought this formation to the world's attention with several major finds.{{sfn|Newsmakers-Jack Horner|2013}}

====Rivers, lakes and reservoirs====
{{See also|List of rivers of Montana|List of lakes in Montana}}

Montana has thousands of named rivers and creeks,{{sfn|Geological Survey—search|2013}} {{convert|450|mi|km}} of which are known for [[Blue Ribbon fishery|"blue-ribbon"]] [[trout]] fishing.{{sfn|Therriault|2010|p=93}}{{sfn|Fischer|Fischer|2008|p=2}} 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 [[Drainage basin|watersheds]] (i.e. where two [[continental divide]]s intersect). Its rivers feed the Pacific Ocean, the [[Gulf of Mexico]], and [[Hudson Bay]]. The watersheds divide at [[Triple Divide Peak (Montana)|Triple Divide Peak]] in Glacier National Park.{{sfn|Naiman|Décamps|McClain|2005|p=4}} If Hudson Bay is considered part of the Arctic Ocean, Triple Divide Peak is the only place on Earth with drainage to three different oceans.

=====Pacific Ocean drainage basin=====
[[File:Missouri River breaks.jpg|thumb|[[Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument|Missouri Breaks]] region in central Montana]]

All waters in Montana west of the divide flow into the [[Columbia River]]. The [[Clark Fork (river)|Clark Fork]] of the Columbia (not to be confused with the [[Clarks Fork Yellowstone River|Clarks Fork]] of the Yellowstone River) rises near [[Butte, Montana|Butte]]{{sfn|Diamond|2006|p=38}} and flows northwest to [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]], where it is joined by the [[Blackfoot River (Montana)|Blackfoot River]] and [[Bitterroot River]].{{sfn|Geographical Dictionary Of The World|1900|p=423}} Farther downstream, it is joined by the [[Flathead River]] before entering Idaho near [[Lake Pend Oreille]].{{sfn|Ross|1959|p=8}}{{sfn|Palmer|1998|p=168}} The [[Pend Oreille River]] forms the outflow of Lake Pend Oreille. The Pend Oreille River joined the Columbia River, which flows to the Pacific Ocean—making the {{convert|579|mi|km|adj=on}} long Clark Fork/Pend Oreille (considered a single river system) the longest river in the Rocky Mountains.{{sfn|Palmer|1998|pp=168–169}} The Clark Fork discharges the greatest volume of water of any river exiting the state.{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Clark Fork River|2013}} The [[Kootenai River]] in northwest Montana is another major tributary of the Columbia.{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Kootenai River|2013}}

=====Gulf of Mexico drainage basin=====
East of the divide the [[Missouri River]], which is formed by the confluence of the [[Jefferson River|Jefferson]], [[Madison River|Madison]], and [[Gallatin River|Gallatin]] Rivers near [[Three Forks, Montana|Three Forks]],{{sfn|Huser|2004|p=85}} flows due north through the west-central part of the state to [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]].{{sfn|Moody|Chase|Aronson|1986|p=310}} From this point, it then flows generally east through fairly flat agricultural land and the Missouri Breaks to [[Fort Peck Lake|Fort Peck reservoir]].{{sfn|Florence|Nystrom|Gierlich|2001|p=597}} The stretch of river between Fort Benton and the [[Fred Robinson Bridge]] at the western boundary of Fort Peck Reservoir was designated a [[National Wild and Scenic Rivers System|National Wild and Scenic River]] in 1976.{{sfn|Florence|Nystrom|Gierlich|2001|p=597}} The Missouri enters [[North Dakota]] near [[Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site|Fort Union]],{{sfn|Matzko|2001|p=27}} having drained more than half the land area of Montana ({{convert|82000|sqmi|km2}}).{{sfn|Moody|Chase|Aronson|1986|p=310}} Nearly one-third of the Missouri River in Montana lies behind 10 dams: [[Toston Dam|Toston]], [[Canyon Ferry Dam|Canyon Ferry]], [[Hauser Dam|Hauser]], [[Holter Dam|Holter]], [[Black Eagle Dam|Black Eagle]], [[Rainbow Dam|Rainbow]], [[Cochrane Dam|Cochrane]], [[Ryan Dam|Ryan]], [[Morony Dam|Morony]], and Fort Peck.{{sfn|Huser|2004|pp=84–85}} Other major Montana tributaries of the Missouri include the [[Smith River (Montana)|Smith]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Smith River|2013}} [[Milk River (Alberta–Montana)|Milk]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Milk River|2013}} [[Marias River|Marias]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Marias River|2013}} [[Judith River|Judith]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Judith River|2013}} and [[Musselshell River]]s.{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Musselshell River|2013}} Montana also claims the disputed title of possessing the world's shortest river, the [[Roe River]], just outside [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]].{{sfn|Finnerty|2011|pp=42–43}} Through the Missouri, these rivers ultimately join the [[Mississippi River]] and flow into the Gulf of Mexico.{{sfn|National Atlas|2013}}

[[Hell Roaring Creek]] begins in southern Montana, and when combined with the [[Red Rock River (Montana)|Red Rock]], [[Beaverhead River|Beaverhead]], [[Jefferson River|Jefferson]], Missouri, and [[Mississippi River]], is the longest river in North America and the [[List of rivers by length|fourth longest river in the world]].

The [[Yellowstone River]] rises on the Continental Divide near [[Younts Peak]] in Wyoming's [[Teton Wilderness]].{{sfn|Malone|Roeder|Lang|1991|p=80}} It flows north through [[Yellowstone National Park]], enters Montana near [[Gardiner, Montana|Gardiner]], and passes through the Paradise Valley to [[Livingston, Montana|Livingston]].{{sfn|Robbins, C.|2008|p=331}} It then flows northeasterly{{sfn|Robbins, C.|2008|p=331}} across the state through Billings, [[Miles City, Montana|Miles City]], [[Glendive, Montana|Glendive]], and [[Sidney, Montana|Sidney]].{{sfn|Hellmann|2013|pp=650, 653–654, 659}} The Yellowstone joins the Missouri in North Dakota just east of Fort Union.{{sfn|Parry|2001|p=216}} It is the longest undammed, free-flowing river in the contiguous United States,{{sfn|Fish and Wildlife Service|2001}}{{sfn|Paddling Montana|2000}} and drains about a quarter of Montana ({{convert|36000|sqmi|km2}}).{{sfn|Moody|Chase|Aronson|1986|p=310}} Major tributaries of the Yellowstone include the [[Boulder River (Sweet Grass County, Montana)|Boulder]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Boulder River|2013}} [[Stillwater River (Stillwater County, Montana)|Stillwater]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Stillwater River|2013}} Clarks Fork,{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Clarks Fork Yellowstone River|2013}} [[Bighorn River|Bighorn]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Bighorn River|2013}} [[Tongue River (Montana)|Tongue]],{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Tongue River|2013}} and [[Powder River (Montana)|Powder Rivers]].{{sfn|Waterbody Report-Powder River|2013}}

=====Hudson Bay drainage basin=====
The Northern Divide turns east in Montana at Triple Divide Peak, causing the Waterton, [[Belly River|Belly]], and [[St. Mary River (Montana-Alberta)|Saint Mary]] Rivers to flow north into Alberta. There they join the [[Saskatchewan River]], which ultimately empties into [[Hudson Bay]].{{sfn|Canadian Council for Geographic Education|2013}}

=====Lakes and reservoirs=====
Montana has some 3,000 named lakes and reservoirs, including [[Flathead Lake]], the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States. Other major lakes include [[Whitefish Lake State Park|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 Lake|Fort Peck Reservoir]] on the Missouri river, which is contained by the second largest earthen dam and largest hydraulically filled dam in the world.{{sfn|Fort Peck Dam|2013}} Other major reservoirs include [[Hungry Horse Dam|Hungry Horse]] on the Flathead River; [[Lake Koocanusa]] on the Kootenai River; [[Lake Elwell]] on the Marias River; [[Clark Canyon Dam|Clark Canyon]] on the Beaverhead River; [[Yellowtail Dam|Yellowtail]] on the Bighorn River, [[Canyon Ferry Lake|Canyon Ferry]], [[Hauser Dam|Hauser]], [[Holter Dam|Holter]], [[Rainbow Dam|Rainbow]]; and [[Black Eagle Dam|Black Eagle]] on the Missouri River.

===Flora and fauna===
{{See also|List of monocotyledons of Montana|List of coniferous plants of Montana|List of lichens of Montana|List of amphibians and reptiles of Montana|List of birds of Montana|Fish of Montana|Mammals of Montana|<!--List of taxa described from Montana-->}}
[[File:Montana wolf 100 lbs 1928 Young &amp; Goldman USFWS.jpg|thumb|upright|100 pound native Montana wolf taken in 1928]]

Vegetation of the state includes [[lodgepole pine]], [[ponderosa pine]], [[Douglas fir]], [[larch]], [[spruce]], [[aspen]], [[birch]], [[Thuja plicata|red cedar]], [[Tsuga|hemlock]], [[ash tree|ash]], [[alder]], rocky mountain [[maple]] and [[Populus sect. Aegiros|cottonwood]] trees. Forests cover about 25% of the state. Flowers native to Montana include [[Aster (genus)|asters]], [[bitterroot]]s, [[Asteraceae|daisies]], [[lupin]]s, [[Papaveraceae|poppies]], [[Primula|primroses]], [[Aquilegia|columbine]], [[lily|lilies]], [[orchid]]s, and [[dryas (plant)|dryads]]. Several species of [[sagebrush]] and [[cacti|cactus]] and many species of grasses are common. Many species of [[mushroom]]s and [[lichen]]s{{sfn|Montana Field Guide-Lichens|2013}} are also found in the state.

Montana is home to diverse fauna including 14 [[amphibian]],{{sfn|Montana Field Guide-Amphibians|2013}} 90 fish,{{sfn|Montana Field Guide-Fish|2013}} 117 [[mammal]],{{sfn|Montana Field Guide-Mammals|2013}} 20 [[reptile]],{{sfn|Montana Field Guide-Reptiles|2013}} and 427 [[bird]]{{sfn|Montana Audubon|2008}} species. Additionally, more than 10,000 [[invertebrate]] species are present, including 180 [[mollusk]]s and 30 [[crustacean]]s. Montana has the largest [[grizzly bear]] population in the lower 48 states.{{sfn|Kaush|Thompson|2012|p=258}} Montana hosts five federally [[endangered species]]–[[black-footed ferret]], [[whooping crane]], [[least tern]], [[pallid sturgeon]], and [[white sturgeon]] and seven [[threatened species]] including the [[grizzly bear]], [[Canadian lynx]], and [[bull trout]].{{sfn|Fish and Wildlife Service|2013}}{{efn|However, the grizzly bear and Canadian lynx are listed as a threatened species only for the mainland 48 states. In general, the grizzly bear and Canadian lynx are not threatened species; the IUCN lists both as "least concern".}} Since re-introduction the [[gray wolf]] population has stabilized at about 900 animals, and they have been delisted as endangered.<ref>{{cite news |title=Montana's wolf population remains strong |author=Eli Francovich |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |date=June 1, 2018 |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/01/montanas-wolf-population-remains-strong/ |access-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807191319/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/jun/01/montanas-wolf-population-remains-strong/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks]] manages fishing and hunting seasons for at least 17 species of [[game fish]], including seven species of trout, [[walleye]], and [[smallmouth bass]]{{sfn|Montana Fishing Regulations|2013}} and at least 29 species of game birds and animals including [[common pheasant|ring-neck pheasant]], [[grey partridge]], [[elk]], [[pronghorn|pronghorn antelope]], [[mule deer]], [[whitetail deer]], [[gray wolf]], and [[bighorn sheep]].{{sfn|Montana Hunting Season|2013}}

===Protected lands===
{{See also|List of Montana state parks}}
[[File:Pompeys Pillar NM (9424545304).jpg|thumb|[[Pompeys Pillar National Monument]]]]

Montana contains [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]], "The Crown of the Continent", and parts of [[Yellowstone National Park]], including three of the park's five entrances. Other federally recognized sites include the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn|Little Bighorn National Monument]], [[Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area]], and [[Big Hole National Battlefield]]. The [[CSKT Bison Range]] is managed by the [[Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes]] and the [[American Prairie (nature reserve)|American Prairie]] is owned and operated by a nonprofit organization.

Federal and state agencies administer approximately {{convert|31300000|acres|km2}}, or 35 percent of Montana's land. The [[United States Department of Agriculture|U.S. Department of Agriculture]] [[United States Forest Service|Forest Service]] administers {{convert|16800000|acre|km2}} of forest land in ten [[United States National Forest|National Forests]]. There are approximately {{convert|3300000|acres|km2}} of [[wilderness]] in 12 separate [[wilderness area]]s that are part of the [[National Wilderness Preservation System]] established by the [[Wilderness Act|Wilderness Act of 1964]]. The [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]] [[Bureau of Land Management]] controls {{convert|8100000|acre|km2}} of federal land. The U.S. Department of the Interior [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|Fish and Wildlife Service]] administers {{convert|110000|acre|km2}} of 1.1&nbsp;million acres of [[National Wildlife Refuge]]s and waterfowl production areas in Montana. The U.S. Department of the Interior [[United States Bureau of Reclamation|Bureau of Reclamation]] administers approximately {{convert|300000|acres|km2}} of land and water surface in the state. The [[Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks]] operate approximately {{convert|275265|acre|km2}} of state parks and access points on the state's rivers and lakes. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation manages {{convert|5200000|acres|km2}} of [[State Trust Lands|School Trust Land]] ceded by the federal government under the [[Land Ordinance of 1785]] to the state in 1889 when Montana was granted statehood. These lands are managed by the state for the benefit of public schools and institutions in the state.{{sfn|Montana Interagency Access Council|2001}}<!--The Federal government administers {{convert|36000000|acre|km2}}. {{convert|275000|acre|km2}} are administered as [[state park]]s and forests.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}}-->
[[File:Quakelakemontana.jpg|thumb|right|[[Quake Lake]] was created by a landslide during the [[1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake]].]]

