Before the white settlers arrived, two groups of Indian tribes lived in the region that is now Montana. The Arapaho, Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Crow, and Gros Ventre (also called the Atsina) tribes lived in the plains. The mountains in the west were the home of the Bannock, Salish, Kalispell, Kootenai, and Shoshone tribes. Other nearby tribes such as the Sioux, Mandan, and Nez Perce hunted in the Montana region.

French trappers may have visited the Montana area as early as the 1740's. The American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led their expedition across Montana to the Pacific Coast in 1805. They returned in 1806 and explored parts of Montana both coming and going. After 1807, fur traders began more aggressive trapping in the newly charted areas of Montana. In 1841, Jesuit missionaries established St. Mary's Mission, the first attempt at a permanent settlement, near what is now Stevensville. In 1847, the American Fur Company built Fort Benton on the Missouri River. The town that formed there is Montana's oldest continuously populated town.

The United States got most of what is now Montana as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The northwestern part was gained by treaty with Britain in 1846. At various times, parts of Montana were in the territories of Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

In 1862, prospectors found gold in Grasshopper Creek in southwestern Montana. Other gold strikes followed, and wild mining camps grew around the gold fields. These included Bannack, Diamond City, Virginia City, and others.

The mining camps had almost no effective law enforcement. Finally, the citizens took the law into their own hands. One famous incident involved the two biggest gold camps--Bannack and Virginia City. The settlers learned that their sheriff, Henry Plummer, was actually an outlaw leader. The men of Bannack and Virginia City formed a vigilance committee to rid themselves of the outlaws. These vigilantes hanged 21 men, including Plummer, in January 1864. The vigilantes adopted as their symbol the numbers 3-7-77. These numbers may have referred to dimensions of a grave--3 feet wide, 7 feet deep, and 77 inches long. Or the symbol may have associated with masonic ritual because many of the vigilantes were members of the Masons, a fraternal organization. Many outlaws were hanged or driven from Montana.

Many of the early prospectors came from the South, some from Confederate Army units that broke up early in the Civil War (1861-1865). One of the major gold fields was called Confederate Gulch, because three Southerners found the first gold there.

During the boom years, gold dust was the principal money. For example, missionaries did not pass collection plates at services. They passed a tin cup for gold dust. Chinese laundries even found gold in their wash water when they had finished washing the miners' clothing.

Sidney Edgerton, an Idaho official, saw the need for better government of the wild mining camps. At the time, Montana was part of Idaho territory. Edgerton traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for territorial status. Montana became a territory on May 26, 1864, and Edgerton served as its first governor.

The cattle industry began in Montana in the mid-1850's, when Richard Grant, a trader, brought the first herd to the area from Oregon. In 1866, Nelson Story, a cattleman, drove a thousand longhorn cattle from Texas to Montana. Story's herd started the Montana cattle industry in earnest. The coming of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883 opened the way to the eastern markets and caused even more growth. However, disaster struck the cattle industry in the bitterly cold winter of 1886-1887. Cattle died by the thousands during the severe winter. Ranching continued after this, but on a smaller scale.

Two of the most famous Indian campaigns in American history were fought in the Montana Territory. On June 25, 1876, Sioux and Cheyenne Indians wiped out part of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer. This famous battle was fought near the Little Bighorn River in southeastern Montana. The last serious Indian fighting in Montana started when the U.S. government tried to move the Nez Perce Indians from their lands in Oregon. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce led his tribe toward to Canada through Montana. The Indians and U.S. troops fought several small battles in Idaho, and then a two-day battle at Big Hole in southwestern Montana. Troops under Colonel Nelson A. Miles captured Chief Joseph's Indians about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the Canadian border.

Between 1880 and 1890, the population of Montana grew from about 39,000 to nearly 143,000. The people of Montana first asked for statehood in 1884, but they had to wait five years. Finally, Montana was admitted to the United States as the 41st state on November 8, 1889. Joseph K. Toole of Helena became the first governor of the state.

Much of Montana's growth during the 1880's and 1890's came because of the mines at Butte. The earliest mines produced gold. Then silver was discovered in the rock ledges of Butte Hill. Later, the miners found rich veins of copper. Miners came to Butte from Ireland, England, and other areas of Europe. Smelters were built in Anaconda and Great Falls, and more men were hired to operate them. Butte Hill became known as the Richest Hill on Earth.

