Facts

In 1895 "Treasure State" became the first nickname to gain wide appeal. It appeared on the cover of a promotional booklet published by the Montana Bureau of Agriculture, Labor, and Industry. "Treasure State" was chosen because of Montana's status as the country's foremost producer of metallic treasures - gold, silver, and copper.

"Land of Shining Mountains" also appeared in 1895 in the same promotional booklet published by the Montana Bureau of Agriculture, Labor, and Industry that introduced "Treasure State."  This motto had its origins with brothers Pierre and Chevalier Verendrye, French Canadian fur traders and explorers, who gazed upon the northern Rockies and upped them the "Shining Mountains." According to Joaquin Miller's 1894 history Montana, Native tribes also referred to the Rockies as "the Shining" because of their snow caps.

First seen in the 1922 edition of the World Almanac, the only explanation for Montana as the "Stubbed-Toe State" comes from the Dictionary of Americanisms, which asserts that the nickname refers to the mountainous region of western Montana where the multitude of rocks might pose a hazard to the novice hiker.

Montana: High, Wide and Handsome first appeared in the 1940 on the cover of a Montana Highway Department publicity brochure. This phrase was also the title of Joseph Kinsey Howard's acclaimed book.  Although the original source of the phrase is unknown, evidence points to C. B. Glasscock, who stated in War of the Copper Kings published in 1935 that "Life in Butte was high, wide, and occasionally handsome."

Big Sky Country was adopted as a Montana nickname in 1961 and is based on the book by A. B. "Bud" Guthrie.  In the summer of 1961 Jack Hallowell hosted writer John Weaver of Holiday magazine, who asked to meet Guthrie. During their meeting Hallowell casually asked if Guthrie would object to the state advertising departing using "Big Sky" to promote tourism. Guthrie granted his permission on the spot.  Ironically, the title of the classic novel of the American fur trade originated with Guthrie's editor, Bill Sloane, because Guthrie submitted his manuscript without a title. Guthrie had sent biographical notes, including the exclamation--"standing under the big sky I feel free"--that his father made during his first day in Montana."

In 1985 state promoters developed "Montana - Naturally Inviting" as a replacement to "Big Sky County," as they feared that state advertising using that slogan would be confused with advertising for Chet Huntley's Big Sky Resort south of Bozeman.

"Montana - Unspoiled, Unforgettable," was adopted by the State Tourism Advisory Council in 1988.

"EZ 2 LUV," which was based upon a Montana State University student's license place, was adopted by the state tourism office in 1995.

Grizzly Bear

The state animal was chosen by school children throughout the state. They nominated over 74 different animals and then had primary and general elections to chose the candidates. The grizzly bear was named the state animal on April 7, 1983.

Montana Melody

In 1983 this song by LeGrande and Carleen Harvey was named the state ballad. The intent of the legislation was to replace the state song, but a compromise was made and Montana Melody was named the state ballad.

Western Meadowlark

In 1930 school children were asked which bird best represented Montana and overwhelmingly chose the Meadowlark. The 1931 Legislature agreed.

Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout

Added by the 45th legislature in 1977. Campaign started by Norma B. Ashby.

Bitterroot (Lewisia Rediviva)

1895 Legislature sanctioned this symbol. Mary Long Alderson was the person most responsible for getting Bitterroot as the state flower.

Duck-billed Dinosaur

Naming a dinosaur as the state fossil would bring awareness to the fact that Montana is one of the best places in the world for important dinosaur discoveries. The bill adding the state fossil was signed into law on February 22, 1985.

Sapphire and Agate

These gemstones were added in 1969.

 

Bluebunch Wheatgrass

Bluebunch wheatgrass occurs throughout the state and was named the state grass in 1973 by the 43rd legislature.

Montana

Lyrics by Charles C. Cohan and Melody by Joseph E. Howard
Song was written in 1910. Governor Sam C. Ford and the legislature made it the state song on February 20, 1945.

Visit the Montana Secretary of State website for information about the State Seal and the State Flag.

Ponderosa Pine

In the spring of 1908, Helena school children held a referendum on which tree best represented the state. Ponderosa Pine was chosen, but it was not until 1949 that the Legislature agreed.

Montana is both a Latin and Spanish word for a mountainous region, a name first applied to the region in 1864. At this time, Sidney Edgerton, the chief justice of the Idaho territorial Supreme Court, persuaded congressman and chair of the House Committee on Territories James M. Ashley (Republican-Ohio) to carry forward a bill creating a new territory, which Ashley called "Montana." The bill was successful and President Abraham Lincoln signed it into law on May 26, 1864 (Malone, Roeder, and Lang, p. 95-96). Upon his appointment as territorial governor, Sidney Edgerton returned to Montana and designated Bannack as the temporary capital of the new territory. Edgerton presided over the first legislature which on Feb. 2, 1865 created the territory’s nine original counties (Malone, Roeder, and Lang, p. 100). Montana established several more counties during the its territorial period, and the rest after achieving statehood in 1889. Petroleum County was the last county established, forming in 1925.

Nine Original Counties (1865)

Creation Date	County	County Seat	Plate #
02 February 1865	Beaverhead	Dillon	18
02 February 1865	Big Horn (Custer)*	*
02 February 1865	Chouteau	Fort Benton	19
02 February 1865	Deer Lodge	Anaconda	30
02 February 1865	Gallatin	Bozeman	6
02 February 1865	Jefferson	Boulder	51
02 February 1865	Edgerton (Lewis and Clark)**	Helena	5
02 February 1865	Madison	Virginia City	25
02 February 1865	Missoula	Missoula	4

 

*Although created as one of Montana’s nine original counties, the first territorial legislature administratively attached Big Horn County to Gallatin County. The legislature changed the name of Big Horn County to Custer in February 1877 following the June 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn. Big Horn County experienced a rebirth of sorts when, in 1913 during Montana’s county splitting heyday, the name was reused for a new county.

**The territorial legislature changed the name of Edgerton County to Lewis and Clarke County in 1867, fixing the spelling of "Clarke" at a later date.

Territorial Counties (1866-1888)

Creation Date	County	County Seat	Plate #
26 March 1868	Meagher	White Sulphur Springs	47
15 January 1869	Dawson	Glendive	16
16 February 1877	Custer (just a name change; see Big Horn in Nine Original Counties)	Miles City	14
16 February 1881	Silver Bow	Butte	1
16 February 1883	Yellowstone	Billings	3
12 March 1885	Fergus	Lewistown	8
23 February 1887	Park	Livingston	49
12 September 1887	Cascade	Great Falls	2

Early Statehood Counties (1889-1909)

Creation Date	County	County Seat	Plate #
06 February 1893	Flathead	Kalispell	7
06 February 1893	Valley	Glasgow	20
07 February 1893	Teton	Choteau	31
16 February 1893	Ravalli	Hamilton	13
02 March 1893	Granite	Philipsburg	46
04 March 1895	Carbon	Red Lodge	10
05 March 1895	Sweet Grass	Big Timber	40
01 March 1897	Broadwater	Townsend	43
31 January 1901	Powell	Deer Lodge	28
11 February 1901	Rosebud	Forsyth	29
07 February 1905	Sanders	Thompson Falls	35
09 March 1909	Lincoln	Libby	56

 

 

Homestead Boom Counties (1910-1925)