Areas managed by the [[National Park Service]] include:{{sfn|National Park Service|2013}}
* [[Big Hole National Battlefield]] near [[Wisdom, Montana|Wisdom]]
* [[Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area]] near [[Fort Smith, Montana|Fort Smith]]
* [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]]
* [[Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site]] at [[Deer Lodge, Montana|Deer Lodge]]
* [[Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail]]
* [[Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument]] near [[Crow Agency, Montana|Crow Agency]]
* [[Nez Perce National Historical Park]]
* [[Yellowstone National Park]]

===Climate===
[[File:Helena, Montana 1961-1990 Climate data.gif|thumb|left|Temperature and precipitation for [[Helena, Montana|Montana's capital city, Helena]]]]
[[File:Köppen Climate Types Montana.png|left|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Montana, using 1991-2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]]]]
Montana is a large state with considerable variation in geography, topography and elevation, and the climate is equally varied. The state spans from below the [[45th parallel north|45th parallel]] (the line equidistant between the equator and [[North Pole]]) to the [[49th parallel north|49th parallel]], and elevations range from under {{convert|2000|ft|m}} to nearly {{convert|13000|ft|m}} above sea level. The western half is mountainous, interrupted by numerous large valleys. [[Eastern Montana]] comprises plains and badlands, broken by hills and isolated mountain ranges, and has a [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]], [[Continentality|continental]] climate ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''[[Cold steppe|BSk]]''). The [[Continental Divide]] has a considerable effect on the climate, as it restricts the flow of warmer air from the Pacific from moving east, and drier continental air from moving west. The area west of the divide has a modified northern Pacific Coast climate, with milder winters, cooler summers, less wind, and a longer growing season.{{sfn|Western Regional Climate Center|2013}} Low clouds and fog often form in the valleys west of the divide in winter, but this is rarely seen in the east.{{sfn|Animal Range and Sciences|2013}}

Average daytime temperatures vary from {{convert|28|°F|°C|1|disp=or}} in January to {{convert|84.5|°F|°C|disp=or}} in July.{{sfn|Montana Office of Tourism—FAQ|2013}}{{verify source|date=June 2014}} The variation in geography leads to great variation in temperature. The highest observed summer temperature was {{convert|117|°F|°C|1|disp=or}} at [[Glendive]] on July 20, 1893, and Medicine Lake on July 5, 1937. Throughout the state, summer nights are generally cool and pleasant. Extreme hot weather is less common above {{convert|4000|ft|m|disp=or|sp=us}}.{{sfn|Western Regional Climate Center|2013}} Snowfall has been recorded in all months of the year in the more mountainous areas of central and western Montana, though it is rare in July and August.{{sfn|Western Regional Climate Center|2013}}

The coldest temperature on record for Montana is also the coldest temperature for the contiguous United States. On January 20, 1954, {{convert|-70|°F|°C|1|disp=or}} was recorded at a gold mining camp near [[Rogers Pass (Montana)#Record cold temperature|Rogers Pass]]. Temperatures vary greatly on cold nights, and [[Helena, Montana|Helena]], {{convert|40|mi|km}} to the southeast had a low of only {{convert|-36|°F|°C|1|disp=or}} on the same date, and an all-time record low of {{convert|-42|F|C|1|disp=or}}.{{sfn|Western Regional Climate Center|2013}} Winter cold spells are usually the result of [[cold front|cold continental air]] coming south from Canada. The front is often well defined, causing a large temperature drop in a 24-hour period. Conversely, air flow from the southwest results in "[[chinook wind|chinooks]]". These steady {{convert|25|–|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} (or more) winds can suddenly warm parts of Montana, especially areas just to the east of the mountains, where temperatures sometimes rise up to {{convert|50|–|60|F|C|1}} for 10 days or longer.{{sfn|Western Regional Climate Center|2013}}{{sfn|Climate Information|2007}}

[[Loma, Montana|Loma]] is the site of the most extreme recorded temperature change in a 24-hour period in the United States. On January 15, 1972, a [[chinook wind]] blew in and the temperature rose from {{convert|-54|to|49|°F|°C|1}}; a 103&nbsp;°F (49.4&nbsp;°C) degree difference.{{sfn|Horvitz|Stephens|Helfert|Goodge|2002}}

[[File:Fall Clark Fork.jpg|thumb|left|Clark Fork River, Missoula, in autumn]]

Average annual precipitation is {{convert|15|in|mm}}, but great variations are seen. The mountain ranges block the moist Pacific air, holding moisture in the western valleys, and creating [[rain shadow]]s to the east. [[Heron, Montana|Heron]], in the west, receives the most [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], {{convert|34.70|in|mm}}. On the eastern (leeward) side of a mountain range, the valleys are much drier; [[Lonepine, Montana|Lonepine]] averages {{convert|11.45|in|mm}}, and [[Deer Lodge, Montana|Deer Lodge]] {{convert|11.00|in|mm}} of precipitation. The mountains can receive over {{convert|100|in|mm}}, <!--sounds like snow, not rain, need to check--> for example the [[Grinnell Glacier]] in [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]] gets {{convert|105|in|mm}}.{{sfn|Animal Range and Sciences|2013}} An area southwest of Belfry averaged only {{convert|6.59|in|mm}} over a 16-year period. Most of the larger cities get {{convert|30|to|50|in|m|2|disp=or|sp=us}} of snow each year. Mountain ranges can accumulate {{convert|300|in|m|2|disp=or|sp=us}} of snow during a winter. Heavy [[snowstorm]]s may occur from September through May, though most snow falls from November to March.{{sfn|Western Regional Climate Center|2013}}

The climate has become warmer in Montana, with the average temperature rising almost 2.5&nbsp;°F (1.3&nbsp;°C) since 1900 at a rate higher than the continental U.S. average, and continues to do so.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frankson |first1=Rebekah |last2=Kunkel |first2=Kenneth E. |last3=Champion |first3=Sarah M. |last4=Easterling |first4=David R. |last5=Jencso |first5=Kelsey |date=2022 |title=State Climate Summaries for the United States 2022. NOAA Technical Report NESDIS 150. |url=https://statesummaries.ncics.org/chapter/mt |journal=NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |language=en |access-date=May 17, 2023 |archive-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524124159/https://statesummaries.ncics.org/chapter/mt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The glaciers in Glacier National Park have receded and are predicted to melt away completely in a few decades.<!--need more specifics-->{{sfn|United States Geological Survey|2012}} Many Montana cities set heat records during July 2007, the hottest month ever recorded in Montana.<!--may need to update to 2012 stats-->{{sfn|McKee|2007}}{{sfn|National Climate Data Center|2007}} Winters are warmer, too, and have fewer cold spells. Previously, these cold spells had killed off [[bark beetle]]s, but these are now attacking the forests of western Montana.{{sfn|Backus|2005}}{{sfn|Backus|2007}} The warmer winters in the region have allowed various species to expand their ranges and proliferate.<ref>{{cite journal |last =Bentz |first =Barbara J. |title =Climate Change and Bark Beetles of the Western United States and Canada: Direct and Indirect Effects |journal=BioScience |volume =60 |issue =8 |pages =602–613 |year =2010 |doi =10.1525/bio.2010.60.8.6|s2cid =1632906 |display-authors=etal}}</ref> The combination of warmer weather, attack by beetles, and mismanagement has led to a substantial increase in the severity of forest fires in Montana.{{sfn|McKee|2007}}{{sfn|Backus|2007}} According to a study done for the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] by the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science, parts of Montana will experience a 200% increase in area burned by wildfires and an 80% increase in related air pollution.{{sfn|Billings Gazette—Forecast|2009}}{{sfn|Spracklen|Mickley|Logan|Hudman|2009}}

The table below lists average temperatures for the warmest and coldest month for Montana's seven largest cities. The coldest month varies between December and January depending on location, although figures are similar throughout.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Montana<ref name="North Dakota climate averages">{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=MT&statename=Montana-United-States-of-America|title=Montana climate averages|publisher=Weatherbase|access-date=January 22, 2016|archive-date=January 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128134649/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=MT&statename=Montana-United-States-of-America|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!Location
!July (°F)
!Coldest month (°F)
!July (°C)
!Coldest month (°C)
|-
|[[Billings, Montana|Billings]] || 90/59 || 32/14 || 32/15 || 4/–9
|-
|[[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]] || 88/51 || 30/11 || 31/16 || −0/–8
|-
|[[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]] || 93/59 || 28/11 || 34/15 || 1/–9
|-
|[[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]] || 81/51 || 27/10 || 31/12 || −0/–11
|-
|[[Butte, Montana|Butte]] || 86/41 || 27/7 || 30/5 || −1/–15
|-
|[[Helena, Montana|Helena]] || 88/54 || 30/12 || 31/12 || −0/–11
|-
|[[Kalispell, Montana|Kalispell]] || 84/57 || 27/9 || 29/14 || −1/–10
|}

===Antipodes===
Montana is one of only two [[Geographic contiguity|contiguous]] states (along with [[Geography of Colorado#Antipodes|Colorado]]) that are [[antipodes|antipodal]] to land. The [[Kerguelen Islands]] are antipodal to the Montana–Saskatchewan–Alberta border. No towns are precisely antipodal to Kerguelen, though [[Chester, Montana|Chester]] and [[Rudyard, Montana|Rudyard]] are close.{{sfn|Peakbagger|2012}}

===Cities and towns===
{{See also|List of cities and towns in Montana|List of counties in Montana}}
[[File:Missoula Skyline.png|thumb|Missoula, the second-largest city in Montana]]

Montana has 56 [[County#United States|counties]] and a total of 364 [[Place (United States Census Bureau)|"places"]] as defined by the [[United States Census Bureau]]; the latter comprising 129 [[Place (United States Census Bureau)#Incorporated place|incorporated places]] and 235 [[census-designated place]]s. The incorporated places are made up of 52 cities, 75 towns, and two [[Consolidated city–county|consolidated city-counties]].{{sfn|Census Bureau|2012}}

Montana has one city, [[Billings, Montana|Billings]], with a population over 100,000; and three cities with populations over 50,000: [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]], [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]] and [[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]]. The state also has five [[United States Micropolitan Statistical Area|Micropolitan Statistical Areas]], centered on [[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]], [[Butte-Silver Bow, Montana|Butte]], [[Helena, Montana|Helena]], [[Kalispell, Montana|Kalispell]] and [[Havre, Montana|Havre]].{{sfn|Core Based Statistical Area|2010}}

Collectively all of these areas (excluding Havre) are known informally as the "big seven", as they are consistently the seven largest communities in the state (their rank order in terms of population is Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Butte, Helena and Kalispell, according to the 2010 U.S. census).{{sfn|KRTV|2010}} Based on 2013 census numbers, they contain 35 percent of Montana's population,{{sfn|Montana Setting|2013}} and the counties in which they are located are home to 62 percent of the state's population.{{sfn|Swanson|2004}}

The geographic [[center of population]] of Montana is in sparsely populated [[Meagher County, Montana|Meagher County]], in the town of [[White Sulphur Springs, Montana|White Sulphur Springs]].

==Demographics==
[[File:Montana population map.png|thumb|Montana population density map]]
{{US Census population
|1870= 20595
|1880= 39159
|1890= 142924
|1900= 243329
|1910= 376053
|1920= 548889
|1930= 537606
|1940= 559456
|1950= 591024
|1960= 674767
|1970= 694409
|1980= 786690
|1990= 799065
|2000= 902195
|2010= 989415
|2020= 1084225
|estyear=2023
|estimate=1132812
|align-fn=center
|footnote=Source: 1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Montana.png|thumb|270x270px|Ethnic origins in Montana]]
[[File:Population of Montana 1870–2018 (est.).svg|thumb|Population of Montana 1870–2018]]

The [[United States Census Bureau]] states that the population of Montana was 1,132,812 on July 1, 2023, a 4.5% increase since the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MT,US/PST045223|title=QuickFacts Montana; UNITED STATES|website=2023 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=April 2, 2024|access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref> The 2020 census put Montana's population at 1,084,225. During the first decade of the new century, growth was mainly concentrated in Montana's seven largest counties, with the highest percentage growth in [[Gallatin County, Montana|Gallatin County]], which had a 32.9% increase in its population from 2010 to 2020. The city having the largest percentage growth was [[Kalispell, Montana|Kalispell]], with 40.1%, and the city with the largest increase in actual residents was [[Billings, Montana|Billings]], with an increase in population of 12,946 from 2010 to 2020.

On January 3, 2012, the Census and Economic Information Center (CEIC) at the Montana Department of Commerce estimated Montana had hit the one million population mark sometime between November and December 2011.{{sfn|Gravlee|2012}}

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 1,585 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in Montana.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2018, the top countries of origin for Montana's immigrants were [[Canada]], [[Mexico]], [[Germany]], [[China]] and [[Vietnam]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_montana.pdf|title= Immigrants in Montana|access-date= August 18, 2023|archive-date= August 18, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230818073655/https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_montana.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref>

According to the 2020 census, 88.9% of the population was White (87.8% non-Hispanic White), <!--possibly break out Hispanic properly, a significant population in the Billings area--> 6.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.1% Hispanics and Latinos of any race, 0.9% Asian, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and 2.8% from two or more races.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Montana; United States|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MT,US/POP010220|access-date=January 14, 2022|website=www.census.gov|language=en|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509200434/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MT,US/POP010220|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest European ancestry groups in Montana as of 2010 were: German (27.0%), Irish (14.8%), English (12.6%), Norwegian (10.9%), French (4.7%), and Italian (3.4%).{{sfn|Brittingham|de la Cruz|2004|p=6}}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
|+ '''Montana racial breakdown of population'''
|-
! Racial composition !! 1990<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-date=July 25, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>!! 2000<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://censusviewer.com/state/MT|title=Population of Montana - Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts|website=CensusViewer|access-date=June 27, 2018|archive-date=June 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627232403/http://censusviewer.com/state/MT|url-status=dead}}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decades|website=The United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 7, 2021|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706023553/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
!2020<ref name=":0" />
|-
| [[White Americans|White]] || 92.7% || 90.6% || 89.4%
|88.9%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 6.0% || 6.2% || 6.3%
|6.7%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] || 0.5% || 0.5% || 0.6%
|0.9%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]] || 0.3% || 0.3% || 0.4%
|0.6%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and<br />[[Pacific Islander Americans|other Pacific Islander]] || – || 0.1% || 0.1%
|0.1%
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 0.5% || 0.6% || 0.6%
|–
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]] || – || 1.7% || 2.5%
|2.8%
|}

===Intrastate demographics===
Montana has a larger Native American population, both numerically and as a percentage, than most U.S. states. Ranked 45th in population (by the 2010 census) it is 19th in native people,{{sfn|Census Bureau-Annual Estimates of Race|2012}} who are 6.5% of the state's population—the sixth-highest percentage of all fifty states.{{sfn|Census Bureau-Annual Estimates of Race|2012}} Of Montana's 56 counties, Native Americans constitute a majority in three: [[Big Horn County, Montana|Big Horn]], [[Glacier County, Montana|Glacier]], and [[Roosevelt County, Montana|Roosevelt]].{{sfn|Rural Policy Research Institute|2006|p=4}} Other counties with large Native American populations include [[Blaine County, Montana|Blaine]], [[Cascade County, Montana|Cascade]], [[Hill County, Montana|Hill]], [[Missoula County, Montana|Missoula]], and [[Yellowstone County, Montana|Yellowstone Counties]].{{sfn|Montana Office of Public Instruction|2009|p=64}} The state's Native American population grew by 27.9% between 1980 and 1990 (at a time when Montana's entire population rose 1.6%),{{sfn|Montana Office of Public Instruction|2009|p=64}} and by 18.5 percent between 2000 and 2010.{{sfn|Norris|Vines|Hoeffel|2012}}
[[File:Montana counties by race.svg|thumb|Map of counties in Montana by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-2}}

'''Native American'''

{{legend|#93c47d|50–60%}}

{{legend|#6aa84f|60–70%}}

{{legend|#38761d|70–80%}}

{{col-end}}
}}]]
As of 2009, almost two-thirds of Native Americans in the state live in urban areas.{{sfn|Montana Office of Public Instruction|2009|p=64}} Of Montana's 20 largest cities, Polson (15.7%), Havre (13.0%), Great Falls (5.0%), Billings (4.4%), and Anaconda (3.1%) had the greatest percentages of Native American residents in 2010.{{sfn|Redistricting Data Summary|2011}} Billings (4,619), Great Falls (2,942), Missoula (1,838), Havre (1,210), and Polson (706) have the most Native Americans living there.{{sfn|Redistricting Data Summary|2011}} The state's seven reservations include more than 12 distinct Native American [[ethnolinguistic]] groups.{{sfn|Census Bureau|2010a}}

While the largest European American population in Montana is German (which may also include Austrian and Swiss, among other groups), pockets of significant [[Scandinavia]]n ancestry are prevalent in some of the farming-dominated northern and eastern prairie regions, parallel to nearby regions of North Dakota and Minnesota. Farmers of Irish, Scots, and English roots also settled in Montana. The historically mining-oriented communities of western Montana such as Butte have a wider range of European American ethnicity; [[Finns]], [[Eastern Europe]]ans and especially Irish settlers left an indelible mark on the area, as well as people originally from British mining regions such as [[Cornwall]], [[Devon]], and [[Wales]]. The nearby city of Helena, also founded as a mining camp, had a similar mix in addition to a small Chinatown.{{sfn|Census Bureau|2010a}} Many of Montana's historic logging communities originally attracted people of Scottish, Scandinavian, [[Slavs|Slavic]], [[English Americans|English]], and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]] descent.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}}

The [[Hutterites]], an [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] sect originally from Switzerland, settled in Montana, and today is second only to [[South Dakota]] in U.S. Hutterite population, with several colonies across the state. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the state also had an influx of [[Amish]], who moved to Montana from increasingly urbanized areas of Ohio and Pennsylvania.{{sfn|Tode|2004}}

Montana's [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] population is concentrated in the Billings area in south-central Montana, where many of Montana's Mexican Americans have been in the state for generations. Great Falls has the highest percentage of African Americans in its population, although Billings has more African American residents than Great Falls.{{sfn|Redistricting Data Summary|2011}}

The Chinese in Montana, while a low percentage today, have been a historically important presence. About 2,000–3,000 Chinese miners were in the mining areas of Montana by 1870, and 2,500 in 1890. However, public opinion grew increasingly negative towards them in the 1890s, and nearly half of the state's Asian population left by 1900.{{sfn|Morris|1997|pp=113–124}} Today, the Missoula area has a large [[Hmong Americans|Hmong]] population{{sfn|Montana Arts Council|2013}} and the nearly 3,000 Montanans who claim [[Filipino Americans|Filipino]] ancestry are the largest Asian American group in the state.{{sfn|Census Bureau|2010a}}

