Introduction to History of Montana
Prehistoric humans entered what is now Montana more than 10,000 years ago. The early inhabitants hunted the area's abundant big game. When climatic conditions caused game to decrease around 6000 B.C., the Indians turned to foraging. With the return of big game herds about 500 A.D., hunting again was adopted and continued into the period of European exploration. Major tribes of Indians at that time included the Kutenai, Pend d'Oreille, Flathead, Crow, Blackfeet, and Atsina.
In 1743 French Canadian fur traders came close enough to the present state of Montana to note its “shining mountains." In 1805–06, after the territory had passed to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition explored the area on its journey to the Pacific coast. American fur trappers were soon operating throughout the upper Missouri River and eastern Rocky Mountains region. The British gained control of the Oregon Country, west of the Continental Divide.
The eastern Montana area was part of Missouri Territory from 1812 to 1821, after which it was part of a huge, unorganized frontier region referred to as Indian Country. A number of trading posts were built in the area, and in 1841 Father Pierre Jean De Smet, a Belgian Jesuit, founded an Indian mission in the Bitterroot Valley. Fort Benton, established in 1847, was the first permanent settlement.
The dispute with Great Britain over the Oregon Country was settled in 1846. In 1853 western Montana became part of Washington Territory, Eastern Montana was included in Nebraska Territory, 1854–61, then became part of Dakota Territory.
Important dates in Montana1803 Eastern Montana became U.S. territory through the Louisiana Purchase.1805-1806 Lewis and Clark explored part of Montana on their journey to and from the Pacific Coast.1846 The Oregon treaty with the United Kingdom made northwestern Montana part of the United States.1862 Gold was discovered on Grasshopper Creek.1864 Congress established the Montana Territory.1876 The Sioux and Cheyenne Indians defeated U.S. Cavalry troops at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.1877 Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians surrendered to federal troops after several battles.1880 The Utah & Northern Railroad entered Montana.1883 The Northern Pacific Railroad crossed Montana.1889 Montana became the 41st state on Nov. 8.1910 Congress established Glacier National Park.1940 Fort Peck Dam was completed.1951 The first oil wells in the Montana section of the Williston Basin started production.1955 The Anaconda Aluminum Company opened a $65-million plant at Columbia Falls.1966 Construction of Yellowtail Dam was completed.1973 A new state constitution went into effect.1984 The Libby Dam hydroelectric project, begun in 1967, was completed.2000 Judy Martz became the first woman to be elected governor of Montana. She held office from 2001 to 2005.Gold, Silver, and Copper
There were small discoveries of gold in western Montana in the 1850's. The first real prospecting was done by Granville and James Stuart at Gold Creek on Clark Fork in 1862. The same year a major discovery was made on Grasshopper Creek, in the Beaverhead Mountains, and the town of Bannack grew up at that location. A gold rush to Montana began. Major discoveries were made at Alder Gulch (Virginia City) in 1863; Last Chance Gulch (Helena), Confederate Gulch (Diamond City), and Emigrant Gulch in 1864; and Cedar Creek in 1869.
With the prospectors came “road agents,” outlaws who robbed the miners, held up stagecoaches carrying gold, and spread terror throughout southern and western Montana. In late 1863, settlers formed a vigilante group and discovered that the sheriff of Bannack, Henry Plummer, was the leader of the road agents. He and many of his gang members were hanged.
Meanwhile, all of Montana had been made part of the newly created Idaho Territory (1863). The miners of Bannack and Virginia City, however, agitated for organized government on the eastern side of the Bitterroot Mountains. On May 26, 1864, the U.S. Congress created Montana Territory. Bannack was the first capital. Virginia City became capital in 1865; Helena was made the capital in 1875.
When the mining of gold began to decline in the 1870's, the emphasis shifted to the mining of silver but the silver gave out in a few years. In 1882 Marcus Daly discovered a rich vein of copper at Butte, and copper soon became the most important product of Montana's mines.
Indian Wars
With the surge of gold-rush traffic in the 1860's, trails were established across the hunting grounds of the Indians, which threatened their supply of game. The opening of the Bozeman Trail, the shortest and easiest route to the Virginia City gold fields, especially incensed the Sioux and Cheyenne. Led by Red Cloud, a Sioux chief, the Indians attacked travelers on the trail and soldiers sent to protect them. Red Cloud's War (1866–68) forced the closing of the trail for almost a decade. In 1876 an attempt to move the Sioux onto a reservation led to the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where troops under Lieutenant Colonel George Custer were massacred by Sioux and Cheyenne. In 1877 Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé led his tribe across Montana, pursued by U.S. cavalry. Major battles took place at Big Hole and in the Bear Paw Mountains.
Modern Development
Cattle and sheep ranching developed in Montana shortly after the gold rush began. The cattle business flourished with the opening of the railways in 1881–83, but in the severe winter of 1886–87 more than half the range cattle in the state died. Meanwhile, lumbering had developed into a thriving industry in the western region.
Montana became the 41st state in 1889. The mining and lumbering industries were being brought under the control of large corporations, and labor unrest developed. From the time the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) was organized in 1905, Montana had incidents of violence and major strikes, continuing up to World War I.
Oil and natural gas were discovered in eastern Montana in the 1920's but not developed until after World War II. An oil boom got under way in the early 1950's and was followed by a coal boom in the early 1970's. During the 1970's, there were many legal battles between conservationists, seeking to preserve the state's undeveloped areas, and various business interests. In the 1980's and early 1990's, the state's economy suffered with a downturn in the oil, coal, metals, and logging industries. In the late 1990's the economy recovered, aided by strong growth in the recreation industry.
The state legislature deregulated the generation and sale of electric power in 1997. Officials believed that this change would bring lower rates for customers and increase competition among electric companies. Electric costs and services again became a concern in the early 2000's when the state's largest electric company sold off its major parts.
Judy Martz became the first female governor of Montana in 2000 and served until 2005.