Creation Date	County	County Seat	Plate #
11 February 1911	Musselshell	Roundup	23
28 February 1912	Hill	Havre	12
02 March 1912	Blaine	Chinook	24
13 January 1913	Big Horn	Hardin	22
24 March 1913	Stillwater	Columbus	32
27 March 1913	Sheridan	Plentywood	34
09 December 1913	Fallon	Baker	39
07 May 1914	Toole	Shelby	21
03 June 1914	Richland	Sidney	27
07 August 1914	Mineral	Superior	54
17 August 1914	Wibaux	Wibaux	52
05 February 1915	Phillips	Malta	11
05 February 1915	Prairie	Terry	45
22 February 1917	Carter	Ekalaka	42
01 April 1917	Wheatland	Harlowton	44
07 February 1919	Garfield	Jordan	50
07 February 1919	Treasure	Hysham	33
12 February 1919	McCone	Circle	41
17 February 1919	Glacier	Cut Bank	38
17 February 1919	Pondera	Conrad	26
18 February 1919	Roosevelt	Wolf Point	17
07 March 1919	Powder River	Broadus	9
11 February 1920	Liberty	Chester	48
08 March 1920	Golden Valley	Ryegate	53
01 June 1920	Daniels	Scobey	37
10 December 1920	Judith Basin	Stanford	36
10 August 1923	Lake	Polson	15
22 February 1925	Petroleum	Winnett	55

Initially, only the territorial legislature could create an incorporated municipality (a city or town). Each of the following ten municipalities were created from 1864-1885 via a special act passed by the territorial legislature.

Cities Incorporated 1864-1885

Year of Incorporation	City or Town
1864	Virginia City
1864	Bannack City
1864	Nevada City
1867	Helena
1874	Bozeman
1874	Butte
1883	Fort Benton
1883	Missoula
1885	Dillon
1885	Billings

 

The 15th Territorial Legislative Assembly convened in Helena in 1887 and passed "An act relating to the formation of municipal corporations" establishing, among other things, a legal process allowing a majority of voters to incorporate a city or town. This legal provision was incorporated into state law in 1895 as well and continues through to the present Montana Code.

Cities Incorporated 1887-1966

Year of Incorporation	City or Town
1887	Miles City
1888	Great Falls
1888	Anaconda
1888	White Sulphur Springs
1889	Red Lodge
1889	Livingston
1889	Deer Lodge
1890	Philipsburg
1890	Walkerville
	Townsend
1891	Havre
1891	Neihart
1892	Kalispell
1893	Sheridan
1894	Hamilton
1899	Stevensville
	Victor
1901	Lewistown
1901	Chinook
1901	Pony
1902	Big Timber
1902	Glasgow
1902	Glendive
1902	Twin Bridges
1904	Whitehall
1905	Bearcreek
1905	Whitefish
1906	Belgrade
1906	Joliet
1907	Belt
1907	Bridger
1907	Columbus
1907	Eureka
1907	Plains
1908	Forsyth
1908	Harlowton
1908	Laurel
1909	Columbia Falls
1909	Conrad
1909	Culbertson
1909	Libby
1909	Malta
1909	Roundup
1909	Poplar
1910	Harlem
1910	Moore
1910	Thompson Falls
1910	Three Forks
1910	Polson
1910	Shelby
1910	Terry
1910	Chester
1911	Cascade
1911	Wibaux
1911	Hardin
1911	Sidney
1911	Manhattan
1911	Stanford
1911	Baker
1911	Boulder
1911	Cut Bank
1912	Fromberg
1912	Plentywood
1913	Clyde Park
1913	Choteau
1913	Melstone
1914	Ekalaka
1914	Fairview
1915	Froid
1915	Geraldine
1915	Grass Range
1915	Medicine Lake
1915	Denton
1915	Big Sandy
1916	Hysham
1916	Westby
1916	Ismay
1916	Outlook
1916	Plevna
1916	Winnett
1916	Darby
1917	Lima
1917	Scobey
1917	Ryegate
1917	Troy
1918	Hingham
1918	Nashua
1918	Saco
1918	Winifred
1918	Wolf Point
1920	Alberton
1920	Hobson
1920	Lavina
1920	Dodson
	Antelope
	Geyser
	Judith Gap
	Lambert
	Ronan
	Valier
1923	Sweet Grass
1923	Sunburst
1926	Kevin
1927	East Helena
1927	Lodge Grass
1928	Opheim
1929	Hot Springs
1929	Circle
	Bainville
	Broadview
	Browning
1935	Dutton
1938	St. Ignatius
1940	Fairfield
1945	Drummond
1946	Broadus
1948	Superior
1949	Richey
1951	Jordan
1953	Brockton
1955	Flaxville
1956	Ennis
1966	Rexford
1966	West Yellowstone

Territorial Period

Term	Governors	Political Party
June 22, 1864 - July 12, 1866	Sidney Edgerton	Republican
Sep. 1865 - Oct. 1866 Jan. 1867 - July 1867	Thomas Francis Meagher (Acting Territorial Governor)	Democrat
July 13, 1866 - April 8, 1869	Green Clay Smith	Republican
Summer 1868 - Summer 1869	James Tufts (Acting Territorial Governor)
April 9, 1869 - July 12, 1870	James M. Ashley	Republican
July 13, 1870 - Jan. 14, 1883	Benjamin F. Potts	Republican
Jan. 14, 1883 - Dec. 15, 1884	John Schyler Crosby	Republican
Dec. 16, 1884 - July 13, 1885	B. Platt Carpenter	Republican
July 14, 1885 - Feb. 7, 1887	Samuel T. Hauser	Democrat
Feb. 8, 1887 - April 8, 1889	Preston H. Leslie	Democrat
April 9, 1889 - Nov. 8, 1889	Benjamin F. White	Republican

 

State Period

Term	Governors	Political Party
Nov. 8, 1889 - Jan. 2, 1893	Joseph K. Toole	Democrat
Jan. 2, 1893 - Jan. 4, 1897	John E. Rickards	Republican
Jan. 4, 1897 - Jan. 7, 1901	Robert B. Smith	Democrat-Populist
Jan. 7, 1901 - April 1, 1908	Joseph K. Toole (resigned)	Democrat
April 1, 1908 - Jan. 6, 1913	Edwin L. Norris	Democrat
Jan. 6, 1913 - Jan. 3, 1921	Samuel V. Stewart	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1921 - Jan. 5, 1925	Joseph M. Dixon	Republican
Jan. 5, 1925 - March 13, 1933	John E. Erickson (resigned and appointed to U.S. Senate)	Democrat
March 13, 1933 - Dec. 15, 1935	Frank H. Cooney (died in office)	Democrat
Dec. 16, 1935 - Jan. 4, 1937	William E. Holt	Democrat
Jan. 4, 1937 - Jan. 6, 1941	Roy E. Ayers	Democrat
Jan. 6, 1941 - Jan. 3, 1949	Samuel C. Ford	Republican
Jan. 3, 1949 - Jan. 5, 1953	John W. Bonner	Democrat
Jan. 5, 1953 - Jan. 2, 1961	J. Hugo Aronson	Republican
Jan. 2, 1961 - Jan. 25, 1962	Donald G. Nutter (died in plane crash)	Republican
Jan. 25, 1962 - Jan. 6, 1969	Tim M. Babcock	Republican
Jan. 6, 1969 - Jan. 2, 1973	Forrest H. Anderson	Democrat
Jan. 2, 1973 - Jan. 5, 1981	Thomas L. Judge	Democrat
Jan. 5, 1981 - Jan. 2, 1989	Ted Schwinden	Democrat
Jan. 2, 1989 - Jan. 4, 1993	Stan Stephens	Republican
Jan. 4, 1993 - Jan. 2, 2001	Marc Racicot	Republican
Jan. 2, 2001 - Jan. 3, 2005	Judy Martz	Republican
Jan. 3, 2005 - Jan. 7, 2013	Brian Schweitzer	Democrat
Jan. 7, 2013 - Jan. 4, 2021	Steven Clark Bullock	Democrat
Jan. 4, 2021 - present	Greg Gianforte	Republican