In the 2015 United States census estimates, Montana had the second-highest percentage of U.S. military veterans living there. Only the state of [[Alaska]] had a higher percentage, with roughly 14 percent of Alaska's population over 18 being veterans, with Montana having roughly 12 percent of its population over 18 being veterans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2015/comm/percent-veterans.html|title=Percent Veterans By State|website=The United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 17, 2021|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122015611/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2015/comm/percent-veterans.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Native Americans===
[[File:Montana Indian Reservations.svg|thumb|General locations of Indian reservations in Montana]]
In 2020, 67,612 people in Montana self-identified as Native American, while 100,578 did in combination with one or more other races.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html}}</ref> Many treaties and federal legislation, including the [[Indian Appropriations Act]] (1851), the [[Dawes Act]] (1887), and the [[Indian Reorganization Act]] (1934), enabled the creation of seven Indian reservations, encompassing 11 federally recognized tribal nations, in Montana. A 12th nation, the [[Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana|Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians]] of [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]], was recognized by the federal government in December, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://www.montanalittleshelltribe.org/ |website=Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana |access-date=24 January 2023 |archive-date=January 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124065312/https://www.montanalittleshelltribe.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Piegan Blackfeet|Blackfeet]] nation is headquartered on the [[Blackfeet Indian Reservation]] (1851) in [[Browning, Montana|Browning]], Crow on the [[Crow Indian Reservation]] (1868){{sfn|Kappler1904|pp=1008-1011}} in [[Crow Agency, Montana|Crow Agency]], [[Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation|Confederated Salish and Kootenai]] and [[Pend d'Oreilles tribe|Pend d'Oreille]] on the [[Flathead Indian Reservation]] (1855) in [[Pablo, Montana|Pablo]], [[Northern Cheyenne]] on the [[Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]] (1884) at [[Lame Deer, Montana|Lame Deer]], [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]] and [[Gros Ventre]] on the [[Fort Belknap Indian Reservation]] (1888) in [[Fort Belknap Agency, Montana|Fort Belknap Agency]], Assiniboine and [[Sioux]] on the [[Fort Peck Indian Reservation]] (1888) at [[Poplar, Montana|Poplar]], and [[Chippewa-Cree]] on the [[Rocky Boy Indian Reservation|Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation]] (1916) near [[Box Elder, Montana|Box Elder]]. Approximately 63% of all Native people live off the reservations, concentrated in the larger Montana cities, with the largest concentration of urban Indians in Great Falls. The state also has a small [[Métis people (United States)|Métis]] population and 1990 census data indicated that people from as many as 275 different tribes lived in Montana.{{sfn|Montana Office of Public Instruction|2009|p={{page needed|date=October 2020}}}}

Montana's Constitution specifically reads, "the state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity."<ref name="ArticleX">{{cite web|title=Montana Constitution, Article X, section 1|url=http://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/CONSTITUTION/X/1.htm|website=Montana Code Annotated|access-date=October 27, 2013|archive-date=October 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030032708/http://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/CONSTITUTION/X/1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is the only state in the U.S. with such a constitutional mandate. The Indian Education for All Act was passed in 1999 to provide funding for this mandate and ensure implementation.<ref name="teach.indian">{{cite web |url=http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/04/12/montana-schools-try-keep-indian-students-engaged-teaching-indian-culture-all-107543 |author=Jawort, Adrian |title=Montana Schools Try to Keep Indian Students Engaged by Teaching Indian Culture to All |website=Indian Country Today |date=April 12, 2012 |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020091328/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/04/12/montana-schools-try-keep-indian-students-engaged-teaching-indian-culture-all-107543 |archive-date=October 20, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It mandates that all schools teach American Indian history, culture, and heritage from preschool through college.<ref name="nativeamericancenter">{{Cite web|title=Native American Center Facts |website=The University of Montana |access-date=October 27, 2013 |url=http://life.umt.edu/aiss/nativeamericancenter/facts.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195725/http://life.umt.edu/aiss/nativeamericancenter/facts.php |archive-date=October 29, 2013 }}</ref> For kindergarten through 12th-grade students, an "Indian Education for All" curriculum from the [[Montana Office of Public Instruction]] is available free to all schools.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Indian Education for All Lesson Plans| access-date = October 27, 2013| url = http://www.opi.mt.gov/Programs/IndianEd/curricsearch.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131028155654/http://opi.mt.gov/Programs/IndianEd/curricsearch.html| archive-date = October 28, 2013}}</ref> The state was sued in 2004 because of lack of funding, and the state has increased its support of the program.<ref name="teach.indian" /> [[South Dakota]] passed similar legislation in 2007, and [[Wisconsin]] was working to strengthen its own program based on this model—and the current practices of Montana's schools.<ref name="teach.indian" /> Each Indian reservation in the state has a fully accredited [[Tribal colleges and universities|tribal college]]. The [[University of Montana]] "was the first to establish dual admission agreements with all of the tribal colleges and as such it was the first institution in the nation to actively facilitate student transfer from the tribal colleges."<ref name="nativeamericancenter" />

What is now Montana was at various times inhabited by tribes such as the [[Crow people|Crow]], the [[Blackfeet Nation|Blackfeet]], the [[Assiniboine]], the [[Gros Ventre]], the [[Kutenai|Kootenai]], the [[Bitterroot Salish|Flathead Salish]] and [[Pend d'Oreilles|Kalispel]], the [[Kiowa]], the [[Sioux]], the [[Arapaho]], the [[Arikara]], the [[Bannock people|Bannock]], the [[Cheyenne]], the [[Ojibwe]], the [[Hidatsa]], the [[Cree]], the [[Nez Perce]], the [[Mandan]], the [[Shoshone]] and the [[Spokane people|Spokane]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montana Indian Tribes and Languages |url=https://www.native-languages.org/montana.htm |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=www.native-languages.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Swanton |first=John Reed |title=The Indian Tribes of North America |pages=387–398}}</ref> Many Montanans also reported belonging to various Native American tribes in 2010 census, the largest of which were the Blackfeet (12,831 people), the Crow (8,680 people), the Cheyenne (5,912), the [[Fort Peck Indian Reservation|Assiniboine Sioux]] (5,828), the [[Chippewa Cree]] (5,495), the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (4,809), the Ojibwe (4,284), the Sioux (2,698), the Assiniboine (2,673), the Gros Ventre (2,484) and the Salish tribal grouping (1,915). Other tribes included the Cree, the [[Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation|MHA Nation]], the Kootenai, the [[Fort Belknap Indian Reservation|Fort Belknap Indian Community]], the Arapaho and more.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/cph-series/cph-t/cph-t-6.html}}</ref>

===Birth data===
''Note: Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Live births by race/ethnicity of mother
|-
! [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Race]]
! 2013<ref name="cdc">{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf|author=National Center for Health Statistics|date=January 7, 2015|title=National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 64, Number 1, January 15, 2015|access-date=December 11, 2020|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911162514/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
! 2014<ref name="cdc2">{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf|author=National Center for Health Statistics|date=December 8, 2015|title=National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 64, Number 12, December 23, 2015 (The general fertility rate for 2014 on page 4 was corrected to read 62.9 on December 23, 2015.)|access-date=December 11, 2020|archive-date=February 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214040341/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
! 2015<ref name="cdc3">{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf|author=National Vital Statistics Reports|date=December 22, 2016|title=National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 66, Number 1, January 5, 2017|access-date=December 11, 2020|archive-date=August 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831155911/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
! 2016<ref name="cdc4">{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf|author=National Center for Health Statistics|date=January 19, 2018|title=National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 67, Number 1, January 31, 2018|access-date=December 11, 2020|archive-date=June 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603002249/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
! 2017<ref name="cdc5">{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf|author=National Vital Statistics Reports|date=October 26, 2018|title=National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 67, Number 8, November 7, 2018|access-date=December 11, 2020|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201210916/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
! 2018<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=December 21, 2019 |archive-date=November 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128161211/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2019<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=March 30, 2021 |archive-date=June 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623200707/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2020<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210175206/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/NVSR70-17.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2021<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2022-02-03 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201003942/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2022<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=2024-04-05 |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404230758/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[White Americans|White]]:
| 10,615 (85.7%)
| 10,572 (85.0%)
| 10,768 (85.6%)
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
|-
| > [[Non-Hispanic whites|Non-Hispanic White]]
| 10,170 (82.2%)
| 10,153 (81.7%)
| 10,270 (81.6%)
| 9,761 (79.5%)
| 9,372 (79.4%)
| 9,224 (80.1%)
| 8,800 (79.4%)
| 8,639 (80.0%)
| 9,101 (81.0%)
| 8,995 (80.5%)
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]
| 1,531 (12.4%)
| 1,585 (12.7%)
| 1,560 (12.4%)
| 1,347 (11.0%)
| 1,249 (10.6%)
| 1,177 (10.2%)
| 1,137 (10.2%)
| 1,063 (9.9%)
| 939 (8.4%)
| 961 (8.6%)
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
| 132 (1.1%)
| 169 (1.3%)
| 152 (1.2%)
| 131 (1.1%)
| 121 (1.0%)
| 112 (1.0%)
| 115 (1.0%)
| 112 (1.0%)
| 105 (0.9%)
| 134 (1.2%)
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
| 99 (0.8%)
| 106 (0.8%)
| 103 (0.8%)
| 57 (0.5%)
| 64 (0.5%)
| 58 (0.5%)
| 61 (0.6%)
| 62 (0.6%)
| 71 (0.6%)
| 63 (0.6%)
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]'' (of any race)
| ''476'' (3.8%)
| ''494'' (4.0%)
| ''573'' (4.5%)
| ''548'' (4.5%)
| ''585'' (5.0%)
| ''558'' (4.8%)
| ''616'' (5.6%)
| ''569'' (5.3%)
| ''648'' (5.7%)
| ''678'' (6.1%)
|-
| '''Total Montana'''
| '''12,377''' (100%)
| '''12,432''' (100%)
| '''12,583''' (100%)
| '''12,282''' (100%)
| '''11,799''' (100%)
| '''11,513''' (100%)
| '''11,079''' (100%)
| '''10,791''' (100%)
| '''11,231''' (100%)
| '''11,175''' (100%)
|}

* Since 2016, data for births of [[White Hispanic and Latino Americans|White Hispanic]] origin are not collected, but included in one ''Hispanic'' group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

=== Languages ===
[[English language|English]] is the [[official language]] in the state of Montana. According to the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], 94.8% of the population aged five and older speak English at home.{{sfn|Modern Language Association|2007}} Spanish is the language next most commonly spoken at home, with about 13,040 Spanish-language speakers in the state (1.4% of the population) in 2011.{{sfn|Census Bureau|2011}} Also, 15,438 (1.7% of the state population) were speakers of Indo-European languages other than English or Spanish, 10,154 (1.1%) were speakers of a Native American language, and 4,052 (0.4%) were speakers of an Asian or Pacific Islander language.{{sfn|Census Bureau|2011}}

Other languages spoken in Montana (as of 2013) include Assiniboine (about 150 speakers in Montana and Canada), Blackfoot (about 100 speakers), Cheyenne (about 1,700 speakers), Plains Cree (about 100 speakers), Crow (about 3,000 speakers), Dakota (about 17,800 speakers with 700 in Montana in 2010),<ref>{{cite web |title=Dakota |url=https://apps.mla.org/map_data_results%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2010%26lang_id%3D907 |publisher=MLA Language Map Data Center |access-date=21 April 2024 |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421123105/https://apps.mla.org/map_data_results%26mode%3Dlang_tops%26SRVY_YEAR%3D2010%26lang_id%3D907 |url-status=live }}</ref> German Hutterite (about 5,600 speakers), Gros Ventre (about 10 speakers), Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille (about 64 speakers), Kutenai (about six speakers), and Lakota (6,000 speakers in Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota).{{sfn|Lewis|Simons|Fennig|2013}}

The [[United States Department of Education]] estimated in 2009 that 5,274 students in Montana spoke a language at home other than English. These included a Native American language (64%), German (4%), Spanish (3%), Russian (1%), and Chinese (less than 0.5%).{{sfn|Ballantye|Rasmussen|2011|p=10}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:1em; float:center"
|+ '''Top 14 non-English languages spoken in Montana'''
|-
! Language !! Percentage of population<br /><small>(as of 2000)</small><ref name="Montana - Languages">{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/states/Montana-Languages.html|title=Montana—Languages|website=city-data.com|access-date=February 22, 2015|archive-date=February 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222173936/http://www.city-data.com/states/Montana-Languages.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]] || 1.5%
|-
| [[German language|German]] || 1.1%
|-
| [[French language|French]] and [[Crow language|Crow]] (tied) || 0.4%
|-
| [[Scandinavian languages]] (including [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], and [[Swedish language|Swedish]])|| 0.2%
|-
| [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Native American languages]] (other than Crow; significantly [[Cheyenne language|Cheyenne]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/chy|title=Cheyenne|website=Ethnologue|access-date=March 7, 2021|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225221801/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/chy|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Slavic languages]] (including [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Slovak language|Slovak]], and [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]) (tied) || 0.1%
|-
|}

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religious self-identification, per [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s 2022 ''American Values Survey''<ref>{{Cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in Montana |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-MT |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=[[Public Religion Research Institute]] |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-MT |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| label1 =  [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
| value1 = 43
| color1 = Blue
| label2 = [[Catholicism in the United States|Catholicism]]
| value2 = 17
| color2 = Purple
| label3 = [[Mormonism]]
| value3 = 2
| color3 = Teal
| label4 = [[Irreligion in the United States|Unaffiliated]]
| value4 = 32
| color4 = White
| label5 = [[New Age]]
| value5 = 2
| color5 = Red
| label6 = [[American Jews|Judaism]]
| value6 = 1
| color6 = Pink
| label7 = [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]] 
| value7 = 1
| color7 = Yellow
| label8 = Other
| value8 = 2
| color8 = Black
}}According to the [[Pew Research Center]] in 2014, the religious affiliations of the people of Montana were predominantly Christian; in the state, [[Christianity in the United States|Christianity]] was 65% of the total adult population.<ref>{{Cite web    |title=Religious Landscape Study |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/ |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525045337/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At the 2020 [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s (PRRI) study, 57% of the adult population were Christian. While [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] was the largest single Christian group in the state, [[Mainline Protestant|mainline]] and [[Evangelicalism|evangelical Protestantism]] dominated the Christian landscape collectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-MT |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-MT |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the Public Religion Research Institute's 2022 survey, Christianity grew to 62% of the population altogether, with 43% Protestant, 17% Catholic, and 2% Restorationist through Mormonism.

The largest Christian denominations in Montana as of 2010 were the Catholic Church with 127,612 adherents, [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] with 46,484 adherents, [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] with 38,665 adherents, and non-denominational evangelical Protestants with 27,370 adherents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/30/rcms2010_30_state_adh_2010.asp|title=The Association of Religion Data Archives—Maps & Reports|website=www.thearda.com|access-date=June 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235332/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/30/rcms2010_30_state_adh_2010.asp|archive-date=December 2, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2020, the largest Christian denominations by adherents were the following: the Catholic Church (112,389), non-denominational Protestantism (54,540), and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (50,552).<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 Congregational Membership |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=1&c=30 |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=www.thearda.com |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415135910/https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=1&c=30 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2014, 30% of the population was irreligious, and in 2020's separate study, 34% of the population were irreligious. Among its non-Christian population in 2022's PRRI study, the unaffiliated made up 32% of the population. [[New Age Spirituality|New Age spirituality]] was 2% of the population, [[Judaism]] 1%, and [[Buddhism in the United States|Buddhism]] 1%. Other faiths accounted for 2% of the state's population.

==Economy==
{{See also|Montana locations by per capita income|List of power stations in Montana}}
[[File:Craft Breweries Per Capita (US).svg|thumb|Montana ranks 2nd nationally in [[brewery|craft breweries]] per capita.]]
[[File:First Interstate Center, Billings, MT cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|[[First Interstate Center]], in downtown [[Billings, Montana|Billings]], is the tallest building in Montana.]]