Marcus Daly and William A. Clark led the development of Butte copper and controlled many of the richest mines. The two men became rivals in both business and politics. The great wealth produced by the mines gave both men great power. Daly built the town of Anaconda and spent large sums of money in a campaign to make it the state capital. Clark supported the selection of Helena. After dubious campaigning, accusations of ballot stuffing, and two votes, Montanans chose Helena as the state capital.

Clark wanted to be a U.S. senator, but Daly opposed him. In the campaign of 1899, Clark was accused of bribery. He won the election but resigned rather than face an investigation by a Senate committee. Two years later, Clark won his Senate seat in a second election. He was helped by F. Augustus Heinze, another mine owner. Heinze had arrived in Butte long after Daly and Clark became millionaires. Heinze became wealthy through clever use of mining law and court suits.

First Daly, then others sold their properties to a single corporation, which became the Anaconda Company. The company organized an electric power company, built a railroad, and constructed dams. It also controlled forests, banks, and newspapers. Anaconda became so important in the life of the state that Montanans referred to it simply as "The Company."

During the early 1900's, Montana made increasing use of its natural resources. New dams harnessed the state's rivers, providing water for irrigation and electric power for industry. The extension of the railroads assisted the processing industries. New plants refined sugar, milled flour, and processed meat. In 1910, Congress created Glacier National Park, which became an attraction for the tourists.

Jeannette Rankin of Missoula, a leader in the campaign for women's rights, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. She was the first woman to serve in Congress. She won fame in 1941 as the only member of Congress to vote against U.S. entry into World War II. Rankin said she did not believe in war and could not vote for it.

Montana suffered during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Demand for the state's metals dropped because of the nationwide lag in production. Drought contributed to the drop in farm income brought on by the depression.

However, state and federal programs continued to develop Montana's resources during the 1930's. The building of the giant Fort Peck Dam helped provide jobs. Completion of the dam in 1940 provided badly needed water for irrigation. Other projects included insect control, irrigation, rural electrification, and soil conservation. Construction of parks, recreation areas, and roads also continued under government direction.

Montana's economy boomed during World War II (1939-1945). The state's meat and grain were in great demand, and its copper and other metals were used in the war effort. After the war, lower prices for grain reduced agricultural income. Many people moved from farming areas to towns and cities to find jobs. Some small farming towns were abandoned.

Montana's petroleum industry expanded rapidly in the early 1950's, when major oil fields were discovered in the Williston Basin along the Montana-North Dakota border. Wells in the new Montana fields began pumping oil in 1951. In 1955, the Anaconda Aluminum Company opened a $65-million plant in northwestern Montana, and aluminum products became important to the state's economy. During the 1960's, Anaconda spent more than $50 million to improve operations at the Butte mines and to make better use of the remaining ore there.

Tourism grew as an important source of income in Montana during the mid-1900's. The state developed more parks and historic sites, and private developers opened dude ranches, summer resorts, and skiing centers. Such ski areas as Big Mountain, near Whitefish, helped extend the tourist season through winter.

The state's irrigation and water conservation programs were also expanded. In 1966, Yellowtail Dam on the Bighorn River in southern Montana was completed. This dam provides water for electric power, irrigation, and recreation. Work began in 1967 on the $373-million Libby Dam hydroelectric project on the Kootenai River in northwestern Montana. The power plant there began operation in 1975. The project was completed in 1984.

In 1972, Montana voters narrowly approved a new state Constitution. The Constitution went into effect in 1973.

Montana's gas, oil, and coal industries expanded rapidly during the 1970's, when an energy shortage developed in the United States. Coal production increased sharply, from less than 3 million to almost 40 million tons per year. Huge, open-pit strip mines operated in Colstrip and other southeastern Montana sites. The Montana Power Company built four coal-fired electric power plants at Colstrip. A 30 percent coal severance tax contributed needed funds to the state. But in the early 1980's, fuel prices fell, and Montana's production leveled off.

Montana's traditionally important industries experienced major difficulties during the 1980's. Farmers suffered hardships brought on by drought, insect pests, and low farm product prices. The lumber and mining industries reduced their work forces. But the economy improved in the 1990's, as farm problems eased and the state's construction and manufacturing industries gained strength.

Montana today remains a state rich in natural resources. But technological changes have cost jobs. State leaders seek to broaden the economy and ensure a successful future for the state by expanding the manufacturing and travel, recreation, and retirement industries.

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