Lieutenant Governors

Term	Name	Political Party	Governor Served Under
Nov. 8, 1889 - Jan. 2, 1893	John E. Rickards	Republican	Toole
Jan. 2, 1893 - Jan. 4, 1897	Alexander C. Botkin	Republican	Rickards
Jan. 4, 1897 - Jan. 7, 1901	A. E. Spriggs	Democrat, Populist	Smith
Jan. 7, 1901 - Jan. 2, 1905	Frank G. Higgins	Democrat	Toole
Jan. 2, 1905 - April 1, 1908	Edwin L. Norris	Democrat, Populist, Labor	Toole
April 1, 1908 - Jan. 4, 1909	Benjamin F. White	Republican	Norris
Jan. 4, 1909 - Jan. 6, 1913	William R. Allen	Republican	Norris
Jan. 6, 1913 - Jan. 3, 1921	W. W. McDowell	Democrat	Stewart
Jan. 3, 1921 - Jan. 5, 1925	Nelson Story, Jr.	Republican	Dixon
Jan. 5, 1925 - Jan. 7, 1929	W. S. McCormack	Republican	Erickson
Jan. 7, 1929 - Jan. 31, 1933	Frank A. Hazelbaker	Republican	Erickson
Jan. 31, 1933 - March 13, 1933	Frank H. Cooney	Democrat	Erickson
March 13, 1933 - Jan. 7, 1935	Tom Kane	Republican	Cooney
Jan. 7, 1935 - March 7, 1935	Ernest T. Eaton	Republican	Cooney
March 7, 1935 - Dec. 16, 1935	W. Elmer Holt	Democrat	Cooney
Dec. 16, 1935 - Jan. 4, 1937	William P. Pilgeram	Democrat	Holt
Jan. 4, 1937 - Jan. 6, 1941	Hugh R. Adair	Democrat	Ayers
Jan. 6, 1941 - Jan. 3, 1949	Ernest T. Eaton	Republican	Ford
Jan. 3, 1949 - Jan. 5, 1953	Paul Cannon	Democrat	Bonner
Jan. 5, 1953 - Jan. 7, 1957	George M. Gosman	Republican	Aronson
Jan. 7, 1957 - Jan. 2, 1961	Paul Cannon	Democrat	Aronson
Jan. 2, 1961 - Jan. 25, 1962	Tim M. Babcock	Republican	Nutter
Jan. 25, 1962 - Jan. 4, 1965	David F. James	Democrat	Babcock
Jan. 4, 1965 - Jan. 6, 1969	Ted James	Republican	Babcock
Jan. 6, 1969 - Jan. 1, 1973	Thomas Lee Judge	Democrat	Anderson
Jan. 1, 1973 - Jan. 3, 1977	Bill Christiansen	Democrat	Judge
Jan. 3, 1977 - Jan. 5, 1981	Ted Schwinden	Democrat	Judge
Jan. 5, 1981 - Jan. 4, 1988	George Turman	Democrat	Schwinden
Jan. 4, 1988 - Jan. 2, 1989	Gordon McOmber	Democrat	Schwinden
Jan. 2, 1989 - Jan. 4, 1993	Allen Kolstad	Republican	Stephens
Jan. 4, 1993 - Jan. 1997	Dennis Rehberg	Republican	Racicot
Jan. 1997 - Jan. 2, 2001	Judy Martz	Republican	Racicot
Jan. 2, 2001 - Jan. 3, 2005	Carl Ohs	Republican	Martz
Jan. 3, 2005 - Jan. 7, 2013	John Bohlinger	Republican	Schweitzer
Jan. 7, 2013 - Feb. 9, 2014	John E. Walsh	Democrat	Bullock
Feb. 17, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2016	Angela McLean	Democrat	Bullock
Jan. 4, 2016 - Jan. 4, 2021	Mike Cooney	Democrat	Bullock
Jan. 4, 2021 - present	Kristen Juras	Republican	Gianforte

Territorial Period

Term	Name	Political Party
1881-1882	Thomas J. Lowry
1883-1884	John A. Johnston
1885-	William H. Hunt
Dec. 31, 1887 - Mar. 24, 1889	William E. Cullen
Mar. 25, 1889 - Nov. 8, 1889	John B. Clayberg

 

State Period

Term	Name	Political Party
Nov. 8, 1889 - Jan. 4, 1897	Henri J. Haskell	Republican
Jan. 4, 1897 - Jan. 7, 1901	C. B. Nolan	Democrat
Jan. 7, 1901 - Jan. 2, 1905	James Donovan	Democrat
Jan. 2, 1905 - Jan. 6, 1913	Albert J. Galen	Republican
Jan. 6, 1913 - May 31, 1915	Daniel M. Kelly	Democrat
May 31, 1915 - Jan. 1, 1917	J. P. Poindexter	Democrat
Jan. 1, 1917 - Jan. 3, 1921	Samuel C. Ford	Republican
Jan. 3, 1921 - Aug. 30, 1924	Wellington Rankin	Republican
Aug. 30, 1924 - Jan. 2, 1933	L. A. Foot	Republican
Jan. 2, 1933 - Oct. 31, 1936	Raymond T. Nagle	Democrat
Oct. 31, 1936 - Jan. 4, 1937	Enor K. Matson	Democrat
Jan. 4, 1937 - Jan. 6, 1941	Harrison Freebourn	Democrat
Jan. 6, 1941 - May 1, 1942	John W. Bonner	Democrat
May 1, 1942 - Aug. 3, 1942	Howard M. Gullickson	Democrat
Aug. 3, 1942 - Jan. 3, 1949	Raymond Victor Bottomly	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1949 - Jan. 7, 1957	Arnold H. Olsen	Democrat
Jan. 7, 1957 - Jan. 5, 1969	Forrest H. Anderson	Democrat
Jan. 5, 1969 - Jan. 2, 1977	Bob Woodahl	Republican
Jan. 2, 1977 - Jan. 2, 1989	Mike Greely	Democrat
Jan. 2, 1989 - Jan. 4, 1993	Marc Racicot	Republican
Jan. 4, 1993 - Jan. 2, 2001	Joe Mazurek	Democrat
Jan. 2, 2001 - Jan. 5, 2009	Mike McGrath	Democrat
Jan. 5, 2009 - Jan. 7, 2013	Steven Clark Bullock	Democrat
Jan. 7, 2013 - Jan. 4, 2021	Timothy Charles Fox	Republican
Jan. 4, 2021 - present	Austin Knudsen	Republican