{{As of|2022}}, the [[Bureau of Economic Analysis|U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis]] estimated Montana's Gross Domestic Product was $67.072 billion (47th in the nation) and [[Per capita personal income in the United States|per capita personal income]] was $60,984 (28th in the nation).<ref>{{cite web |date=September 29, 2023 |title=Personal Income for Montana |url=https://apps.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/?f=30000&a=3 |access-date=January 17, 2024 |website=BEARFACTS |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis |archive-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117084746/https://apps.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/?f=30000&a=3 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!--Agriculture information goes here-->

* Total employment: 371,239 ({{as of|2018}})<ref name="QF">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts – Montana|publisher=United States Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MT |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019090839/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MT |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Total employer establishments: 38,720 ({{as of|2018}})<ref name="QF" />

Montana is a relative hub of beer [[microbrewery|microbrewing]], ranking third in the nation in number of craft breweries per capita in 2011.{{sfn|Brewers Association|2013}} Significant industries exist for [[lumber]] and mineral [[mining|extraction]]; the state's resources include gold, coal, silver, [[talc]], and [[vermiculite]]. [[Ecotax]]es on resource extraction are numerous. A 1974 state [[severance tax]] on coal (which varied from 20 to 30%) was upheld by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in ''[[Commonwealth Edison Co. v. Montana]]'', 453 U.S. 609 (1981).<ref>{{ussc|453|609|1981}}</ref>

Tourism is also important to the economy, with more than ten million visitors a year to Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake, the Missouri River headwaters, the site of the [[Battle of Little Bighorn]], and three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park.{{sfn|Tourism in Montana|2007}}

Montana's personal [[income tax]] contains seven brackets, with rates ranging from 1.0 to 6.9 percent. Montana has no [[sales tax]], and household goods are exempt from [[property tax]]es. However, property taxes are assessed on livestock, farm machinery, heavy equipment, automobiles, trucks, and business equipment. The amount of property tax owed is not determined solely by the property's value. The property's value is multiplied by a tax rate, set by the Montana Legislature, to determine its taxable value. The taxable value is then multiplied by the [[mill levy]] established by various taxing jurisdictions—city and county government, school districts, and others.{{sfn|Department of Revenue|2012}}

In the 1980s the absence of a sales tax became economically deleterious to communities bound to the state's tourism industry, as the revenue from income and property taxes provided by residents was grossly insignificant in regards to paying for the impact of non-residential travel—especially road repair. In 1985, the Montana Legislature passed a law allowing towns with fewer than 5,500 residents and unincorporated communities with fewer than 2,500 to levy a resort tax if more than half the community's income came from tourism. The resort tax is a sales tax that applies to hotels, motels and other lodging and camping facilities; restaurants, fast-food stores, and other food service establishments; taverns, bars, night clubs, lounges, or other public establishments that serve alcohol; as well as destination ski resorts or other destination recreational facilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mtrevenue.gov/taxes/miscellaneous-taxes-and-fees/local-resort-tax/|title=Local Resort Tax|website=Montana Department of Revenue|access-date=December 8, 2019|archive-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020205624/https://mtrevenue.gov/taxes/miscellaneous-taxes-and-fees/local-resort-tax/|url-status=live}}</ref>

It also applies to "luxuries"- defined by law as any item normally sold to the public or to transient visitors or tourists that does not include food purchased unprepared or unserved, medicine, medical supplies and services, appliances, hardware supplies and tools, or any necessities of life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0070/chapter_0060/part_0150/section_0010/0070-0060-0150-0010.html|title=7-6-1501. Definitions, MCA|website=leg.mt.gov|access-date=December 8, 2019|archive-date=November 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102082645/https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0070/chapter_0060/part_0150/section_0010/0070-0060-0150-0010.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Approximately 12.2 million non-residents visited Montana in 2018, and the population was estimated to be 1.06 million. This extremely disproportionate ratio of residents paying taxes vs. non-residents using state-funded services and infrastructure makes Montana's resort tax crucial in order to safely maintain heavily used roads and highways, as well as protect and preserve state parks.

{{As of|2021|August}}, the state's unemployment rate is 3.5%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Local Area Unemployment Statistics|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|date=October 20, 2020|url=https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/lauhsthl.htm|access-date=October 24, 2020|archive-date=March 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190318233433/https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/lauhsthl.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
{{see also|TRAILS|l1=Treasure State Academic Information & Library Services}}
<!--need intro and overall discussion of education in the state, mention OPI and the MUS-->

===Colleges and universities===

The [[Montana University System]] consists of:
{{div col}}
* [[Dawson Community College]]
* [[Flathead Valley Community College]]
* [[Miles Community College]]
* [[Montana State University|Montana State University Bozeman]]
 [[Gallatin College Montana State University]] Bozeman
 [[Montana State University Billings]]
 [[City College at Montana State University Billings]] Billings
 [[Montana State University-Northern]] Havre
 [[Great Falls College Montana State University]] Great Falls
* [[University of Montana|University of Montana Missoula]]
 [[Missoula College University of Montana]] Missoula
 [[Montana Tech of the University of Montana]] Butte
 [[Highlands College of Montana Tech]] Butte
 [[University of Montana Western]] Dillon
 [[Helena College University of Montana]] Helena
 [[Bitterroot College University of Montana]] Hamilton
{{div col end}}

Tribal colleges in Montana include:
{{div col}}
* [[Aaniiih Nakoda College]] Harlem
* [[Blackfeet Community College]] Browning
* [[Chief Dull Knife College]] Lame Deer
* [[Fort Peck Community College]] Poplar
* [[Little Big Horn College]] Crow Agency
* [[Salish Kootenai College]] Pablo
* [[Stone Child College]] Box Elder
{{div col end}}

Four private colleges are in Montana:

{{div col}}
* [[Carroll College (Montana)|Carroll College]]
* [[Rocky Mountain College]]
* [[University of Great Falls|University of Providence]]
* [[Apollos University]]
{{div col end}}

===Schools===
The Montana Territory was formed on April 26, 1864, when the U.S. passed the [[Organic Act]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://courts.mt.gov/library/montana_laws.mcpx#constitutional |author=Judicial Branch Montana |title=Montana Laws |access-date=March 7, 2014 |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228151159/http://courts.mt.gov/library/montana_laws.mcpx#constitutional |url-status=dead }}</ref> Schools started forming in the area before it was officially a territory as families started settling into the area. The first schools were subscription schools that typically met in the teacher's home. The first formal school on record was at Fort Owen in Bitterroot valley in 1862. The students were Indian children and the children of Fort Owen employees. The first school term started in early winter and lasted only until February 28. Classes were taught by Mr. Robinson.<ref>{{cite web |title=Education |url=http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/w/page/21639613/Education#PublicSchools |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307081624/http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/w/page/21639613/Education#PublicSchools |archive-date=March 7, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Another early subscription school was started by Thomas Dimsdale in Virginia City in 1863. In this school students were charged $1.75 per week.<ref name="Sievert">{{cite book |last=Sievert |first=Ken and Ellen |title=Virginia City and Alder Gulch |date=August 26, 1993 |publisher=Farcounty Press}}</ref> The Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly had its inaugural meeting in 1864.<ref>{{cite web |last=Malcomson |first=Jeff |title=Legislative History Guide |url=http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/w/page/21639685/Legislative%20History%20Guide |access-date=February 22, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150214041210/http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/w/page/21639685/Legislative%20History%20Guide |archive-date=February 14, 2015}}</ref> The first legislature authorized counties to levy taxes for schools, which set the foundations for public schooling.<ref>{{cite web |title=Montana Legislature |url=http://www.leg.mt.gov/css/default.asp |access-date=February 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222190148/http://leg.mt.gov/css/default.asp |archive-date=February 22, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Madison County was the first to take advantage of the newly authorized taxes and it formed the first public school in Virginia City in 1886.<ref name="Sievert" /> The first school year was scheduled to begin in January 1866, but severe weather postponed its opening until March. The first school year ran through the summer and did not end until August 17. One of the first teachers at the school was Sarah Raymond. She was a 25-year-old woman who had traveled to Virginia City via wagon train in 1865. To become a certified teacher, Raymond took a test in her home and paid a $6 fee in gold dust to obtain a teaching certificate. With the help of an assistant teacher, Mrs. Farley,<ref name="Briggeman">{{cite web |last=Briggeman |first=Kim |title=MONTANA HISTORY ALMANAC: First school opens doors in Virginia City |date=March 3, 2012 |url=http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/territory/montana-history-almanac-first-school-opens-doors-in-virginia-city/article_efe08740-6498-11e1-ac7d-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=February 22, 2015 |archive-date=May 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516030510/http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/territory/montana-history-almanac-first-school-opens-doors-in-virginia-city/article_efe08740-6498-11e1-ac7d-0019bb2963f4.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Raymond was responsible for teaching 50 to 60 students each day out of the 81 students enrolled at the school. Sarah Raymond was paid $125 per month, and Mrs. Farley was paid $75 per month. No textbooks were used in the school. In their place was an assortment of books brought by various emigrants.{{sfn|O'Brien|2003|pp=14–16}} Sarah quit teaching the following year, but she later became the Madison County superintendent of schools.<ref name="Briggeman" />

==Culture==
{{See also|Music of Montana|List of people from Montana#Artists|label 2=Artists from Montana|List of people from Montana|label 3=Authors from Montana}}

Many well-known artists, photographers and authors have documented the land, culture and people of Montana in the last 130 years. Painter and sculptor [[Charles Marion Russell]], known as "the cowboy artist", created more than 2,000 paintings of [[cowboy]]s, Native Americans, and landscapes set in the [[American West|Western United States]] and in [[Alberta]], Canada.{{sfn|University of Toronto|2000}} The [[C. M. Russell Museum Complex]] in [[Great Falls, Montana]], houses more than 2,000 Russell artworks, personal objects, and artifacts.<!--note the Montana Historical Society also has a CM Russell Gallery and assorted works-->

Pioneering feminist author, film-maker, and media personality [[Mary MacLane]] attained international fame in 1902 with her memoir of three months in her life in [[Butte, Montana|Butte]], ''The Story of Mary MacLane''. She referred to Butte throughout the rest of her career and remains a controversial figure there for her mixture of criticism and love for Butte and its people.

[[Evelyn Cameron]], a naturalist and photographer from [[Terry, Montana|Terry]] documented early 20th-century life on the Montana prairie, taking startlingly clear pictures of everything around her: cowboys, sheepherders, weddings, river crossings, freight wagons, people working, badlands, eagles, coyotes and wolves.{{sfn|Montana Travel|2010}}<!--add Schlechten bros, F Jay Haynes to photogs-->

Many notable Montana authors have documented or been inspired by life in Montana in both fiction and non-fiction works. [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner [[Wallace Earle Stegner]] from Great Falls was often called "The Dean of Western Writers".{{sfn|Boswell|2006}} [[James Willard Schultz]] ("Apikuni") from [[Browning, Montana|Browning]] is most noted for his prolific stories about Blackfeet<!--Blackfeet in Montana, Blackfoot in Canada, go figure ...--> life and his contributions to the naming of prominent features in Glacier National Park.{{sfn|Hanna|1988|pp=95–111}}<!--add James Welsh, Richard Hugo, William Kittridge, JK Ralston-->

===Major cultural events===
[[File:Crowdance.jpg|thumb|Dancers at Crow Fair in 1941]]

Montana hosts numerous arts and cultural festivals and events every year. Major events include:
* [[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]] was once known as the "Sweet Pea capital of the nation" referencing the prolific edible pea crop. To promote the area and celebrate its prosperity, local business owners began a "Sweet Pea Carnival" that included a parade and queen contest. The annual event lasted from 1906 to 1916. Promoters used the inedible but fragrant and colorful [[sweet pea]] flower as an emblem of the celebration. In 1977 the "Sweet Pea" concept was revived as an arts festival rather than a harvest celebration, growing into a three-day event that is one of the largest festivals in Montana.{{sfn|Hurlbut|Davis|2009|pp=179–181}}
* Montana Shakespeare in the Parks has been performing free, live theatrical productions of Shakespeare and other classics throughout Montana and the Northwest region since 1973. The organization is an outreach endeavor that is part of the College of Arts & Architecture at Montana State University, Bozeman.{{sfn|Shakespeare in the Parks|2012}} The Montana Shakespeare Company is based in Helena.{{sfn|Lincoln|2012}}
* Since 1909, the [[Crow Fair|Crow Fair and Rodeo]], near [[Hardin, Montana|Hardin]], has been an annual event every August in [[Crow Agency, Montana|Crow Agency]] and is the largest Northern Native American gathering, attracting nearly 45,000 spectators and participants.{{sfn|Scandale|2011}} Since 1952, North American Indian Days has been held every July in Browning.{{sfn|North American Indian Days|2013}}
* [[Lame Deer, Montana|Lame Deer]] hosts the annual Northern Cheyenne Powwow.
<!--"State Fairs" in Billings and Great Falls-->
<!--Bozeman still have the opera company??-->
<!--general statement about arts at MSU/UM being a big deal-->
<!--Symphony orchestras in Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula...? others?-->
<!--Missoula Children's Theater-->
<!--major community theaters, i.e. Bigfork, Grandstreet in Helena-->
<!--Western Rendezvous of Art, Helena; CM Russell museum auction, Great Falls-->
<!--professional ballet company?-->
<!--Major state art museums, Holter Museum in Helena, others?-->

===Sports===
<!--needs refs, not tagging-->
[[File:Bobcat stadium gold rush 2012.JPG|thumb|[[Montana State Bobcats football]] at [[Bobcat Stadium (Montana State University)]], Bozeman]]

====Professional sports====
There are no [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major league]] sports franchises in Montana due to the state's relatively small and dispersed population, but a number of [[minor league]] teams play in the state. [[Baseball]] is the minor-league sport with the longest heritage in the state and Montana is home to four [[Independent baseball league|independent]] teams, all members of the [[Pioneer League (baseball)|Pioneer League]]: the [[Billings Mustangs]], [[Great Falls Voyagers]], [[Missoula PaddleHeads]] and the [[Glacier Range Riders]].

====College sports====
All of Montana's four-year colleges and universities field intercollegiate sports teams. The two largest schools, the [[University of Montana-Missoula|University of Montana]] and [[Montana State University - Bozeman|Montana State University]], are members of the [[Big Sky Conference]] and have enjoyed a strong athletic rivalry since the early twentieth century. Six of Montana's smaller four-year schools are members of the [[Frontier Conference]].{{sfn|Frotier Conference|2013}} One is a member of the [[Great Northwest Athletic Conference]].{{sfn|Great Northwest Athletic Conference|2013}}

====Other sports====
A variety of sports are offered at Montana high schools.{{sfn|Montana High School Association|2013}} Montana allows the smallest—"Class C"—high schools to utilize [[six-man football]] teams,{{sfn|Montana High School Association-Football|2013|pp=139–141}} dramatized in the independent 2002 film ''[[The Slaughter Rule]]''.{{sfn|Holden|2002}}

There are junior [[ice hockey]] teams in Montana, three of which are affiliated with the [[North American 3 Hockey League]]: the [[Bozeman Icedogs]], [[Great Falls Americans]], and [[Helena Bighorns]].

