 Montana
Information
Capital
City: Helena
Economy: Agriculture, mineral
production, timber and tourism.
Language Description: English
Passport/Visa U.S.: Canadians
need to show proof of citizenship accompanied by a photo ID (we recommend
a passport). Reconfirm travel document requirements with your carrier prior
to departure.
Population: 882,779
Religion: Christian (Protestant,
Roman Catholic), though other major religions are represented.
Time Zone: 7 hours behind
Greenwich Mean Time (-7 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed from the
first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October
Voltage Requirements: 110
volts
Montana's Flag:
Under the word "Montana", on a blue field, is the state seal.
The seal shows some of Montana's beautiful scenery and tells what people
were doing in pioneer times. The pick, shovel and plow represent mining
and farming. In the background a sun rises over mountains, forests and the
Great Falls of the Missouri river. A ribbon contains the state motto "Gold
and Silver".
History of Montana:
First explored for France by Fran?ois and Louis-Joseph Verendrye
in the early 1740s, much of the region was acquired by the U.S. from France
as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Before western Montana was obtained
from Great Britain in the Oregon Treaty of 1846, American trading posts
and forts had been established in the territory. The major Indian Wars (1867–1877)
included the famous 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn, better known as
“Custer's Last Stand,” in which Cheyennes and Sioux defeated
George A. Custer and more than 200 of his men in southeastern Montana. Much
of Montana's early history was concerned with mining with copper, lead,
zinc, silver, coal, and oil as principal products. Butte is the center of
the area that once supplied half of the U.S. copper. Fields of grain cover
much of Montana's plains. It ranks high among the states in wheat and barley,
with rye, oats, flaxseed, sugar beets, and potatoes as other important crops.
Sheep and cattle raising make significant contributions to the economy.
Tourist attractions include hunting, fishing, skiing, and dude ranching.
Glacier National Park, on the Continental Divide, is a scenic and vacation
wonderland with 60 glaciers, 200 lakes, and many streams with good trout
fishing. Other major points of interest include the Custer Battlefield National
Monument, Virginia City, Yellowstone National Park, Museum of the Plains
Indians at Browning, and the Fort Union Trading Post and Grant-Kohr's Ranch
National Historic Sites.
Other Montana Links:
Montana
Education - K12, Colleges, Universities
Montana League of Cities and Towns
Montana State Library
Travel Montana - Big Sky Country
Travel Montana - Visitors Guide
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