Secretary of the Territory

Term	Name
Aug. 4, 1865 - Mar. 27, 1867	Thomas Francis Meagher
Mar. 28, 1867 - Apr. 19, 1869	James Tufts
Apr. 20, 1869 - July 18, 1870	Wiley S. Scribner
July 19, 1870 - Jan. 20, 1871	Add. H Sanders
Jan. 21, 1871 - May 9, 1877	James E. Callaway
May 10, 1877 - May 31, 1882	James H. Mills
June 1, 1882 - April 20, 1884	Isaac D. McCutcheon
April 21, 1884 - Oct. 22, 1885	John S. Tooker
Oct. 23, 1885 - April 14, 1889	William B. Webb
April 15, 1889 - Nov. 8, 1889	L. A. Walker

 

Secretary of State

Term	Name	Political Party	Notes
Nov. 1889 - Jan. 1897	Louis Rotwitt	Republican
Jan. 1897 - Jan. 1901	T. S. Hogan	Populist
Jan. 1901 - Jan. 1905	George M. Hays	Democrat
Jan. 1905 - Aug. 1911	Abraham N. Yoder	Republican	Died while in office
Aug. 1911 - Jan.. 1913	Thomas M. Swindlehurst	Democrat
Jan. 1913 - Dec. 1916	Adelbert M. Alderson	Democrat
Jan. 1917 - March 3, 1927	Charles T. Stewart	Republican	Impeached
March 3, 1927 - May 1, 1927	Robert N. Hawkins	Democrat	Temporary appt.; resigned
May 1, 1927 - April 1928	William Powers	Democrat	Resigned
April 1928 - Jan. 1929	John W. Mountjoy	Democrat
Jan. 1929 - Jan. 1933	William E. Harmon	Republican
Jan. 1933 - June 1955	Sam W. Mitchell	Democrat	Died while in office
June 1955 - Jan. 1957	S. C. Arnold	Republican	Appointed to finish Mitchell's term
Jan. 1957 - Jan. 1981	Frank Murray	Democrat
Jan. 1981 - April 1988	Jim Waltermire	Republican	Died while in office
April 1988 - Jan. 1989	Verner Bertelsen	Republican	Appointed to finish Waltermire's term
Jan. 1989 - Jan. 2001	Mike Cooney	Democrat
Jan. 2001 - Jan. 2004	Bob Brown	Republican
Jan. 2005 - Jan. 5, 2009	Brad Johnson	Republican
Jan. 5, 2009 - Jan. 2017	Linda McCulloch	Democrat
Jan. 2017 - Jan. 4, 2021	Corey Stapleton	Republican
Jan 4. 2021 - present	Christi Jacobsen	Republican

 

For more information on the Secretary of State, please visit the Secretary of State's History of the Office website.

Territorial Period

Term	Name
Feb. 8, 1865 - Mar. 19, 1866	John S. Lott
Mar. 20, 1866 - Dec. 5, 1867	John H. Ming
Dec. 6, 1867 - Feb. 11, 1874	William H. Rodgers
Feb. 12, 1874 - Nov. 30, 1874	George Callaway
Dec. 1, 1874 - Jan. 4, 1876	Solomon Star
Feb. 22, 1876 - Feb. 21, 1879	D. H. Cuthbert
Feb. 22, 1879 - Mar. 4, 1887	Joseph P. Woolman
Mar. 5, 1887 - Nov. 8, 1889	James Sullivan

 

State Period

Term	Name	Political Party	Notes
Nov. 8, 1889 - Jan. 2, 1893	Edwin A. Kenney	Republican
Jan. 2, 1893 - Jan. 4, 1897	Andrew B. Cook	Republican
Jan. 4, 1897 - Jan. 7, 1901	Thomas W. Poindexter, Jr.	Democrat
Jan. 7, 1901 - Jan. 2, 1905	James H. Calderhead	Populist	Elected on a fusion ticket
Jan. 2, 1905 - Dec. 1911	Henry R. Cunningham	Republican	Resigned
Dec. 15, 1911 - Jan. 1913	C. M. McCoy	?	Appointed
Jan. 1913 - June 23, 1917	William Keating	Democrat	Died in office
June 28, 1917 - Jan. 6, 1919	Rufus G. Poland	Democrat	Appointed
Jan. 6, 1919 - Jan. 3, 1933	George P. Porter	Republican
Jan. 3, 1933 - May 12, 1962	John J. Holmes	Democrat
May 14, 1962 - Jan. 1985	E. V. "Sonny" Omholt	Republican	Appointed then elected in Nov. 1962 and thereafter
Jan. 1985 - Jan. 4, 1993	Andrea Bennett	Republican
Jan. 4, 1993 - Jan. 2, 2001	Mark O'Keefe	Democrat
Jan. 2, 2001 - Jan. 5, 2009	John Morrison	Democrat
Jan. 5, 2009 - Jan. 2017	Monica Lindeen	Democrat
Jan. 2017 - Jan. 2021	Matthew Rosendale	Republican
Jan. 2021 - present	Troy Downing	Republican

Territorial Period

Term	Name
Feb. 8, 1865 - Mar. 19, 1866	John J. Hull
Mar. 20, 1866 - Dec. 11, 1867	John S. Rockfellow
Dec. 12, 1867 - July 19, 1871	William G. Barkley
July 20, 1871 - June 30, 1875	Richard O. Hickman
July 1, 1875 - Mar. 5, 1887	Daniel H. Weston
Mar. 6, 1887 - Nov. 8, 1889	William G. Preuitt

 

State Period

Term	Name	Political Party	Notes
Nov. 8, 1889 - Jan. 3, 1893	R. O. Hickman	Republican
Jan. 3, 1893 - Jan. 5, 1897	F. W. Wright	Republican
Jan. 5, 1897 - Jan. 7, 1901	Timothy E. Collins	Democrat
Jan. 7, 1901 - Jan. 2, 1905	A. N. Barret	Democrat
Jan. 2, 1905 - Jan. 4, 1909	James H. Rice	Republican
Jan. 4, 1909 - Jan. 6, 1913	Elmer E. Esselstyn	Republican
Jan. 6, 1913 - Jan. 1, 1917	William C. Rae	Democrat
Jan. 1, 1917 - Jan. 1, 1921	H. L. Hart	Republican
Jan. 1, 1921 - Feb. 3, 1923	J. W. Walker	Republican	resigned
Feb. 3, 1923 - Jan. 5, 1925	O. H. Junod	?	appointed
Jan. 6, 1925 - Jan. 7, 1929	W. E. Harmon	Republican
Jan. 7, 1929 - Jan. 1, 1932	F. E. Williams	Republican
Jan. 3, 1933 - Jan. 4, 1937	James J. Brett	Democrat
Jan. 4, 1937 - Jan. 6, 1941	Ray N. Shannon	Democrat
Jan. 6, 1941 - Aug. 22, 1944	Thomas E. Carey	Democrat	died
Aug. 22, 1944 - Dec. 31, 1944	T. H. MacDonald	?	appointed
Jan. 1, 1945 - Jan. 3, 1949	George P. Porter	Republican

Territorial Period

Term	Name
Feb. 10, 1865 - 1866	Thomas J. Dimsdale*
1866	Peter Ronan*
Sep. 8, 1866 - Mar. 3, 1867	A. H. Barrett*
Mar. 4, 1867 - Jan. 4, 1868	A. M. S. Carpenter*
Feb. 1, 1868 - July 16, 1869	Thomas F. Campbell
1869	James H. Mills*
1869	Rev. S. G. Lathrop*
Jan. 27, 1872 - Jan. 15, 1878	Cornelius Hedges
Jan. 16, 1878 - Feb. 18, 1879	Clark Wright
Feb. 19, 1879 - Feb. 22, 1881	W. Egbert Smith
Feb. 23, 1881 - Feb. 21, 1883	Robert H. Howey
Feb. 22, 1883 - Mar. 17, 1885	Cornelius Hedges
Mar. 18, 1885 - Mar. 11, 1887	William W. Wylie
Mar. 12, 1887 - Nov. 8, 1889	Arthur C. Logan