====Olympic competitors====
* [[Ski jumping]] champion and [[National Ski Hall of Fame|United States Skiing Hall of Fame]] inductee [[Casper Oimoen]] was captain of the U.S. Olympic team at the [[1936 Winter Olympics]] while he was a resident of Anaconda. He placed thirteenth that year, and had previously finished fifth at the [[1932 Winter Olympics]].<ref name="Dawson">{{cite web|last1=Dawson|first1=Amelie Trufant|title=Beef Trail Ski Area: A Montana Original|url=http://fpn4.flexportal.com/Outdoors/A-Montana-Original-341|website=Montana Living|access-date=October 10, 2014|date=March 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020142112/http://fpn4.flexportal.com/Outdoors/A-Montana-Original-341|archive-date=October 20, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Eriksmoen">{{cite web|last1=Eriksmoen|first1=Curt|title=Ski jumper competed in two Olympics|url=http://bismarcktribune.com/news/columnists/curt-eriksmoen/ski-jumper-competed-in-two-olympics/article_3ab9d432-9b2f-11e3-935d-0019bb2963f4.html|website=Bismarck Tribune|access-date=October 10, 2014|date=February 23, 2014|archive-date=December 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210124641/http://bismarcktribune.com/news/columnists/curt-eriksmoen/ski-jumper-competed-in-two-olympics/article_3ab9d432-9b2f-11e3-935d-0019bb2963f4.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Montana has produced two [[United States Figure Skating Championships|U.S. champions]] and Olympic competitors in [[men's figure skating]], both from Great Falls: [[John Misha Petkevich]], lived and trained in Montana before entering college, competed in the 1968 and 1972 [[Winter Olympics]].{{sfn|Sports Reference|2013}}{{sfn|Ottum|1968}} [[Scott Davis (figure skater)|Scott Davis]], also from Great Falls, competed at the [[1994 Winter Olympics]].{{sfn|Ice Network|2012}}
* Missoulian [[Tommy Moe]] won Olympic gold and silver medals at the [[1994 Winter Olympics]] in [[downhill skiing]] and [[super G]], the first American skier to win two medals at any Winter Olympics.<ref name="Moe">{{cite web|author1=Staff|title=Tommy Moe|url=http://www.biography.com/people/tommy-moe-21375335|website=Bio.|access-date=October 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017104050/http://www.biography.com/people/tommy-moe-21375335|archive-date=October 17, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Eric Bergoust]], also of Missoula, won an Olympic gold medal in [[Freestyle skiing#Aerial skiing|freestyle aerial skiing]] at the [[1998 Winter Olympics]], also competing in 1994, 2002 and 2006 Olympics plus winning 13 World Cup titles.<ref name="Bergoust">{{cite web|author1=Staff|title=125 Montana Newsmakers: Eric Bergoust|url=http://archive.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers4/bergoust.html|website=Great Falls Tribune|access-date=October 10, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141010070158/http://archive.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers4/bergoust.html|archive-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Maggie Voisin]], of Whitefish, competed in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics as a skier. She also qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics but was unable to play as she broke her ankle during training.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 23, 2022 |title=Maggie Voisin |url=https://www.teamusa.org/us-ski-and-snowboard/athletes/maggie-voisin |access-date=March 23, 2022 |website=Team USA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709180040/https://www.teamusa.org/us-ski-and-snowboard/athletes/maggie-voisin |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Sporting achievements====
Montanans have been a part of several major sporting achievements:
* In 1889, [[Spokane (horse)|Spokane]] became the first and only Montana horse to win the [[Kentucky Derby]]. For this accomplishment, the horse was admitted to the [[Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame]] in 2008.{{sfn|Kentucky Derby|2013}}{{sfn|Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame|2013}}
* In 1904 a [[basketball]] team of young Native American women from [[Fort Shaw, Montana|Fort Shaw]], after playing undefeated during their previous season, went to the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] held in St. Louis in 1904, defeated all challenging teams and were declared to be world champions.{{sfn|Peavey|Smith|2008}}
* In 1923, the controversial [[Jack Dempsey vs. Tommy Gibbons]] fight for the heavyweight boxing championship, won by Dempsey, took place in [[Shelby, Montana|Shelby]].{{sfn|Johnson|1966}}
[[File:Lone Mountain, January 2018.jpg|thumb|Lone Mountain at [[Big Sky Ski Resort]]]]

===Outdoor recreation===
Montana provides year-round outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors. Hiking, fishing, hunting, watercraft recreation, camping, golf, cycling, horseback riding, and skiing are popular activities.{{sfn|Montana Outdoor Recreation|2013}}

====Fishing and hunting====
Montana has been a destination for its world-class trout fisheries since the 1930s.{{sfn|Schullery|2006a|pp=31–50}} [[Fly fishing]] for several species of native and introduced [[trout]] in rivers and lakes is popular for both residents and tourists throughout the state. Montana is the home of the [[Federation of Fly Fishers]] and hosts many of the organization's annual conclaves. The state has robust recreational [[lake trout]] and [[kokanee salmon]] fisheries in the west, [[walleye]] can be found in many parts of the state, while [[northern pike]], [[smallmouth bass|smallmouth]] and [[largemouth bass]] fisheries as well as [[catfish]] and [[paddlefish]] can be found in the waters of eastern Montana.{{sfn|Fisheries Management Plan|2013}} [[Robert Redford]]'s [[A River Runs Through It (film)|1992 film]] of [[Norman Mclean]]'s novel, ''[[A River Runs Through It (novel)|A River Runs Through It]]'', was filmed in Montana and brought national attention to fly fishing and the state.{{sfn|Schullery|2006b|pp=167–186}} Fishing makes up a sizeable component of Montana's total tourism economic output: in 2017, nonresidents generated $4.7 billion in economic output, of which, $1.3 billion was generated by visitor groups participating in guided fishing experiences.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2017 Economic Contribution and Industry-Client Analysis.|url=https://guide-x.io/blog/what-is-fly-fishing|access-date=May 13, 2021|website=guide-x.io|archive-date=May 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513215136/https://guide-x.io/blog/what-is-fly-fishing|url-status=live}}</ref> <!--http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/ will have most of what is needed-->

There are fall bow and general hunting seasons for [[elk]], [[Pronghorn|pronghorn antelope]], [[whitetail deer]] and [[mule deer]]. A random draw grants a limited number of permits for [[moose]], [[mountain goat]]s and [[bighorn sheep]]. There is a spring hunting season for [[American black bear|black bear]] and limited hunting of [[Yellowstone Park bison herd|bison that leave Yellowstone National Park]] has been allowed. Current law allows both hunters and trappers specified numbers ("limits") of [[wolf|wolves]] and [[mountain lion]]s. Trapping of assorted fur-bearing animals is allowed in certain seasons and many opportunities exist for migratory waterfowl and upland bird hunting.{{sfn|Montana Hunting Regulations|2012}}{{sfn|Montana Trapping|2013}} The [[Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation]], which protects wildlife habitat and promotes hunting heritage, was founded in Montana.

====Winter sports====
[[File:Big Sky resort.jpg|thumb|The [[Big Sky Resort]]]]
[[File:Red Lodge Palisades.jpg|thumb|The Palisades area on the north end of the ski area at [[Red Lodge Mountain Resort]]]]
[[File:SnowmobilesYellowstone.jpg|thumb|Guided snowmobile tours in Yellowstone Park]]

Both [[downhill skiing]] and [[cross-country skiing]] are popular in Montana, and there are 15 developed downhill ski areas open to the public,{{sfn|Winter Montana—Resorts|2010}} including:
* [[Bear Paw Ski Bowl]] near [[Havre, Montana|Havre]]
* [[Big Sky Resort]] in [[Big Sky, Montana|Big Sky]]<!--Big Sky is unique due to the Chet Huntley connection, probably also biggest)-->
* [[Blacktail Mountain Ski Area]] near [[Lakeside, Montana|Lakeside]]
* [[Bridger Bowl Ski Area]] near [[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]]
* [[Discovery Basin|Discovery Ski Area]] near [[Philipsburg, Montana|Philipsburg]]
* [[Great Divide Ski Area]] near [[Helena, Montana|Helena]]
* [[Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area]] off [[Interstate 90]] at the Montana-Idaho border
* [[Lost Trail Powder Mountain]] near [[Darby, Montana|Darby]]
* [[Maverick Mountain Ski Area]] near [[Dillon, Montana|Dillon]]
* [[Montana Snowbowl]] near [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]]
* [[Red Lodge Mountain Resort]] near [[Red Lodge, Montana|Red Lodge]]
* [[Showdown Ski Area]] near [[White Sulphur Springs, Montana|White Sulphur Springs]]
* [[Teton Pass Ski Area]] near [[Choteau, Montana|Choteau]]
* [[Turner Mountain Ski Resort]] near [[Libby, Montana|Libby]]
* [[Whitefish Mountain Resort]] near [[Whitefish, Montana|Whitefish]]<!--compare stats to Big Sky, this is the other big one-->

Big Sky Resort and Whitefish Mountain Resort are [[Conference and resort hotels|destination resorts]], while the remaining areas do not have overnight lodging at the ski area, though several host restaurants and other amenities.{{sfn|Winter Montana—Resorts|2010}}<!--here, it would be better to insert narrative on which get the most people or have the most acreage or have the most miles of runs or trails-->

Montana also has millions of acres open to cross-country skiing on nine of its national forests and in Glacier National Park. In addition to cross-country trails at most of the downhill ski areas, there are also 13 private cross-country skiing resorts.{{sfn|Winter Montana—XC|2010}} Yellowstone National Park also allows cross-country skiing.{{sfn|National Park Service-Yellowstone|2013}}

[[Snowmobile|Snowmobiling]] is popular in Montana, which boasts over 4,000 miles of trails and frozen lakes available in winter.{{sfn|Montana Snowmobiling|2013}} There are 24 areas where snowmobile trails are maintained, most also offering ungroomed trails.{{sfn|Winter Montana-Snowmobiling|2010}} [[West Yellowstone, Montana|West Yellowstone]] offers a large selection of trails and is the primary starting point for snowmobile trips into Yellowstone National Park,{{sfn|Winter Montana-West Yellowstone|2010}} where "oversnow" vehicle use is strictly limited, usually to guided tours, and regulations are in considerable flux.{{sfn|National Park Service-Yellowstone in Winter|2013}}

[[Snow coach]] tours are offered at Big Sky, Whitefish, West Yellowstone and into Yellowstone National Park.{{sfn|Winter Montana-Snowcoaches|2010}} Equestrian [[skijoring]] has a niche in Montana, which hosts the World Skijoring Championships in Whitefish as part of the annual [[Whitefish Winter Carnival]].{{sfn|Whitefish Skijoring|2013}}

==Health==
Montana has one [[Level I trauma center|Trauma I]] hospital at the Billings Clinic hospital,<ref>[https://www.billingsclinic.com/services-specialties/emergency-services/trauma-services/ The First & Only Level I Trauma Center in Montana and Wyoming] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806124441/https://www.billingsclinic.com/services-specialties/emergency-services/trauma-services/ |date=August 6, 2023 }} ''Bilings Clinic''</ref> and has [[Level II trauma center|Trauma II]] hospitals in Missoula, Billings, and Great Falls.{{sfn|Trauma Centers|2013}} In 2013, ''[[AARP The Magazine]]'' named the [[Billings Clinic]] one of the safest hospitals in the United States.{{sfn|HowardB|2013|pp=46–50}}

Montana is ranked as the least obese state in the U.S., at 19.6%, according to the 2014 Gallup Poll.<ref name="Gallup Obesity Poll">{{cite web|last=Levy|first=Jenna|title=Gallup Obesity Poll|date=March 4, 2014|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/167642/mississippians-obese-montanans-least-obese.aspx|access-date=February 22, 2015|archive-date=February 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221201019/http://www.gallup.com/poll/167642/mississippians-obese-montanans-least-obese.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

Montana had a [[suicide rate]] of 26.1 per 100,000 in 2020, which is the 3rd-highest among U.S. states; high suicide rates are common among sparsely-populated states in the United States.<ref name=cdcstats>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/montana/mt.htm|access-date=June 30, 2022|website=cdc.gov|title=National Center for Health Statistics — Suicide Mortality by State|archive-date=June 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630044908/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/montana/mt.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=cdcsuicide>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/suicide-mortality/suicide.htm|access-date=June 30, 2022|website=cdc.gov|title=National Center for Health Statistics — Montana|date=March 2022|archive-date=May 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517200432/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/suicide-mortality/suicide.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Main|List of radio stations in Montana|List of television stations in Montana}}

As of 2010, Missoula is the 166th largest [[media market]] in the United States as ranked by [[Nielsen Media Research]], while Billings is 170th, Great Falls is 190th, the Butte/Bozeman area 191st, and Helena is 206th.{{sfn|Nielsen|2010}} There are 25 [[List of television stations in Montana|television stations in Montana]], representing each major [[List of United States over-the-air television networks|U.S. network]].{{sfn|Station Index|2013}} As of August 2013, there are 527 [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]-licensed FM [[radio]] [[List of radio stations in Montana|stations broadcast in Montana]], with 114 such AM stations.{{sfn|FCC-FM|2013}}{{sfn|FCC-AM|2013}}

During the age of the [[Copper Kings]], each Montana copper company had its own newspaper. This changed in 1959 when [[Lee Enterprises]] bought several Montana newspapers.{{sfn|Lee Enterprises-Newspapers|2013}}{{sfn|Lee Enterprises-History|2013}} Montana's largest circulating daily city newspapers are the ''[[Billings Gazette]]'' (circulation 39,405), ''[[Great Falls Tribune]]'' (26,733), and ''[[Missoulian]]'' (25,439).{{sfn|Mondo Times|2013}}

In May 2023, Montana became the first US state to ban the social media app [[TikTok]] and online marketplace [[Temu (company)|Temu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-05-17 |title=Montana bans Telegram, WeChat, and Temu from government devices |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/17/23727750/montana-bans-telegram-temu-wechat-other-bytedance-apps-government-devices-tiktok |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=The Verge |language=en-US |archive-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520230040/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/17/23727750/montana-bans-telegram-temu-wechat-other-bytedance-apps-government-devices-tiktok |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-14 |title=Montana becomes first US state to pass TikTok ban |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65281881 |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418160537/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65281881 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Marino |first=Michael |date=June 2, 2023 |title=TikTok Banned in Montana |pages=2 |work=Yellowstone County News}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{main|Transportation in Montana}}
{{See also|List of Montana railroads|List of Montana numbered highways|List of airports in Montana}}
[[File:West Yellowstone MT - aerial edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Yellowstone Airport]], [[West Yellowstone, Montana]]]]

Railroads have been an important method of transportation in Montana since the 1880s. Historically, the state was traversed by the main lines of three east–west transcontinental routes: the [[Milwaukee Road]], the [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern]], and the [[Northern Pacific Railway|Northern Pacific]]. Today, the [[BNSF Railway]] is the state's largest railroad, its main transcontinental route incorporating the former Great Northern main line across the state. [[Montana RailLink]], a privately held [[Class II railroad]], operated former Northern Pacific trackage in western Montana before being bought out by BNSF.<!--MRL coverage area needs to be specified more precisely, maybe mention significance of Washington Corporation-->

In addition, [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[Empire Builder]]'' train runs through the north of the state, stopping in [[Libby, Montana|Libby]], [[Whitefish, Montana|Whitefish]], [[West Glacier, Montana|West Glacier]], [[Essex, Montana|Essex]], [[East Glacier Park Village, Montana|East Glacier Park]], [[Browning, Montana|Browning]], [[Cut Bank, Montana|Cut Bank]], [[Shelby, Montana|Shelby]], [[Havre, Montana|Havre]], [[Malta, Montana|Malta]], [[Glasgow, Montana|Glasgow]], and [[Wolf Point, Montana|Wolf Point]].

Intercity bus service in Montana is provided by [[Jefferson Lines]] and Express Arrow.

[[Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport]] is the busiest airport in the state of Montana, surpassing [[Billings Logan International Airport]] in the spring of 2013.{{sfn|Bacaj|2013}}{{sfn|KTVQ|2013}} Montana's other major airports include [[Missoula International Airport]], [[Great Falls International Airport]], [[Glacier Park International Airport]], [[Helena Regional Airport]], [[Bert Mooney Airport]], and [[Yellowstone Airport]].<!--rank in order of how busy/big they are--> Eight smaller communities have airports designated for commercial service under the [[Essential Air Service]] program.{{sfn|Department of Transportation|2012}}

Historically, [[U.S. Route 10]] was the primary east–west highway route across Montana, connecting the major cities in the southern half of the state. Still, the state's most important east–west travel corridor, the route is today served by [[Interstate 90]] and [[Interstate 94]] which roughly follow the same route as the Northern Pacific. [[U.S. Route 2|U.S. Routes 2]] and [[U.S. Route 12|12]] and [[Montana Highway 200]] also traverse the entire state from east to west.

Montana's only north–south [[Interstate Highway]] is [[Interstate 15 in Montana|Interstate 15]]. Other major north–south highways include [[U.S. Route 87|U.S. Routes 87]], [[U.S. Route 89|89]], [[U.S. Route 93|93]], and [[U.S. Route 191|191]].

