4 MONTANA INTRODUCTION When explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first entered Montana they were awestruck by the large open plains and the number of animals roaming the land Today much of the Montana landscape that Lewis and Clark crossed remains unchanged From river canyons and mountain meadows to the Great Plains Montana has kept much of its natural beauty intact Wild forests rugged mountain terrain and rivers abundant in fish are just some of the reasons Montana is often referred to as the Last Best Place The lack of big cities with noise pollution and crowds also fosters this view In fact there are fewer people in the whole state of Montana than there are in many cities in the United States Skyscrapers are scarce and many people live on ranches or farms Montana has earned a reputation as one of the few remaining retreats from the hectic pace of big-city life Cattle drives provide the opportunity to relive Montana’s frontier past There are more than 22 million acres of forest in Montana Montana was nicknamed the Treasure State for its wealth of mineral resources The name Montana comes from the Spanish word montaña which means mountain Montana is the fourth largest state in the nation with an area of 147,046 square miles Only Alaska Texas and California are larger Miles City bears the nickname the Cowboy Capital of the World The state motto is Oro y Plata which means gold and silver in Spanish
INTRODUCTION 5 Montana has approximately 70,000 miles of roads Idaho Wyoming North Dakota and South Dakota all border Montana Three Canadian provinces Alberta British Columbia and Saskatchewan border the state to the north Montana is easily reached in the modern era of interstate highways and airplanes Still people traveling by automobile are often shocked at the size of the state The highways seem endless stretching as far as the eye can see The state’s road conditions can change in a flash it can be dry one moment and icy the next In the winter interstates sometimes close due to heavy snow The state bird is the western meadowlark Air travel is available throughout the state International airports are located in Billings Glacier Park Glasgow Great Falls and Missoula Montana Location Map Montana’s state flower the bitterroot can live for a year without water The first operational Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile ICBM site was located in the Malmstrom Air Force base outside Great Falls Granite Peak is Montana’s highest mountain at 12,799 feet Some adventurous climbers use the Froze-to Death Plateau route This route is known for its many storms Scale Capital Helena Interstate highways Mi 0 100 50 0 80 160 Km Population 902,195 Size 147,046 square miles Highest peak Granite Peak 12,799 feet
Montana’s natural areas are sometimes threatened by blazing forest fires Forest fires destroy many acres of land in the state every year In 1988 flames burned a third of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming In the summer of 2000 fires turned a staggering 1 million acres of Montana’s forest into ash Montanans have gained much recognition for combating these fires with creativity and determination The state leads the nation in the training of smokejumpers These specially trained firefighters parachute into remote areas that vehicles cannot reach Once they reach the ground smokejumpers tackle the flames at close range When the fires have been extinguished there is often more work to do Many people in the state pitch in to help those affected by disaster 6 MONTANA The Smokejumper Visitor Center in Missoula is the largest smokejumper base in the United States Norman Maclean a popular author from Montana wrote about Montana’s smokejumpers and the horrible Mann Gulch fire in his novel Young Men and Fire There are 250 lakes in Montana’s Glacier National Park Maiasaura which was a duck-billed dinosaur is Montana’s state fossil Maiasaura is believed to have taken great care of its young and its name means good mother lizard As part of a natural cycle forest fires clear the land allowing new plants to grow
INTRODUCTION 7 Many Montanans depend on the land for their livelihood These Montanans are farmers ranchers miners or loggers Most Montanans also cherish the land for what it offers in terms of recreation People who love the outdoors can hike camp fish and ski in the natural beauty of the state In fact many people move to Montana to pursue outdoor activities such as fly fishing downhill skiing and snowboarding It is no coincidence that some members of the U S Snowboard Team live in Montana year-round A deep appreciation of the land has prompted many Montanans to protect the environment To reduce automobile pollution some cities offer free access to bikes Environmentalists also pursue ways to keep the water clean and the wilderness free from development With its high mountain peaks forests prairies and valleys the Montana landscape is beautiful and diverse Montana’s largest artificial lake covers 83 square miles Fort Peck Lake was created when the Missouri River was dammed It has 1,520 miles of shoreline The longest river in the United States begins where Montana’s Gallatin Madison and Jefferson rivers meet The Missouri River flows 2,540 miles across the United States It eventually flows into the Mississippi River in Missouri Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stumbled upon evidence of Montana’s state tree the ponderosa pine before they even entered the area They found pinecones that were carried by the Missouri River Custer National Forest in Montana provides some of the best hiking in the state