 

State Period

Term	Name	Political Party	Notes
Nov. 8, 1889 - Jan. 2, 1893	John Gannon
Jan. 2, 1893 - Jan. 4, 1897	Eugene A. Steere	Republican
Jan. 4, 1897 - Jan. 7, 1901	Evans A. Carleton	Republican	elected on the Fusion ticket
Jan. 7, 1901 - Jan. 2, 1905	W. W. Welch	Democrat	elected on the Fusion ticket
Jan. 2, 1905 - Jan. 5, 1913	Wilfred E. Harmon	Republican
Jan. 6, 1913 - Jan. 1, 1917	Henry A. Davee	Democrat
Jan. 1, 1917 - Jan. 1929	May Trumper	Republican
Jan. 1929 - Jan. 1937	Elizabeth Ireland	Republican
Jan. 1937 - Jan. 1941	Ruth Reardon	Democrat
Jan. 1941 - Jan. 1949	Elizabeth Ireland	Republican
Jan. 1949 - Jan. 1957	Mary M. Condon	Democrat
Jan. 1957 - Jan. 1969	Harriet Miller	Republican / Democrat	originally elected as Republican in 1956; switched to Democratic party in 1964
Jan. 1969 - Jan. 1977	Dolores Colburg	Democrat
Jan. 1977 - Jan. 1981	Georgia Ruth Rice	Democrat
Jan. 1981 - Jan. 1989	Ed Argenbright	Republican
Jan. 1989 - Jan. 2001	Nancy Keenan	Democrat
Jan. 2001 - Jan. 5, 2009	Linda McCulloch	Democrat
Jan. 5, 2009 - Jan. 2017	Denise Juneau	Democrat	first Native American woman elected to state-wide office
Jan. 2017 - Present	Elsie Arntzen	Republican

U. S. Territorial Delegates

Term	Name	Political Party
Oct. 24, 1864 - March 3, 1867	Samuel McLean	Democrat
March 4, 1867 - March 3, 1871	James Michael Cavanaugh	Democrat
March 4, 1871 - March 3, 1873	William Horace Claggett	Republican
March 4, 1873 - March 3, 1885	Martin Maginnis	Democrat
March 4, 1885 - March 3, 1889	Joseph Kemp Toole	Democrat
March 4, 1889 - Nov. 7, 1889	Thomas Henry Carter	Republican

 At-Large

At-Large

Term	Name	Political Party
Nov. 8, 1889 - March 3, 1891	Thomas Henry Carter	Republican
March 4, 1891 - March 3, 1893	William Wirt Dixon	Democrat
March 4, 1893 - March 3, 1899	Charles Sampson Hartman	Republican (1893-1897) & Silver Republican (1897-1899)
March 4, 1899 - March 3, 1901	Albert James Campbell	Democrat
March 4, 1901 - March 3, 1903	Caldwell Edwards	Populist
March 4, 1903 - March 3, 1907	Joseph Moore Dixon	Republican
March 4, 1907 - March 3, 1913	Charles Nelson Pray	Republican
March 4, 1913 - March 3, 1919	John Morgan Evans	Democrat
March 4, 1913 - March 3, 1917	Tom Stout	Democrat
March 4, 1917 - March 3, 1919	Jeannette Rankin	Republican

 

1st District

1st District

Term	Name	Political Party
March 4, 1919 - March 3, 1921	John Morgan Evans	Democrat
March 4, 1921 - March 3, 1923	Washington Jay McCormick	Republican
March 4, 1923 - March 3, 1933	John Morgan Evans	Democrat
March 4, 1933 - Jan. 3, 1937	Joseph Patrick Monaghan	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1937 - Jan. 3, 1939	Jerry Joseph O'Connell	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1939 - Jan. 3, 1941	Jacob Thorkelson	Republican
Jan. 3, 1941 - Jan. 3, 1943	Jeannette Rankin	Republican
Jan. 3, 1943 - Jan. 3, 1953	Michael Joseph Mansfield	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1953 - Jan. 3, 1961	Lee Warren Metcalf	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1961 - Jan. 3, 1971	Arnold Olsen	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1971 - Jan. 3, 1974	Richard Gardner (Dick) Shoup	Republican
Jan. 3, 1975 - Dec. 14, 1978	Max Sieben Baucus	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1979 - Jan. 3, 1993	John Patrick (Pat) Williams	Democrat
2023 - present	Ryan Zinke	Republican

 

2nd District

2nd District

Term	Name	Political Party
March 4, 1919 - March 3, 1923	Carl Wood Riddick	Republican
March 4, 1923 - March 3, 1933	Scott Leavitt	Republican
March 4, 1933 - Jan. 3, 1937	Roy Elmer Ayers	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1937 - Jan. 15, 1945	James Francis O'Connor	Democrat
June 5, 1945 - Jan. 3, 1955	Wesley Abner D'Ewart	Republican
Jan. 3, 1955 - Jan. 3, 1957	Orvin Benonie Fjare	Republican
Jan. 3, 1957 - Jan. 3, 1961	Leroy Hagen Anderson	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1961 - Feb. 27, 1969	James Franklin Battin	Republican
June 24, 1969 - Jan. 3, 1977	John Melcher	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1977 - Jan. 3, 1993	Ronald Charles Marlenee	Republican
2023- present	Matt Rosendale	Republican

 

At-Large

At-Large

Term	Name	Political Party
Jan. 3, 1993 - Jan. 3, 1997	John Patrick (Pat) Williams	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1997 - Jan. 3, 2001	Rick Hill	Republican
Jan. 3, 2001 - Jan. 3, 2013	Dennis Rehberg	Republican
Jan. 3, 2013 - Jan. 3, 2015	Steven David Daines	Republican
Jan. 3, 2015 - March 1, 2017	Ryan Zinke	Republican
June 2017 - Jan. 3, 2021	Greg Gianforte	Republican
Jan. 3, 2021 - 2023	Matt Rosendale	Republican

Seat #1

Seat #1

Term	Name	Political Party
Jan. 1, 1890 - March 3, 1893	Wilbur Fisk Sanders	Republican
Jan. 16, 1895 - March 3, 1899	Lee Mantle	Republican, Silver Republican
Dec. 4, 1899 - May 15, 1900	William Andrews Clark	Democrat
March 7, 1901 - March 3, 1905	Paris Gibson	Democrat
March 4, 1905 - March 3, 1911	Thomas Henry Carter	Republican
March 4, 1911 - March 3, 1923	Henry Lee Myers	Democrat
March 4, 1923 - Jan. 3, 1947	Burton Kendall Wheeler	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1947 - Jan. 3, 1953	Zales Nelson Ecton	Republican
Jan. 3, 1953 - Jan. 3, 1977	Michael Joseph Mansfield	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1977 - Jan. 3, 1989	John Melcher	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1989 - Jan. 3, 2007	Conrad Burns	Republican
Jan. 3, 2007 - Present	Jon Tester	Democrat

 

Seat #2

Seat #2

Term	Name	Political Party
Jan. 2, 1890 - March 3, 1895	Thomas Charles Power	Republican
March 4, 1895 - March 3, 1901	Thomas Henry Carter	Republican
March 4, 1901 - March 3, 1907	William Andrews Clark	Democrat
March 4, 1907 - March 3, 1913	Joseph Moore Dixon	Republican
March 4, 1913 - March 2, 1933	Thomas James Walsh	Democrat
March 13, 1933 - Nov. 6, 1934	John Edward Erickson	Democrat
Nov. 7, 1934 - Jan. 3, 1961	James Edward Murray	Democrat
Jan. 3, 1961 - Jan. 12, 1978	Lee Warren Metcalf	Democrat
Jan. 22, 1978 - Dec. 14, 1978	Paul Gerhart Hatfield	Democrat
Dec. 15, 1978 - Feb. 6, 2014	Max Sieben Baucus	Democrat
Feb. 9, 2014 - Jan. 3, 2015	John E. Walsh	Democrat
Jan. 3, 2015 - Present	Steven David Daines	Republican

For resources on Montana State Legislators, visit the Montana Legislature's Facts and Statistics website. 