Montana and [[South Dakota]] are the only states to share a land border that is not traversed by a paved road. Highway 212, the primary paved route between the two, passes through the northeast corner of Wyoming between Montana and South Dakota.{{sfn|Sites|2012}}{{sfn|Montana Transportation|2013}}

==Law and government==
{{Main|Montana State Government}}

===Constitution===
Montana is governed by a constitution. The first constitution was drafted by a constitutional convention in 1889, in preparation for statehood. Ninety percent of its language came from an 1884 constitution which was never acted upon by Congress for national political reasons. The 1889 constitution mimicked the structure of the [[United States Constitution]], as well as outlining almost the same civil and political rights for citizens. However, the 1889 Montana constitution significantly restricted the power of state government, the legislature was much more powerful than the executive branch, and the jurisdiction of the [[Montana District Courts|District Courts]] very specifically described.{{sfn|Elison|Snyder|2001|pp=3–4, 144}} Montana voters amended the 1889 constitution 37 times between 1889 and 1972.<ref>{{cite report|author=Montana Constitutional Convention|title=Proposed 1972 Constitution for the State of Montana: Official Text With Explanation|location=Helena, Mont.|year=1972|access-date=February 24, 2017|page=3|url=https://archive.org/details/proposed1972cons00montrich}}</ref> In 1914, Montana [[women's suffrage|granted women the vote]]. In 1916, Montana became the first state to elect a woman, [[Progressivism in the United States|Progressive Republican]] [[Jeannette Rankin]], to Congress.{{sfn|Women's National History|2013}}{{sfn|Jeannette Rankin|2011}}

In 1971, Montana voters approved the call for a state constitutional convention. A new constitution was drafted, which made the legislative and executive branches much more equal in power and which was much less prescriptive in outlining powers, duties, and jurisdictions.{{sfn|Elison|Snyder|2001|p=144}} The draft included an expanded, more [[Progressivism|progressive]] list of civil and political rights, extended these rights to children for the first time, transferred administration of property taxes to the counties from the state, implemented new [[water rights]], eliminated [[sovereign immunity]], and gave the legislature greater power to spend tax revenues. The constitution was narrowly approved, 116,415 to 113,883, and declared ratified on June 20, 1972. Three issues that the constitutional convention was unable to resolve were submitted to voters simultaneously with the proposed constitution. Voters approved the legalization of gambling, a bicameral legislature, and retention of the death penalty.{{sfn|Elison|Snyder|2001|pp=16–18}}

The 1972 constitution has been amended 31 times as of 2015.<ref name="sos1972current">{{cite report|author=Montana Secretary of State|title=1972–Current Historical Constitutional Initiatives and Constitutional Amendments|location=Helena, Mont.|date=June 8, 2015|page=7|access-date=February 24, 2017|url=http://sos.mt.gov/Portals/142/Elections/Documents/Constitutional-Ballot-Issues-1972-Current.pdf|archive-date=March 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328230107/http://sos.mt.gov/Portals/142/Elections/Documents/Constitutional-Ballot-Issues-1972-Current.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Major amendments include establishment of a [[Land reclamation|reclamation trust]] (funded by taxes on natural resource extraction) to restore mined land (1974); restoration of sovereign immunity, when such immunity has been approved by a two-thirds vote in each house (1974); establishment of a 90-day biennial (rather than annual) legislative session (1974); establishment of a coal tax trust fund, funded by a tax on coal extraction (1976); conversion of the mandatory decennial review of county government into a voluntary one, to be approved or disallowed by residents in each county (1978); conversion of the provision of public assistance from a mandatory civil right to a non-fundamental legislative prerogative (1988);{{sfn|Elison|Snyder|2001|pp=19–20}} a new constitutional right to hunt and fish (2004); a prohibition on [[gay marriage]] (2004); and a prohibition on new taxes on the sale or transfer of real property (2010).<ref name="sos1972current" /> In 1992, voters approved a constitutional amendment implementing [[term limits]] for certain statewide elected executive branch offices (governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction) and for members of the [[Montana Legislature]]. Extensive new constitutional rights for victims of crime were approved in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lin|first=Frances|title='Marsy's Law' ballot measure certified|work=KXLH.com|date=December 6, 2016|access-date=February 25, 2017|url=http://www.kxlh.com/story/33943749/marsys-law-ballot-measure-certified|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226132454/http://www.kxlh.com/story/33943749/marsys-law-ballot-measure-certified|archive-date=February 26, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The 1972 constitution requires that voters determine every 20 years whether to hold a new constitutional convention. Voters turned down a new convention in 1990 (84 percent no){{sfn|Elison|Snyder|2001|p=19}} and again in 2010 (58.6 percent no).<ref>{{cite news|title=Election 2010: Montana|work=The New York Times|date=November 2010|access-date=February 25, 2017|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2010/results/montana.html|archive-date=February 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207155659/http://www.nytimes.com/elections/2010/results/montana.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Executive===
{{See also|List of Governors of Montana|United States congressional delegations from Montana}}
Montana has three branches of state government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The executive branch is headed by an elected governor. The governor is [[Greg Gianforte]], a Republican elected in 2020. There are also nine other statewide elected offices in the executive branch: Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor (who also serves as Commissioner of Securities and Insurance), and Superintendent of Public Instruction. There are five public service commissioners, who are elected on a regional basis. (The Public Service Commission's jurisdiction is statewide.)

There are 18 departments and offices which make up the executive branch: Administration; Agriculture; Auditor (securities and insurance); Commerce; Corrections; Environmental Quality; Fish, Wildlife & Parks; Justice; Labor and Industry; Livestock; Military Affairs; Natural Resources and Conservation; Public Health and Human Services; Revenue; State; and Transportation. Elementary and secondary education are overseen by the Office of Public Instruction (led by the elected superintendent of public instruction), in cooperation with the governor-appointed Board of Public Education. Higher education is overseen by a governor-appointed Board of Regents, which in turn appoints a commissioner of higher education. The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education acts in an executive capacity on behalf of the regents and oversees the state-run [[Montana University System]].

Independent state agencies not within a department or office include the Montana Arts Council, Montana Board of Crime Control, Montana Historical Society, Montana Public Employees Retirement Administration, Commissioner of Political Practices, the Montana Lottery, Office of the State Public Defender, Public Service Commission, the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind, the Montana State Fund (which operates the state's unemployment insurance, worker compensation, and self-insurance operations), the Montana State Library, and the Montana Teachers Retirement System.

Montana is an [[alcoholic beverage control state]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abc.utah.gov/about/control_states.html|title=Utah Dept of Alcoholic Beverage Control|website=abc.utah.gov|access-date=September 24, 2017|archive-date=January 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131032427/https://abc.utah.gov/about/control_states.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is an [[Division of property|equitable distribution]] and [[no-fault divorce]] state. It is one of five states to have no [[sales tax]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://revenue.mt.gov/home/individuals/RD-Other-Busienss-Informaton#Sales-Tax-654|title=businesses_information|website=revenue.mt.gov|access-date=September 24, 2017|archive-date=September 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924094906/http://revenue.mt.gov/home/individuals/RD-Other-Busienss-Informaton#Sales-Tax-654|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Legislative===
The [[Montana Legislature]] is bicameral and consists of the 50-member [[Montana Senate]] and the 100-member [[Montana House of Representatives]]. The legislature meets in the [[Montana State Capitol]] in Helena in odd-numbered years for 90 days, beginning the first weekday of the year. The deadline for a legislator to introduce a general bill is the 40th legislative day. The deadline for a legislator to introduce an appropriations, revenue, or referendum bill is the 62nd legislative day. Senators serve four-year terms, while Representatives serve two-year terms. All members are limited to serving no more than eight years in a single 16-year period.

===Judicial===
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
The [[Courts of Montana]] are established by the Constitution of Montana. The constitution requires the establishment of a [[Montana Supreme Court]] and [[Montana District Courts]], and permits the legislature to establish [[Montana inferior courts|Justice Courts]], [[Montana inferior courts|City Courts]], [[Montana inferior courts|Municipal Courts]], and other inferior courts such as the legislature sees fit to establish.

The Montana Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the Montana court system. The constitution of 1889 provided for the election of no fewer than three Supreme Court justices, and one chief justice. Each court member served a six-year term. The legislature increased the number of justices to five in 1919. The 1972 constitution lengthened the term of office to eight years and established the minimum number of justices at five. It allowed the legislature to increase the number of justices by two, which the legislature did in 1979. The Montana Supreme Court has the authority to declare acts of the legislature and executive unconstitutional under either the Montana or U.S. constitutions. Its decisions may be appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. The [[Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court]] is also an elected position and serves a six-year term. Neither justices nor the clerk is term-limited.

[[Montana District Courts]] are the courts of general jurisdiction in Montana. There are no intermediate appellate courts. District Courts have jurisdiction primarily over most civil cases, cases involving a monetary claim against the state, felony criminal cases, probate, and cases at law and in equity. When so authorized by the legislature, actions of executive branch agencies may be appealed directly to a District Court. The District Courts also have ''de novo'' appellate jurisdiction from inferior courts ([[Montana inferior courts|city courts, justice courts, and municipal courts]]), and oversee naturalization proceedings. District Court judges are elected and serve six-year terms. They are not term-limited. There are 22 judicial districts in Montana, served by 56 District Courts and 46 District Court judges. The District Courts suffer from excessive workload, and the legislature has struggled to find a solution to the problem.

[[Montana Youth Courts]] were established by the Montana Youth Court Act of 1974. They are overseen by District Court judges. They consist of a chief probation officer, one or more juvenile probation officers, and support staff. Youth Courts have jurisdiction over misdemeanor and felony acts committed by those charged as a juvenile under the law. There is a Youth Court in every judicial district, and decisions of the Youth Court are appealable directly to the Montana Supreme Court.

The Montana Worker's Compensation Court was established by the Montana Workers' Compensation Act in 1975. There is a single Workers' Compensation Court. It has a single judge, appointed by the governor. The Worker's Compensation Court has statewide jurisdiction and holds trials in Billings, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula. The court hears cases arising under the Montana Workers' Compensation Act and is the court of original jurisdiction for reviews of orders and regulations issued by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Decisions of the court are appealable directly to the Montana Supreme Court.

The [[Montana Water Court]] was established by the Montana Water Court Act of 1979. The Water Court consists of a chief water judge and four district water judges (Lower Missouri River Basin, Upper Missouri River Basin, Yellowstone River Basin, and Clark Fork River Basin). The court employs 12 permanent special masters. The Montana Judicial Nomination Commission develops short lists of nominees for all five Water Judges, who are then appointed by the Chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court (subject to confirmation by the Montana Senate). The Water Court adjudicates water rights claims under the Montana Water Use Act of 1973 and has statewide jurisdiction. District Courts have the authority to enforce decisions of the Water Court, but only the Montana Supreme Court has the authority to review decisions of the Water Court.

From 1889 to 1909, elections for judicial office in Montana were partisan. Beginning in 1909, these elections became nonpartisan. The Montana Supreme Court struck down the nonpartisan law in 1911 on technical grounds, but a new law was enacted in 1935 which barred political parties from endorsing, making contributions to, or making expenditures on behalf of or against judicial candidates. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Montana's judicial nonpartisan election law in {{cite court|litigants=American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock|vol=567|reporter=U.S.|opinion=____|court=Sup.Ct.|date=2012}}Although candidates must remain nonpartisan, spending by partisan entities is now permitted. Spending on state supreme court races exponentially increased to $1.6&nbsp;million in 2014, and to more than $1.6&nbsp;million in 2016 (both new records).

===Federal offices and courts===
The U.S. Constitution provides each state with two senators. Montana's two U.S. senators are [[Jon Tester]] (Democrat), who was reelected in 2018, and [[Steve Daines]] (Republican), first elected in 2014 and later reelected in 2020. The U.S. Constitution provides each state with a single representative, with additional representatives apportioned based on population. From statehood in 1889 until 1913, Montana was represented in the [[United States House of Representatives]] by a single representative, elected at-large. Montana received a second representative in 1913, following the 1910 census and reapportionment. Both members, however, were still elected at-large. Beginning in 1919, Montana moved to district, rather than at-large, elections for its two House members. This created [[Montana's 1st congressional district]] in the west and [[Montana's 2nd congressional district]] in the east. In the reapportionment following the 1990 census, Montana lost one of its House seats. The remaining seat was again elected at-large.

In the reapportionment following the 2020 census, Montana regained a House seat, increasing the state's number of representatives in the House to two after a thirty-year break, starting from 2023.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/montana-census-2020-747de9091fc5108e47dd5b97e06642a6|title=Rapid population growth gives Montana 2nd US House seat|last=Samuels|first=Iris|work=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=September 30, 2021|date=April 27, 2021|archive-date=September 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914094106/https://apnews.com/article/montana-census-2020-747de9091fc5108e47dd5b97e06642a6|url-status=live}}</ref> Republicans [[Matt Rosendale]] and [[Ryan Zinke]] are the current officeholders.

Montana's Senate district is the fourth largest by area, behind Alaska, Texas, and California. The most notorious of Montana's early senators was [[William A. Clark]], a "[[Copper Kings|Copper King]]" and one of the 50 richest Americans ever. He is well known for having bribed his way into the U.S. Senate. Among Montana's most historically prominent senators are [[Thomas J. Walsh]] (serving from 1913 to 1933), who was President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt's choice for attorney general when he died; [[Burton K. Wheeler]] (serving from 1923 to 1947), an oft-mentioned presidential candidate and strong supporter of isolationism; [[Mike Mansfield]], the longest-serving [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate majority leader]] in U.S. history; [[Max Baucus]] (served 1978 to 2014), longest-serving U.S. senator in Montana history, and the senator who shepherded the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]] through the Senate in 2010; and [[Lee Metcalf]] (served 1961 to 1978), a pioneer of the environmental movement.

Montana's House district is the largest congressional district in the United States by population, with just over 1,023,000 constituents. It is the second-largest House district by area, after Alaska's at-large congressional district. Of Montana's House delegates, [[Jeannette Rankin]] was the first woman to hold national office in the United States when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)/|title=RANKIN, Jeannette {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives|website=history.house.gov|access-date=January 28, 2019|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129064053/https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/RANKIN,-Jeannette-(R000055)/|url-status=live}}</ref> Also notable is Representative (later Senator) [[Thomas H. Carter]], the first Catholic to serve as chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]] (from 1892 to 1896).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Roeder|first=Richard B.|year=1989|title=Thomas H. Carter, Spokesman for Western Development|journal=Montana: The Magazine of Western History|volume=39|issue=2|pages=23–29|jstor=4519213}}</ref>

Federal courts in Montana include the [[United States District Court for the District of Montana]] and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana. Three former Montana politicians have been named judges on the U.S. District Court: [[Charles Nelson Pray]] (who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1907 to 1913), [[James F. Battin]] (who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969), and [[Paul G. Hatfield]] (who served as an appointed U.S. Senator in 1978). [[Brian Morris (judge)|Brian Morris]], who served as an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court from 2005 to 2013, currently serves as a judge on the court.

==Politics==
{{further|Political party strength in Montana|Elections in Montana}}
{{PresHead|place=Montana|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=30&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|title=Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Montana|publisher=US Election Atlas|access-date=January 3, 2023|author=Leip, David|archive-date=January 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104014040/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=30&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|343,602|244,786|15,286|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|279,240|177,709|44,873|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|267,928|201,839|14,717|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|243,882|232,159|16,709|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|266,063|173,710|10,672|Montana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|240,178|137,126|33,693|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|179,652|167,922|59,687|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|144,207|154,507|111,897|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|190,412|168,936|6,326|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|232,450|146,742|5,185|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|206,814|118,032|39,106|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|173,703|149,259|5,772|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|183,976|120,197|13,430|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|138,835|114,117|21,452|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|113,032|164,246|1,350|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|141,841|134,891|847|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|154,933|116,238|0|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|157,394|106,213|1,430|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|96,770|119,071|8,437|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|93,163|112,556|1,636|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|99,579|145,698|2,596|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|63,598|159,690|7,224|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|78,078|127,286|11,115|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|113,300|78,578|2,230|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|74,138|33,805|66,480|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|109,430|57,372|12,204|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|66,750|101,063|9,866|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|18,512|27,941|33,373|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|32,333|29,326|7,163|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|34,932|21,773|7,739|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|25,409|37,311|1,136|Montana}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|10,509|42,628|193|Montana}}
{{PresFoot|1892|Republican|18,871|17,690|7,900|Montana}}
[[File:United States presidential election in Montana, 2016.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|[[Treemap]] of the popular vote by county, 2016 presidential election. Areas are in proportion to the number of votes cast in each county.]]

