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41 Facts From the 41st State

You can fit Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York within our state borders—and still have room left over for the District of Columbia.

At the turn of the century, Butte’s Centennial Brewery was pouring nearly a million pints a day for the town’s varied mix of miners, hooligans and millionaires.

Montana is known for its proliferation of blue-ribbon trout streams. Yet most folks don’t know the long and short of Montana’s rivers. The longest is the Missouri, which flows 1,029 miles from Three Forks to the North Dakota border. The Roe River was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s shortest at 201 feet.

In Montana, a horse and rider pull a skier through a fun-filled obstacle course, which consists of three jumps and several gates. Yep, skijoring is just how we have a little winter fun in Montana.

In 1961, Evel Knievel decided to hitchhike from Butte to Washington, D.C. in an effort to stop the culling of elk in Yellowstone Park. As a result of his efforts (he hitchhiked with a 54-inch wide rack of elk antlers and a petition with 3,000 signatures), the slaughter was stopped.

Ekalaka- Pronounced EEK-a-lack-a is, without a doubt, one of the most fun town names in Montana to say aloud. It is purported to have been named for a young Sioux woman. Do the 400 or so citizens call themselves Ekalakans? Visit the southeast corner of the state to find out.

Makoshika: Pronounce it ma-KOE-sheek-ah. Montana’s largest state park, whose name meant “bad earth” or “bad land” to the Sioux Indians, is a geologist’s paradise. 11,400 acres of layered rock formations studded with pine and juniper house the fossil remains of dinosaurs such as tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops.

State Nickname: The Treasure State. As you walk through the vast, uncluttered valleys, enjoy fresh huckleberries, when they’re in season, and fish the pristine blue-ribbon trout streams. You’ll realize how fitting the name is.

Montana’s name is derived from the Spanish word montaña, meaning mountain country.

The two-finger wave is very commonly seen along many of Montana roads. If you let go of the steering wheel, you’re cheating.

There are approximately 48,000 Native Americans, representing 11 different tribes, living in Montana.

There are a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains in Montana.

Plenty of movies have been filmed here. So if you’re out on the Gallatin River catching cutthroat trout, look down at the rock you’re standing on. Brad Pitt may have done the same in A River Runs Through It. Or talk calmly to a horse outside of Livingston and pretend you’re Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer.

The largest snowflake ever observed in Montana was 15 in wide (the size of a dinner plate) and was recorded on January 28, 1887.

The Men’s room? The Ladies’ room? Bathroom names are more interesting here. At the Jersey Lilly it’s Bulls & Heifers. Wades in Harlowton calls them Eski-pas and Eski-mas. And in Bozeman they’re a bit more open-minded with either/or.

Creek — Around here it’s almost always pronounced “crick.” You can stick to your guns and pronounce the double “e” if you want. But be prepared to see a few unexplained, wry smiles.

In 1939, a group of business and political leaders in northern Wyoming hatched a plan to break off huge chunks of Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana and form a new state called Absaroka.

The most isolated county seat in the lower 48 is Jordan. The town is 175 miles from the nearest airport, 85 miles from the nearest bus line and 115 miles from the nearest train.

The English are known to be particular. So it says something that the Montana Yogo sapphire is the only North American gem to be included in the Crown Jewels of England. Perhaps you can find a slightly smaller version of your own right here.

If you’re ever in Alzada in the southeast corner of Montana, you’ll be closer to the Texas panhandle than you’ll be to the far northwest corner of the state.

Caviar processed from Montana’s paddlefish fetches a nice price on the international market. You can order some through the Glendive Chamber of Commerce (address must be outside of Montana). 60% of the proceeds are returned to the community in the form of grants.

Loma, Montana holds the world record for the greatest recorded temperature change in 24 hours. On January 15, 1972, the temperature went from -54F to — a whopping 103 degrees, due to Chinook winds.

Our great little diners here serve pop. Ask for a “soda” and you’re liable to get some blank stares.

Choteau — Pronounce it “Show-Toe.” This cozy nest between the dizzying expanse of Montana’s wheat country and the spectacle of the Rocky Mountain Front is kind of like a rocking chair on the front porch of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Stop at the Old Trail Museum and learn about the vast inland sea that covered this area and the herbivorous dinosaurs that roamed its shores.

On Highway 59, south of Miles City, Harry Landers tops nearly a mile of his fence posts with over 300 boots.

Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses more than 30,000 acres in the northeastern corner of the state, is known for its white pelican nesting colony as well as attracting thousands of migratory waterfowl and prairie songbirds. For information on hunting, camping or fishing in the area and details on species you’re likely to see during spring and fall migrations, visit www.fws.gov/medicinelake.

Northwest of Great Falls is the Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area where spectacular flocks of snow geese and tundra swans rest and feed during the March-May and September-November migrations.

The place to watch migrating eagles is at the Rocky Mountain Front Eagle Migration Area, southwest of Great Falls. Come during the annual migration in early spring or early autumn to gawk at the many raptors flying near Rogers Pass along the continental divide.

The surface of Flathead Lake covers over 191 square miles. It is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi and is heavenly for those with boats.

Chinook Winds (warm winds) interrupt our winters frequently for milder periods. But be sure you bring a coat because anything can happen as evidenced by some of these interesting facts.

In Montana, the word “ditch” can be used to order a drink. It means “with water.” “I’d like a whiskey ditch, please” means, “I’d like a whiskey and water.”

In Montana, there are 1.4 elk, 1.4 pronghorn, 3.3 deer and 896 fish per square mile. Not exactly what you’d call densely populated. But we don’t think you’ll mind. It just makes it easier to rub elbows with the six friendly locals that occupy every square mile too.

Yellowstone National Park is the world’s most extensive area of geyser activity, harboring more than 10,000 geothermal features; the most famous of which is Old Faithful.

Montana is the only state with a triple divide allowing water to flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Hudson Bay. This phenomenon occurs at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park. If you’re nearby, toss a leaf into the stream. Then call your friend in Seattle and tell them it’s on its way.

Virginia City was founded in 1863 and is comprised of almost 150 structures built before 1900, many of which can be freely accessed. Here a hangman’s beam shares history with an old town post office and a saloon with questionable entertainment.

Cuts Wood School is nationally recognized as a successful model for Native language immersion with a multi-generational approach. The school’s mission is to use the Blackfeet language as the tool (not object) within a local context to produce fluent speakers and future ambassadors of the Blackfeet ways.

Snowfall varies from 300 inches in the mountains in the western part of the state to around 20 inches northeast of the divide.

The coldest official temperature ever recorded in the contiguous United States occurred at Rogers Pass in Montana on January 20, 1954, when the temperature dropped to -70 Fahrenheit.

Rapelje — If you want to sound like you’ve been around for a while, pronounce this town’s name, RAP-ul-jay. If it doesn’t look like there’s a road to this sweet spot in the heart of rolling ranch country, zoom in a little more on your map. There is indeed a road to Rapelje, and also a community cafe, so stop on in.

Havre — In spite of the fact that it was named after a French man, this hub of northern Montana is not pronounced like you learned in French class. Say it like this: HAV-uhr. Then once you learn to say it, learn what it’s like. Until you’ve experienced this country, you won’t know what all the talk about Big Sky really means.

ROLL OVER AN IMAGE TO DISCOVER A MONTANA FACT

Public lands, state and national forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land constitute roughly 35% of the state, opening up much of the state for recreation and a myriad of other uses.

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