The Library & Archives also has some resources available about Montana State Legislators available in our Reference Room. Please contact us by submitting a research request.

We put together some Montana Firsts for to help researchers and, perhaps, spark conversation and debate. The allocation of "first" often depends on definition and personal perceptions of the topic, and primary sources sometimes contradict each other. This is not a definitive list but a work in progress organized by broad category.

We anticipate hearing from researchers in regards to other "firsts." If you have one not on our list, please contact us at mthslibrary@mt.gov. 

Opera

• First opera performed in Montana was "Pinafore." It was performed during the winter of 1879-1880, in Helena, as a charity benefit for public school and public library with Laura E. Howey, later Librarian of State Historical Society. (Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, Vol. VI (1907) p. 26A)

Flour mill

• St. Mary's Mission 1845-46

 

McDonald's

• First McDonald's Restaurant in Montana constructed on August 19, 1969 at 1046 Grand Avenue, Billings. Followed shortly by the construction of the 1729 10th Ave South Great Falls. (McDonald's regional office in Illinois, November 23, 1987)

Higher Education

• The first institution of higher learning in the Territory of Montana, The Montana Collegiate, opened its doors in 1880. It owed its existence to the broad vision of Hon. Conrad Kohrs, Hon. W.A. Clark, Gov. S.Y. Hauser, Mr. S.E. Larabie and others, and was located in Deer Lodge. Soon it was decided that it would be preferable to place the college under a religious denomination. The Montana Collegiate was soon taken over by the Presbytery of Montana on August 23, 1882. Under the Presbyterian auspices "The College of Montana" opened its doors on September 10, 1883. (History of Higher Education in Montana, 1883-1958, Rock Mountain College)

 

• Montana's first professional organization for training teachers, known as the Madison County Teacher's Institute, organized in Virginia City in April 1875. The Teacher's Institute did not approach the sophistication or intense training of a teacher's college or normal school. However, it did provide a vital service to a fledgling society of professionals on the frontier.  Membership in the association was open to "any practical teacher, school officer or friend of education" who subscribed to the association's constitution and bylaws. The Teacher's Institute was dedicated to the "improvement of its members in the science and art of teaching and the general advancement of our educational interests." The group's intention was to meet annually for 3 or more days at a time, though records only exist for meetings in 1875, 1876, 1878, 1881, 1883, and 1884. The meetings of the Institute consisted of lectures, exercises, and very practical discussions concerning everything from educational methods to textbooks and corporal punishment. Judging by the minutes, the group's discussion appears to be lively and at times contentious, but a professional atmosphere and camaraderie is also evident. The Madison County Teacher's Institute is a very early and significant example of the people of Montana Territory developing a means to advance the educational profession despite the isolated, frontier nature of their community. (The Institute's constitution and meeting minutes are available in Small Collection 439 at the MHS Research Center.)

 

Public Schools

• The first formal school on record seems to have been at Fort Owen in Bitterroot in 1862. The pupils were Indian children and the children of the employees at Fort Owen. The first term opened in early winter and continued until February 28, taught by a Mr. Robinson. (Firsts; vertical files)

 

• The firsts schools for white children appear to have been in the major mining camps. During the winter of 1863 and 1864 Miss Lucia Darling, a niece of Governor Edgerton, taught school in Bannack. Miss Kate Dunlap opened a school in the Nevada City district of Alder Gulch the summer of 1863. (Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, Volume V., p. 196)

 

• The public high school movement began when Helena opened a three-year course in 1876, and graduated its first class of three young ladies in 1879. The single course was called "Collegiate Course," and was strongly college preparatory. (Firsts; vertical files)

Counties

• The first Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Montana set the boundaries for nine counties in the Territory in 1865.  These counties were Missoula, Deer Lodge, Beaver Head, Madison, Jefferson, Edgerton (later Lewis and Clark), Gallatin, Choteau, and Big Horn.  Big Horn County was attached to Gallatin County for legislative and administrative purposes.  Big Horn County covered almost 1/3 of the state, stretching from Canada to Wyoming.  By 1889 this county had been divided into Dawson and Custer counties.  Big Horn county ceased to exist until 1913, when a new Big Horn County was created.   (Acts, Resolutions and Memorials of the Territory of Montana Passed by the First Legislative Assembly, 1865, p528-530; Roberta Cheney, Names on the Face of Montana, p 22.)

 

Elected Officials

• The first woman elected to the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was May Trumper.  She was in office from 1917-1929. (May Trumper vertical file)

 

• The first woman elected to the office of State Treasurer was Edna Hinman.  She was in office from 1954-1956 and again from 1960-1964.  She was also the first female Clerk of the Supreme Court.

 

• The first woman elected to the office of State Auditor was Andrea Bennett.  She was in office from 1985-1983.

 

• The first woman to serve on the Montana Supreme Court was Justice Diane Barz.  She served from 1989-1991.

 

• The first woman to serve as both Lt. Governor and Governor was Judy Martz.  She was in office from 1997-2000 and 2001-2005, respectively.

 

• The first women elected as Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court was Karla M. Gray.  She served from 2001-2008.

 

• The first woman elected to the office of Secretary of State was Linda McCulloch.  She began her term in office in 2009.

 

Lawsuit

• The first lawsuit in Montana was held at Hell Gate in March, 1862, an action brought by "Tin Cup" Joe against Baron O'Keefe. A row broke out between the litigants while the trial was taking place. Guns flashed-and the court and jury took to their heels. "Tin Cup" had the better of the suit --or the heavy artillery. (Firsts; vertical file)

 

Legislature

• The first session of the Montana Legislature was held at Bannack, Montana on December 12, 1864. (Firsts; vertical file)

 

• The first law signed by Territorial Governor Sidney Edgerton, and therefore the first laws passed in Montana, was an act to incorporate the Missouri River Rocky Mountain Wagon Road and Telegraph Company. It was signed November 27, 1864. (Firsts; vertical file)

 

• The laws of the Montana Territory were first printed in 1866 under the supervision of Edward R. Neally by authority of Acting Governor Thomas Francis Meagher who was empowered by the legislative assembly on January 31, 1865, to have the laws printed. (Firsts; vertical file)

 

• The first women elected to the Montana Legislature were Maggie Smith Hathaway and Emma A. Ingalls.  They were elected in Nov. 1916 and their terms began in Jan. 1917.  (Maggie Smith Hathaway and Emma Ingalls vertical files)