Elections in the state have been historically competitive, particularly for state-level offices. The [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]'s strength in the state is gained from support among unionized miners and railroad workers, while farmers generally vote Republican.<!--need to merge and consolidate with material below-->

Montana has a history of voters [[Split-ticket voting|splitting their tickets]] and filling elected offices with individuals from both parties. Through the mid-20th century, the state had a tradition of "sending the liberals to Washington and the conservatives to Helena". Between 1988 and 2006, the pattern flipped, with voters more likely to elect conservatives to federal offices. There have also been long-term shifts in party control. From 1968 through 1988, the state was dominated by the Democratic Party, with Democratic governors for a 20-year period, and a Democratic majority of both the national congressional delegation and during many sessions of the state legislature. This pattern shifted, beginning with the 1988 election when Montana elected a [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] governor for the first time since 1964 and sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1948. This shift continued with the [[reapportionment]] of the state's legislative districts that took effect in 1994, when the Republican Party took control of both chambers of the state legislature, consolidating a Republican party dominance that lasted until the 2004 reapportionment produced more swing districts and a brief period of Democratic legislative majorities in the mid-2000s.{{sfn|Montana Legislature|2012}}

Montana has voted for the Republican nominee in all but two presidential elections since 1952.{{sfn|Montana 2012 Election|2013}} The state last supported a Democrat for president in 1992, when [[Bill Clinton]] won a plurality victory. However, since 1889 the state has voted for Democratic governors 60 percent of the time, and Republican governors 40 percent of the time. In the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], Montana was considered a [[swing state]] and was ultimately won by Republican [[John McCain]] by a narrow margin of two percent.{{sfn|2008 Election|2008}}

At the state level, the pattern of split-ticket voting and divided government holds. Democrats hold one of the state's two U.S. Senate seats with [[Jon Tester]]. The state's congressional seats (now two districts, but until 2023, one [[Montana's at-large congressional district|at-large district]]) have been Republican since 1996, and its Class 2 Senate seat has been held by Republican [[Steve Daines]] since 2014. The two chambers of the state's legislature had split party control from 2004 to 2010, when that year's mid-term elections decisively returned both branches to Republican control. The [[Montana Senate]] is, as of 2021, controlled by Republicans 31 to 19, and the [[Montana House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] is currently 67 to 33. Historically, Republicans are strongest in the east, while Democrats are strongest in the west.

Montana had [[At-large|only one representative]] in the U.S. House after having lost its second district in the 1990 census reapportionment. However, it regained its second district due to reapportionment following the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. Before the 2020 reapportionment, Montana's at-large congressional district held the largest population of any district in the country, which means its one member in the House of Representatives represented more people than any other member of the U.S. House (see [[List of U.S. states by population]]).<ref>[https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-08.pdf "Congressional Apportionment: 2010 Census Briefs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119155913/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-08.pdf |date=November 19, 2011 }} (PDF). ''census.gov''. [[United States Census Bureau]]. November 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2019.</ref> Montana's population grew at about the national average during the 2000s, but it had failed to regain its second seat in 2010.{{sfn|Congressional Delegation|2013}}