 

Post Office

• Hell Gate in Missoula County was established in 1862 as a part of Washington Territory. This post office was in existence until 1866. (Montana Post Offices & Postmasters, Dennis J. Lutz, 1986)

 

Public Buildings

• The first public building erected by the State of Montana was turned over to the governor in March of 1894. The reform school, located in Miles City, was erected, under the provisions of an act approved March 1, 1893, by a board appointed by the governor consisting of J.W. Strevell, C.R. Middleton and H.B. Wiley. (New Northwest, Deer Lodge, March 24, 1894)

First White Children Born in Montana

Gold Creek

• According to the autobiographical sketch written by Alvina T. Pelkey in 1923 and published in The Report of the Historian of the Society of Montana Pioneers for 1924 "I was born at St. Louis Missouri, on the 22nd day of May, 1845. When but fourteen years of age, I was married to Augustus G. Pelkey in St. Louis and it was there that our first child was born. In April, 1861, when this child was six months old, with others we decided to go to Montana..... Six months of travel and we reached the Missoula valley in the fall, wintering through a hard winter. The men found no work that winter. In the spring of 1862 we went to Gold Creek where our second child (Mary Louise) was born, the first white girl in that part of Montana, her cousin, Jeff Pelkey, being the first white child of Montana."(Alvina and Augustus Pelkey; Vertical Files)

 

Alder Gulch

• H. I. Wilson of Sheridan, Madison County, claims that he was first boy born in Alder Gulch on April 26, 1864. However, pioneers claim that the first white child born in Alder Gulch was Jefferson Doggett on October 29, 1863. (Alder Gulch; Vertical Files)

 

Who was the first white woman in Montana?

There are many contenders for this distinction. Several possibilities include:

• The Missoulian newspaper reported that "in the spring or summer of 1855 Henry G. Miller and his wife Minnie accompanied Dr. Lansdale, who was an agent for the Flathead, from Fort Hall to this country." The article explains that "Mrs. Miller was born in Vermont and brought up Mormon, and resided with her parents at North Ogden, Utah, at the time of her marriage, contrary to their wishes, and which resulted in the departure of the newly-wedded couple for Fort Hall, in order to escape the Mormon wrath. Mrs. Miller was not more than sixteen years of age when she came to this county, and remained here for more than one year without seeing a women, other than Indian squaws and half-breeds of the country." (Missoulian, January 20, 1875)

 

• According to the Silver State newspaper, Mrs. Alva Mason was the first white woman to set foot on Montana soil. Mrs. Mason was married to Hugh O'Neil in Utah and the young couple came to Montana on horseback, arriving at Fort Missoula on August 20, 1858. The news article continues, "Being the first white women in Montana and the first one the Indians had ever seen, she was held by them in great wonder and accorded all respect of a princess of their own people." (Silver State, Deer Lodge, January 28, 1915)

 

• The February 24, 1941 Montana News Association News Inserts, reported that Mrs. Tom Brown was the first woman in Montana. The article explained that when Mrs. Brown was a young girl in Scotland a Lord was taking his lady out to the Selkirk (Red river) settlements, wished to engage a maid to go with them. She was the only one in her village bold enough to go. Mrs. Brown explains "we went to the Red river; it was very lonesome there, and most of the time I had to stay inside the stockade, and it was there I met my man and fell in love with him. The lady who had brought me from Scotland objected to our marriage. After her death I was offered my passage home but declined it to marry my man" The family left the Red river settlement in 1857 to go to Colville, and their road took them through the northwestern part of what is now Montana. They spent one winter at the Hudson’s Bay post on the Pruin River on the Jocko reservation. (Montana News Association News Inserts, February 24, 1941 (1))

 

Women

Run a State Agency

• Mrs. M. L. Cunningham was appointed Matron-in-charge of the Montana Deaf and Dumb Asylum in 1893. (First Annual Report of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum to the State Board of Education, year ending December 1, 1895, Helena, MT, State Publishing Company, 1896, p. 7-9)

 

Elected to Public Office

• Helen Piotopowaka Clarke, 1848-1923, the first woman elected to public office in Montana. Miss Clarke was elected Lewis and Clark County Superintendent of schools in 1882, again in 1884. She was the daughter of an employee of the American Fur Company and a Blackfeet woman. She was educated in the East where she had a brief career as an actress before returning to Montana to become a teacher. (Helena Independent Record, June 15, 1995)

 

• Jeannette Rankin, 1880-1973, was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Rankin was a pacifist, suffragist, prohibitionist, and social activist. As congresswoman she voted against declaration of war in 1917 and again in 1941. (Jeannette Rankin; Vertical Files)

 

Homesteading

• Margaret Macumber, first women to file for a homestead after the passage of the homestead law on September 8, 1870. The homestead file was for half of the southeast quarter and the east half of the Northeast quarter of section 24, two south, range 5 east, in Gallatin County. (Kalispell Times, September 19, 1918)

 

Sports

• Barbara Meyer, a Valley county native and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roman Stein of Glasgow, was Montana's first certified lady jockey. (Glasgow Courier, August 6, 1970)

 

Incarceration

• Felicite Sanchez, first women ever incarcerated in the Montana Penitentiary, 1878. She was sentenced to three years by the District of Missoula county for the crime of manslaughter. According to the newspaper account "she arrived about noon on Tuesday in charge of Thomas K. Andrews, Deputy Sheriff. Being taken by the officer, she put her feet on the stove and proceeded to roll a cigarette, which she fabricated with great skill and smoked with manifest enjoyment." (New North-West, Deer Lodge, December 6, 1878)

 

Organizations

• Florence Fogler, of Billings, was the first woman elected to the American Insitute of Electrical Engineers ("Roundup Tribune", January 10, 1916)

 

Perform a marriage

• Mrs. John Duff was the first woman Justice of the Peace to perform a marriage in Montana. She presided over the marriage of John Hahn of Missoula and Ethel Tritt of Chinook. ("Harlem News", May 14, 1915)

 

Stenographer

• Judge W. I. Lippincott of Butte was the first stenographer in Montana. He transcribed the stenographic notes of the 1884 Constitutional Convention and created a complete record of the convention. (W. I. Lippincott; Vertical Files)

Agriculture

 

• The first crop of wheat was grown in Gallatin county in 1864 on the farm owned by John J. Thomas. The farm was located on the East Gallatin river about three miles northeast of Belgrade (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, June 16, 1915)

 

• The first threshing machine was run for the first time in Gallatin valley during the summer of 1865 by Ben F. Bisel . (Bozeman Chronicle, February 15, 1920)

 

Homestead

• David D. Carpenter of Helena, first person in Montana to file for a homestead after the passage of the homestead law on August 1, 1868. The homestead file was on a tract on the outskirts of Helena, part of which later became the property and grounds of the old Lewis and Clark County Hospital. (David Hilger papers, 1867-1935, Small Collection 854)

 

• Margaret Maceumber, first women to file for a homestead after the passage of the homestead law on September 8, 1870. The homestead file was for half of the southeast quarter and the east half of the Northeast quarter of section 24, two south, range 5 east. (Kalispell Times, September 19, 1918)

 

Oil

• Montana's first oil discovery was made August 10, 1864, twelve and half miles northwest of where the Bozeman trail crosses the Big Horn river in what is now Big Horn County. According to David B. Weaver "a search for water by thirsty members of an emigrant party led to a stagnant pool covered over with petroleum." (Firsts, vertical file)

The list below gives basic information about when specific railroads first began operating in Montana.