In a 2020 study, Montana was ranked as the 21st easiest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{portal|United States|Montana}}
*[[Index of Montana-related articles]]
*[[List of the oldest buildings in Montana]]
*[[Outline of Montana]]
*[[Timeline of Montana history]]{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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* {{cite book |last=Holmes |first=Krys |title=Montana: Stories of the Land |publisher=Montana Historical Society Press |url=https://mhs.mt.gov/education/index4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117154150/https://mhs.mt.gov/education/index4 |url-status=live |archive-date=17 January 2024 |location=Helena, Montana |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-9759196-3-7 }}
* {{cite journal| ref ={{sfnRef|HowardB|2013}}|last=Howard|first=Beth |title = Top Hospitals for Safety | issue = April–May 2013 |journal=AARP the Magazine}}
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* {{cite web| url =http://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/54387.pdf| last1 =Horvitz| first1 =Andrew H.| last2 =Stephens| first2 =Scott| last3 =Helfert| first3 =Michael| last4 =Goodge| first4 =Grant| last5 =Redmond| first5 =Kelly T.| last6 =Pomeroy| first6 =Ken| last7 =Purdy| first7 =Ed| title =A National Temperature Record at Loma, Montana| year =2002| publisher =American Meteorological Society| access-date =April 6, 2013| archive-date =February 25, 2006| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060225052635/http://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/54387.pdf| url-status =live}}
* {{cite book|last=Hoxie|first=Frederick E.|title=Parading Through History. The making of the Crow Nation in America, 1805-1935|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York, New York|year=1995|isbn=978-0-521-48057-4|url=https://archive.org/details/paradingthroughh0000hoxi}}
* {{cite book|title=Insiders' Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton|last1=Hurlbut|first1=Brian|last2=Davis|first2=Seabring|publisher=Globe Pequot|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7627-5041-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BZKG-F4EycgC&pg=PT151}}
* {{cite book|last=Huser |first=Verne |title=On the River With Lewis and Clark |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |location=College Station, Tex. |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-58544-320-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Jewell |first1=Judy |last2=McRae |first2=Bill |title=Moon Montana |publisher=Avalon Travel |location=Berkeley, Calif. |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-61238-262-3}}
* {{cite magazine|last=Johnson|first=James W. (Body)|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1078731/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130410171754/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1078731/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 10, 2013|title=The Fight That Won't Stay Dead|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=July 4, 1966|access-date=April 15, 2013}}
* {{cite book|last=Kappler|first= Charles J. |title=Indian Affairs. Laws and Treaties. Vol. 2 |location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|year=1904}}
* {{cite book |title= The Endangered Species Act and Federalism: Effective Conservation Through Greater State Commitment |last1= Kaush |first1= Arha |last2= Thompson |first2= Barton H. Jr. |year= 2012 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-1-58592-042-6 |edition= 2 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JlEdmskDaHkC&pg=PA258 }}
* {{cite journal|last1=Kittredge |first1=William |last2=Krauzer|first2=Steven M. |title='Mr. Montana' Revised: Another Look at Granville Stuart |journal=Montana: The Magazine of Western History |volume=36 | date=Autumn 1986 |jstor=4519007 |issue=4|pages=14–23 }}
* {{cite web |url=https://archive.org/download/04DE1BD2-FCE9-4FA6-A6D7-5B177B6B2F82/04DE1BD2-FCE9-4FA6-A6D7-5B177B6B2F82.pdf |last1=Kudray |first1=Gregory M. |last2=Cooper |first2=Steven V. |title=Montana's Rocky Mountain Front: Vegetation Map and Type Descriptions. Report to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service |publisher=Montana Natural Heritage Program |location=Helena, MT |year=2006 |access-date=July 29, 2013 }}
* {{cite book | last =Kugler | first =Eileen Gale | title =Innovative Voices in Education: What It Takes to Engage Diverse Communities | place =Lanham, MD | publisher =Rowman & Littlefield Education | year =2013 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=VeROJj7VM9MC&pg=PA44 | isbn =978-1-61048-539-5 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/ |last1=Lewis |first1=M. Paul |last2=Simons |first2=Gary F. |last3=Fennig |first3=Charles D. |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |publisher=SIL International |year=2013 |access-date=August 28, 2013 |archive-date=October 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013215305/http://www.ethnologue.com/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Libecap|first1=Gary D.|last2=Hansen|first2=Zeynep Kocabiyik|title="Rain Follows the Plow" and Dryfarming Doctrine: The Climate Information Problem and Homestead Failure in the Upper Great Plains, 1890–1925|journal=Journal of Economic History|volume=62|issue=1|pages=86–120| date=March 2002 |jstor=2697973}}
* {{cite news|last=Lincoln|first=Marga|newspaper=Helena Independent Record|url=http://helenair.com/entertainment/yourtime/montana-shakespeare-company-finds-new-home-at-helena-civic-center/article_9798a22c-8912-11e1-a61f-0019bb2963f4.html|title=Montana Shakespeare Company Finds New Home at Helena Civic Center|date=April 19, 2012|access-date=May 13, 2013|archive-date=January 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118083931/http://helenair.com/entertainment/yourtime/montana-shakespeare-company-finds-new-home-at-helena-civic-center/article_9798a22c-8912-11e1-a61f-0019bb2963f4.html|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Lubetkin|first= M. John |title=Jay Cooke's Gamble-The Northern Pacific Railroad, The Sioux, and the Panic of 1873 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman, OK |isbn=978-0-8061-3740-7 |year=2006}}
* {{cite book|title=Cowboys and Cattlemen-A Roundup of Montana, The Magazine of Western History |editor=Kennedy, Michael S. |last=Lux|first=Mabel |chapter=Honyockers of Harlem-Honyockers of Zurich |pages=333–348 |publisher=Hastings House|location=New York |year=1964}}
* {{cite web | last1 = Madej | first1 = Ed | last2 = Jones | first2 = Cedron | title = Mountain Ranges of Montana | url = http://nris.mt.gov/MontanaFacts/mtnRanges.pdf | publisher = Montana State Library | website = Natural Resource Information System | date = September 14, 2007 | access-date = March 30, 2013 | archive-date = May 15, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130515191757/http://nris.mt.gov/montanafacts/mtnRanges.pdf | url-status = dead }}
* {{cite book| last1 =Malone | first1 =Michael P. | last2 =Roeder | first2 =Richard B. | last3 =Lang | first3 =William L. |title=Montana: A History of Two Centuries |publisher=University of Washington Press |location=Seattle |year=1976 |chapter=Montana Territory |isbn=978-0-295-97129-2}}
* {{cite book | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=p-P59FkOPg0C&pg=PP1 | last1 =Malone | first1 =Michael P. | last2 =Roeder | first2 =Richard B. | last3 =Lang | first3 =William L. | title =Montana: A History of Two Centuries | year =1991 | publisher =University of Washington Press | location =Seattle | isbn =978-0-295-97120-9 }}
* {{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xxE28XK56O0C| last = Matzko| first = John| title = Reconstructing Fort Union| year = 2001| publisher = University of Nebraska Press| location = Lincoln, NE| isbn = 978-0-8032-3216-7}}
* {{cite journal | last=McDean | first=Harry C. | url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1968&context=greatplainsquarterly | journal=Great Plains Quarterly | title=Dust Bowl Historiography | date=January 1, 1986 | access-date=May 25, 2013 | archive-date=February 9, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209223321/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1968&context=greatplainsquarterly | url-status=live }}
* {{cite news | last=McKee | first=Jennifer | url=http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/um-climate-expert-says-triple-digit-julys-will-be-norm/article_6944a7e5-6d83-5871-9d10-3086c8978853.html | work=Billings Gazette | title=UM Climate Expert Says Triple-digit Julys Will Be Norm | date=August 27, 2007 | access-date=April 6, 2013 | archive-date=January 18, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118084535/http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/um-climate-expert-says-triple-digit-julys-will-be-norm/article_6944a7e5-6d83-5871-9d10-3086c8978853.html | url-status=live }}
* {{cite book|last=Merrill-Maker |first=Andrea |title=Montana Almanac-The First, Best Source for Information About Big Sky Country |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guildford, CT |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7627-3655-3 |chapter=Natural Treasures}}
* {{cite book|last1=Milner II|first1=Clyde A.|last2=O'Connor|first2=Carol A.|title=As Big as the West: The Pioneer Life of Granville Stuart|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2009|isbn=978-0-19-512709-6|url=https://archive.org/details/asbigaswestpione00miln}}
* {{cite book |last1=Moody |first1=David W. |last2=Chase |first2=Edith B. |last3=Aronson |first3=David A. |title=National Water Summary—1985: Hydrologic Events and Surface-Water Resources. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2300 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |year=1986 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9-ZCGdqvy-4C&pg=PA310 }}
* {{cite book| last = Morris | first = Patrick F. | title =Anaconda, Montana: Copper Smelting Boom Town on the Western Frontier| year = 1997 | publisher = Swann Publishing| location = Burnet, TX | isbn = 978-0-9657209-2-2}}
* {{cite journal|last=Murphy|first=Paul L.|title=Montana's Agony: Years of War and Hysteria, 1917–1921|journal=The Journal of American History|year=1980|doi=10.2307/1890476|volume=67|issue=2|page=436|jstor=1890476}}
* {{cite book| last1 =Naiman | first1 = Robert J. | last2 =Décamps | first2 = Henri | last3 =McClain | first3 = Michael E. | title =Riparia: Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Streamside Communities| year = 2005 | publisher = Elsevier Academic| location = Boston | isbn = 978-0-12-663315-3}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-10.pdf |last1=Norris |first1=Tina |last2=Vines |first2=Paula L. |last3=Hoeffel |first3=Elizabeth M. |title=The American Indian and Alaska Native Population: 2010 |publisher=United States Bureau of the Census |date=January 2012 |access-date=August 28, 2013 |archive-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505221036/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-10.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=O'Brien |first=Mary |year=2003 |title=Days on the Road: Crossing the Plains in 1865, The Diary of Sarah Raymond Herndon |publisher=Morris Books Publishing |isbn=978-0-7627-2581-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=okCbyKMn9NEC&pg=PP18 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite magazine |last=Ottum |first=Bob |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1148000/index.htm |title=Bold Bourkey For John Misha |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=January 29, 1968 |access-date=April 20, 2013 |archive-date=October 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012034449/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1148000/index.htm |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book| last=Palmer | first=Tim | title=America By Rivers | publisher=Island Press | location=Washington, D.C. | year=1998 | isbn=978-1-59726-912-4}}
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* {{cite book|last1=Peavey|first1=Linda|last2=Smith|first2=Ursula |title=Full-Court Quest | publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman, OK | year=2008 }} Reviewed by {{cite journal|author=Nykolaiszyn, Juliana M. |title=Full-Court Quest|journal=Oral History Review|volume=38|issue=2|date=Summer–Fall 2011|pages=420–422|doi= 10.1093/ohr/ohr087|s2cid=160257569}}
* {{cite book | last=Peterson | first=Eric | title=Frommer's Montana and Wyoming | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | location=Hoboken, N.J. | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-470-59150-5 | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780470591505 }}
* {{cite book | ref ={{sfnRef|Robbins, C.|2008}} | last =Robbins | first =Chuck | title =Great Places Montana: A Recreational Guide to Montana's Public Lands and Historic Places for Birding, Hiking, Photography, Fishing, Hunting, and Camping | place =Belgrade, MT | publisher =Wilderness Adventures Press | year =2008 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=GmogM1jmMqkC&pg=PA11 | isbn =978-1-932098-59-4 }}
* {{cite news|ref={{sfnRef|Robbins, J.|2008}}|last=Robbins|first=Jim|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/us/18trademark.html?em|title=In Montana, a Popular Expression Is Taken Off the Endangered List|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 17, 2008|access-date=March 29, 2013|archive-date=February 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209172153/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/us/18trademark.html?em|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book | last=Ross | first=Clyde P. | title=Geology of Glacier National Park and the Flathead Region, Northwestern Montana. Geological Survey Professional Paper 296 | year=1959 | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office | location=Washington, D.C. }}
* {{cite book| last = Sanders| first = Wilbur Edgerton| chapter = Montana, Organization, Name and Naming: The Word, its Significance, Derivation, and Historical Use| year = 1910| volume = 7| title = Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana| publisher = Rocky Mountain Publishing| location = Helena, MT| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WYs-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA15}}
* {{cite news|last=Ruckman|first=Shannon|url=http://www.theprairiestar.com/news/local/overcast-tune-named-official-montana-lullaby/article_6259c826-9e76-5711-9aa9-8074c6771e0d.html|title=Overcast tune named official Montana lullaby|newspaper=Prairie Star|date=May 11, 2007|access-date=April 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118084518/http://www.theprairiestar.com/news/local/overcast-tune-named-official-montana-lullaby/article_6259c826-9e76-5711-9aa9-8074c6771e0d.html|archive-date=January 18, 2017|url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite news| last = Scandale| first = Maria| title = 93rd Annual Crow Fair Celebration Under the Big Sky| publisher = Indian Country Today Media Network| url = http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/93rd-annual-crow-fair-celebration-under-the-big-sky-45570| date = August 18, 2011| access-date = May 5, 2013| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130408062558/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/93rd-annual-crow-fair-celebration-under-the-big-sky-45570| archive-date = April 8, 2013| url-status = dead}}
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* {{cite book| ref ={{sfnRef|Schullery|2006a}} |last=Schullery |first=Paul |title=Cowboy Trout-Western Fly Fishing As If It Matters |publisher=Montana Historical Society Press |location=Helena, MT |isbn=978-0-9721522-7-3 |year=2006 |chapter=Fly Fishing in Western Culture}}
* {{cite book| ref ={{sfnRef|Schullery|2006b}}|last=Schullery |first=Paul |title=Cowboy Trout-Western Fly Fishing As If It Matters |publisher=Montana Historical Society Press |location=Helena, MT |isbn=978-0-9721522-7-3 |year=2006 |chapter=''A River Runs Through It'' as Folklore and History}}
* {{cite web|url=http://weekendroady.com/2012/01/19/most-remote-state-borders/|last=Sites|first=Phillip|title=Most Remote State Borders|publisher=The Weekend Roady|date=January 19, 2012|access-date=April 28, 2013|archive-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202174706/http://weekendroady.com/2012/01/19/most-remote-state-borders/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Spracklen | first1 = D. V. | last2 = Mickley | first2 = L. J. | last3 = Logan | first3 = J. A | last4 = Hudman | first4 = R. C. | last5 = Yevich | first5 = R. | last6 = Flannigan | first6 = M. D. | last7 = Westerling | first7 = A. L. | journal = Journal of Geophysical Research | date = October 27, 2009 | volume = 114 | issue = D20 | title = Impacts of Climate Change From 2000 to 2050 on Wildfire Activity and Carbonaceous Aerosol Concentrations in the Western United States | pages = D20301 | url = http://acmg.seas.harvard.edu/publications/spracklen_2008.pdf | doi = 10.1029/2008JD010966 | bibcode = 2009JGRD..11420301S | doi-access = free | access-date = July 30, 2009 | archive-date = July 19, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719205438/http://acmg.seas.harvard.edu/publications/spracklen_2008.pdf | url-status = live }}
* {{cite journal|ref={{sfnRef|University of Montana|2005}}|last=Stephens|first=Patia|url=http://www2.umt.edu/montanan/f06/speech.shtml|title=When Speech Wasn't Free|journal=Montanan|issue=Fall 2006|access-date=April 19, 2013|archive-date=April 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424202824/http://www2.umt.edu/montanan/f06/speech.shtml|url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal|last=Stuart|first=Mabel Lewis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Pi0AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA133|volume=LXXV|title=The Lady Honyocker-How Girls Take Up Claim and Make Their Homes on the Prairie|journal=The Independent|date=July 17, 1913|issue=3372}}
* {{cite book| ref={{sfnRef|Temple|2008}} |last=Temple |first=Robert D. |title=Edge Effects: The Border-Name Places |publisher=iUniverse |location=New York |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-595-50433-6}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}
* {{cite book|last=Therriault |first=Ednor |title=Montana Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |location=Guildford, CT |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7627-6572-0}}
* {{cite news |last=Tode |first=Laura |url=http://helenair.com/news/local/amish-call-montana-home/article_106fd83a-bc37-5404-b654-d51909c5f9ca.html |title=Amish Call Montana Home |newspaper=Independent Record |date=March 7, 2004 |access-date=July 14, 2013 |archive-date=January 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118084804/http://helenair.com/news/local/amish-call-montana-home/article_106fd83a-bc37-5404-b654-d51909c5f9ca.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book|ref={{sfnref|Toole1|1959}}|last=Toole|first=K. Ross|title=Montana: An Uncommon Land|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|location=Norman|year=1959|isbn=978-0-8061-1890-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2PuBxozvcTQC}}
* {{cite web|url=http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/reference/montanaChallenge/reports/economics.html|last=Swanson|first=Larry|title=Economics|date=December 2004|publisher=Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks|access-date=April 30, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429120523/http://fwp.mt.gov/doingBusiness/reference/montanaChallenge/reports/economics.html|archive-date=April 29, 2013}}
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* {{cite book| last=United States Forest Service | title=Final Environmental Impact Statement: Little Belt, Castle, and North Half Crazy Mountains Travel Management Plan | publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior |location=Washington, D.C. | year=2007}}
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* {{cite book | last1 = Werner | first1 = Bret | last2 = Welply | first2 = Michael | title = First Special Service Force 1942–44 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VEK5n9sbimkC | publisher = Osprey Publishing | location = Oxford | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-1-84176-968-4 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite book| last = Work| first = Clemens P.|title = Darkest Before Dawn: Sedition and Free Speech in the American West| publisher=University of New Mexico Press|location=Albuquerque | year = 2005|isbn = 978-0-8263-3793-1}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Kentucky Derby|2013}} |url=http://www.kentuckyderby.com/history/year/1889 |title=1889 Spokane Wins! |publisher=Kentucky Derby |access-date=April 14, 2013 |archive-date=May 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503134815/http://www.kentuckyderby.com/history/year/1889 |url-status=live }}
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* {{cite news |ref={{sfnRef|New York Times|1917}} |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/08/02/102355431.pdf |title=I.W.W. Strike Chief Lynched At Butt |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 2, 1917 |access-date=April 17, 2013 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224164251/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/08/02/102355431.pdf |url-status=live }}
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* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Census Viewer|2013}}|url=http://censusviewer.com/county/MT/Gallatin|title=Population of Gallatin County, Montana: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map|publisher=Census Viewer|access-date=May 5, 2013|archive-date=June 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615052840/http://censusviewer.com/county/MT/Gallatin|url-status=dead}}
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* {{cite DCB| ref ={{sfnRef|University of Toronto|2000}} |first=Brian W. |last=Dippie |title=Russell, Charles Marion |volume=15 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/russell_charles_marion_15E.html }}
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* {{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WBUjAQAAIAAJ | last=Soil Conservation Service | title=Soil Survey (Reconnaissance): Central Montana. Series 1940, No. 9 | publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture | location=Washington, D.C. | date=February 1953 }}
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* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame|2013}}|url=http://www.montanacowboyfame.com/151001/180283.html|title=Spokane, Montana's Kentucky Derby Winner|publisher=Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame|access-date=April 14, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509054014/http://www.montanacowboyfame.com/151001/180283.html|archive-date=May 9, 2013}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Animal|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Animal_Grizzly_Bear.htm |title=State Animal Grizzly Bear |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-date=March 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315110516/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Animal_Grizzly_Bear.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Bird|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Bird_Western_Meadowlark.htm |title=State Bird Western Meadowlark |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=March 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315110521/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Bird_Western_Meadowlark.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Fish|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Fish_Blackspotted_Cutthroat_Trout.htm |title=State Fish Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-date=March 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315110526/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Fish_Blackspotted_Cutthroat_Trout.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|State Fish Code|2011}}|url=http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca/1/1/1-1-507.htm|title=State Fish, Montana Code Annotated: 1-1-507|publisher=Montana Legislative Services|year=2011|access-date=May 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117094517/http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca/1/1/1-1-507.htm|archive-date=January 17, 2013}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Flower|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Flower_Bitterroot.htm |title=State Flower Bitterroot |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 23, 2013 |archive-date=February 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208182238/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Flower_Bitterroot.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Gemstones|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Gemstones_Sapphire_and_Agate.htm |title=State Gemstones Sapphire and Agate |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530224222/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Gemstones_Sapphire_and_Agate.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Grass|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Grass_Bluebunch_Wheatgrass.htm |title=State Grass Bluebunch Wheatgrass |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-date=April 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421055354/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Grass_Bluebunch_Wheatgrass.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|ARDA|2013}}|url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/30_2000.asp|title=State Membership Reports-Montana|publisher=Association of Religion Data Archives|access-date=April 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125160938/http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/30_2000.asp|archive-date=January 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |title=TITLE 1. GENERAL LAWS AND DEFINITIONS – CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS – Part 5. State Symbols – Official Designations |website=Montana Code Annotated 2019 |url=https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0010/chapter_0010/part_0050/sections_index.html |access-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018125046/https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0010/chapter_0010/part_0050/sections_index.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Song|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Song.htm |title=State Song |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-date=January 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101165107/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Song.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Welcome to America|2013}} |url=http://www.welcometoamerica.us/info/songs.html |title=State Songs |publisher=Welcome to America |access-date=May 6, 2013 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111191605/http://www.welcometoamerica.us/info/songs.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web | ref = {{sfnRef|State Symbols|2007}} | url = http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/ | title = State Symbols | year = 2007 | publisher = Montana Department of Tourism | access-date = March 27, 2013 | archive-date = March 17, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130317002319/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/ | url-status = live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|State Tree|2007}} |url=http://montanakids.com/facts%5Fand%5Ffigures/state_symbols/State_Tree_Ponderosa_Pine.htm |title=State Tree Ponderosa Pine |publisher=Montana Department of Tourism |year=2007 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |archive-date=March 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315110541/http://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Tree_Ponderosa_Pine.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Fisheries Management Plan|2013}} |url=http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/management/fisheries/statewidePlan/ |title=Statewide Fisheries Management Plan |publisher=Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks |access-date=April 21, 2013 |archive-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424213352/http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/management/fisheries/statewidePlan/ |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite journal|ref={{sfnRef|Montana Catholic|2010}}|url=http://www.diocesehelena.org/news-events/mt-catholic/archives/2010/sep/st-mary-mission.html|title=St. Mary's Mission in Stevensville designated National Historic District|journal=Montana Catholic|volume=26|issue=9|date=September 27, 2010|access-date=May 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322132602/http://www.diocesehelena.org/news-events/mt-catholic/archives/2010/sep/st-mary-mission.html|archive-date=March 22, 2012}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Montana Travel|2010}} |url=http://custer.visitmt.com/categories/city.asp?CityID=326&SiteID=129 |title=Terry |publisher=Montana Office of Tourism |year=2010 |access-date=May 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717220548/http://custer.visitmt.com/categories/city.asp?CityID=326&SiteID=129 |archive-date=July 17, 2011 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Tester|2007}}|url=http://tester.senate.gov/News/record.cfm?id=281083|title=Tester Asks Navy to Christen Submarine USS Montana|date=August 20, 2007|publisher=Tester Senate|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829172135/http://tester.senate.gov/News/record.cfm?id=281083|archive-date=August 29, 2007|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Fish and Wildlife Service|2013}} |url=http://www.fws.gov/montanafieldoffice/Endangered_Species/Listed_Species/TEClist.pdf |title=Threatened, Endangered and Candidate Species in Montana-Endangered Species Act |date=February 2013 |publisher=United States Fish and Wildlife Service |access-date=April 5, 2013 |archive-date=June 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602132427/http://www.fws.gov/montanafieldoffice/Endangered_Species/Listed_Species/TEClist.pdf |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Fish and Wildlife Service—Bison|2013}} |url=http://www.fws.gov/bisonrange/timeline.htm |title=Time Line of the American Bison |publisher=United States Fish and Wildlife Service |access-date=April 7, 2013 |archive-date=February 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211163554/http://www.fws.gov/bisonrange/timeline.htm |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Tourism in Montana|2007}}|url=http://montanakids.com/agriculture_and_business/tourism_industry/Tourism_in_Montana.htm|title=Tourism in Montana|publisher=Montana Department of Tourism|year=2007|access-date=July 14, 2013|archive-date=July 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701180712/http://montanakids.com/agriculture_and_business/tourism_industry/Tourism_in_Montana.htm|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Montana Trapping|2013}} |url=http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/trapping/ |title=Trapping and Furbearer Management in Montana |publisher=Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks |access-date=April 22, 2013 |archive-date=April 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424183210/http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/trapping/ |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Fish and Wildlife Service|2001}}|url=http://library.fws.gov/Wetlands/upperyellowstone_01.pdf|title=Upper Yellowstone River Mapping Project|publisher=United States Fish and Wildlife Service|date=July 2001|access-date=March 30, 2013|archive-date=March 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309184038/http://library.fws.gov/Wetlands/upperyellowstone_01.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Union Pacific Railroad|2013}} |url=http://www.up.com/cs/groups/public/documents/up_pdf_nativedocs/pdf_montana_usguide.pdf |title=Union Pacific in Montana |publisher=Union Pacific Railroad |date=March 2013 |access-date=April 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215185718/http://www.up.com/cs/groups/public/documents/up_pdf_nativedocs/pdf_montana_usguide.pdf |archive-date=December 15, 2013 }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|History Channel|2013}} |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-congress-passes-espionage-act |title=U.S. Congress Passes Espionage Act |publisher=History Channel |date=June 15, 1917 |access-date=April 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313041013/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-congress-passes-espionage-act |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Geological Survey—search|2013}} |url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=132:2:3180740718544768::::::YES |title=USGS Geonames Search Result-Montana+Stream |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=March 30, 2013 |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509200433/https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Trauma Centers|2013}}|url=http://www.facs.org/trauma/verified.html|title=Verified Trauma Centers|publisher=American College of Surgeons|date=March 20, 2013|access-date=March 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707233016/http://www.facs.org/trauma/verified.html|archive-date=July 7, 2014|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Brewers Association|2013}} |url=http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/breweries-per-capita |title=Vermont Remains Top State in Capita per Brewery |publisher=Brewers Association |access-date=April 8, 2013 |archive-date=March 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317102610/http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/breweries-per-capita |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Montana High School Association|2013}}|url=http://www.mhsa.org/|title=Welcome to the Montana High School Association|publisher=Montana High School Association|access-date=May 12, 2013|archive-date=June 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613183940/http://mhsa.org/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Whitefish Skijoring|2013}}|url=http://www.whitefishskijoring.com/|title=Welcome to the World Ski Joring Championships|publisher=Whitefish Skijoring|access-date=April 21, 2013|archive-date=June 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602090820/http://whitefishskijoring.com/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|ref={{sfnRef|Great Northern Railway|2013}}|url=http://www.gnrhs.org/gn_history.htm|title=What was the Great Northern Railway?|publisher=Great Northern Railway Historical Society|access-date=April 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050924103645/http://www.gnrhs.org/gn_history.htm|archive-date=September 24, 2005|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Women's National History|2013}} |url=http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/history/woman-suffrage-timeline |title=Woman Suffrage Timeline (1840–1920) |publisher=National Women's History Museum |access-date=April 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424011429/http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/history/woman-suffrage-timeline/ |archive-date=April 24, 2013 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Wood |first1=Raymond W. |last2=Thiessen |first2=T.D. |title=Early Fur Trade on the Northern Plains. Canadian traders Among the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians, 1738-1818 |location=Norman and London| publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-8061-1899-4}}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|Montana Historical Society-WWII|2013}} |url=http://mhs.mt.gov/education/textbook/Chapter19/Chapter19.pdf |title=World War II in Montana 1939–1945 |publisher=Montana Historical Society |access-date=May 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528185626/http://mhs.mt.gov/education/Textbook/Chapter19/Chapter19.pdf |archive-date=May 28, 2013 }}
* {{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|National Park Service-Yellowstone in Winter|2013}} |url=http://www.nps.gov/yell/parkmgmt/currentmgmt.htm |title=Yellowstone in Winter: Current Management and Planning |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=April 21, 2013 |archive-date=February 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214042039/http://www.nps.gov/yell/parkmgmt/currentmgmt.htm |url-status=live }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{main|Bibliography of Montana history}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Montana}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111108164943/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/30000.html Census of Montana]
* [http://montanakids.com/ General Information About Montana] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127201953/https://montanakids.com/ |date=November 27, 2020 }}
* {{osmrelation-inline|162115}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071012222837/http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Montana List of Searchable Databases Produced by Montana State Agencies]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080516020518/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=MT Montana Energy Data & Statistics—From the U.S. Department of Energy]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080223063412/http://www.his.state.mt.us/ Montana Historical Society]
* [http://www.visitmt.com/ Montana Official Travel Information Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218000257/https://www.visitmt.com/ |date=February 18, 2021 }}
* [http://www.mt.gov/ Montana Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512010358/http://www.mt.gov/ |date=May 12, 2021 }}
* [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=30&StateName=Montana#.U8LbfvldUeo Montana State Facts From the U.S. Department of Agriculture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714182132/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=30&StateName=Montana#.U8LbfvldUeo |date=July 14, 2014 }}
* [http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=MT USGS Real-time, Geographic, and Other Scientific Resources of Montana] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412151413/http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=MT |date=April 12, 2014 }}

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