• 1881 – Utah & Northern (Butte)
• 1883 – Northern Pacific
• 1889 – Montana Central (Butte – Great Falls)
• 1890 – Great Northern (Havre), 1892 (through Montana)
• 1893 – Butte, Anaconda & Pacific (Butte-Anaconda)
• 1894 – Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (Billings)
• 1909 – Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul (through Montana)

Episcopal Church

 

• When thousands of gold seekers swarmed into Alder Gulch in 1863 Thomas J. Dimsdale was among them. In 1863, Dimsdale read the Episcopal Church service to a gathering of people from various denominations and startled the congregation when he asked the lord to bless Queen Victoria of England instead of President Lincoln. In September of 1866 Dimsdale died, and left as a legacy the start of the first Episcopal Church in Montana. (Montana Standard, November 4, 1971)

 

Christian Service

 

• The Daily Ravalli Republican reported that the first Christian religious service in Montana took place on September 20, 1835, in the deep West Fork area of the upper Bitter Root. The service was preformed by Rev. Samuel Parker, who had branched off from the Marcus Whitman expedition en route to Idaho and Washington. (Daily Ravalli Republican, March 27, 1964)

Electricity

• The first electric light was installed at the Alice Mine in Butte in 1880. (Montana Standard, May 5, 2004, C1)

 

• On August 28, 1882 the first electric lights ever seen in Montana were switched on in downtown Helena. It was reported that "Miss Stella Knight, the little daughter of Mayor Knight, president of the company (and mayor of Helena), had the honor of setting free, by the delicate touch of her little hand up the lever of dynamo machine, the mighty electric current which in a moment flashed along the wire and blazed forth in brilliant light from every lamp..." There was enough current for forty lamps in all, and these lit the heart of the business district, that stretch of Last Chance Gulch which is now the south half of the downtown mall. (McCahon, Dennis, Helena Almanac)

 

Telegraph

• First line was Virginia City to Salt Lake November 2, 1866 

 

Telephone

• The first commercial telephone was in Butte in 1882.

 

• Rocky Mountain Bell was incorporated February 26, 1883

 

• First inter-city call was Butte to Great Falls 1895

 

• First out of state call was Missoula to Mullan, ID 1897

 

Transportation

• John Gillie was the owner of the first factory built car in Butte. Mr. Gillie acquired his auto in 1900 from the "Mobile" Company of America. The factory was located at Kingsland Point, Philipse-Manor-on-the-Hudson, N.Y. John Brisben Walker was president and William A. Bell vice-president of the company. (Montana Standard, Butte, February 14, 1937)

 

• In 1913 the Montana Legislative Assembly passed legislation requiring that every person owning a motor vehicle in the state register that vehicle with the Secretary of State's Office.  The first vehicle registered with the Secretary of State's Office was registered by E. C. Largey of Butte in 1913.  (RS250 Montana Secretary of State Records, Box 17, Folder3]

 

• The first concrete highway was between Butte and Anaconda, October 2, 1920

 

• The first steamboat arrived in Ft. Benton in 1859

 

Typewriter

• The first typewriter was brought into Montana in 1885 by Judge W. I. Lippincott of Butte. It was a Remington typewriter brought in by bull train at a cost of $235 and was for Joe Rosenthal. It was soon sold to Jude DeWitt and later to J. Ross Clark. (W. I. Lippincott, Vertical Files)

Interscholastic Meet (Track and Field and Declamation)

• Held at Montana State University, Missoula. May 19 and 20, 1904.
• Track portion of event - Over 100 athletes participated representing 19 different schools.
• Declamation portion - 18 participants representing 18 schools. (Missoulian May 15; May 19-20)

 

Jockey

• Barbara Meyer, a Valley County native and daugter of Mr. and Mrs. Roman Stein of Glasgow, was Montana's first certified lady jockey. (Glasgow Courier, August 6, 1970)

• Galt, William Wylie; Captain, U.S. Army; WWII; Geyser, Judith Basin County, MT. [SEE: entry under Buried in Montana for additional information]
• Ruhl, Donald Jack; Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; WWII, Columbus, Stillwater County, MT. He is buried in Greybull, Big Horn County, WY. [SEE: entry under Entered the Service in Montana for additional information]

• Galt, William Wylie; Captain, U.S. Army; WWII; Stanford, Judith Basin County, MT.
• McLennon, John; Musician, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Fort Ellis, MT. He is buried in Rock Springs Cemetery, Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, WY. Gallantry in action at Big Hole, MT, August 1877.
• Moran, John; Captain, U.S. Army; Philippine Insurrection; Cascade County, MT. [SEE: entry under Buried in Montana for additional information]
• Parrish, Laverne; Technician 4th Grade (medic) U.S. Army; WWII; Ronan, Lake County, MT [SEE: entry under Buried in Montana for additional information]
• Powers, Leo J.; Private First Class, U.S. Army; WWII; Alder Gulch, Madison County, MT. [SEE: entry under Buried in Montana for additional information]
• Ruhl, Donald Jack; Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; Butte, Silver Bow County, MT.
  PFC Ruhl was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action on Iwo Jima island, February 1945
• Schauer, Henry; Private First Class, U.S. Army; WWII; Scobey, Daniels County, MT. He is buried in Salem, Marion County, OR. PFC Schauer was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, May 1944. He died in 1997.
• Smith, Cornelius Cole; Corporal, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Helena, Lewis and Clark County, MT. He is buried in Evergreen Memorial Park, Riverside, Riverside County CA. Gallantry in action at White River, SD, January 1891.

• Cable, Joseph A.; Private, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Custer Battlefield National Cemetery, Crow Agency, Big Horn County, MT. (Memorial stone only.) Gallantry in action at Cedar Creek, MT, October 1876.
• Coonrod, Aquilla; Sergeant, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Custer Battlefield National Cemetery, Crow Agency, Big Horn County, MT. Gallantry in action at Cedar Creek, MT, October 1876.
• Cummins, Andrew Johnson; Sergeant, U.S. Army; Spanish-American War; Lewistown Cemetery; Lewistown, Fergus County, MT. Gallantry in action at Santiago, Cuba, July 1898.
• Fegan, James; Sergeant, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Custer Battlefield National Cemetery; Crow Agency, Big Horn County, MT. Gallantry in action at Plum Creek, KS, March 1868.
• Galt, William Wylie; Captain, U.S. Army; WWII; Mount Olivet Cemetery, Great Falls, Cascade County, MT. CPT Galt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action at Villa Crocetta, Italy, May 1944.
• Garland, Harry; Corporal, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Fort Missoula Post Cemetery, Missoula, Missoula County, MT. Gallantry in action at Little Muddy Creek, MT, May 1877.
• Himmelsback, Michael; Private, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Fort Missoula Post Cemetery, Missoula, Missoula County, MT. Gallantry in action at Little Blue, NE, May 1870.
• Hogan, Henry; First Sergeant, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Custer County Cemetery, Miles City, Custer County, MT. (Dual recipient) 1SG Hogan is one of only 19 men in U.S. history to receive two Medals of Honor, and one of only 14 men to receive the medal for two separate actions. One earned at Cedar Creek, MT; October 1876, the other at Bear Paw Mountain, MT, in February, 1877 during battles with the Nez Perce Indians.
• Hunt, Frederick D.; Private, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Montana Veterans Home Cemetery, Columbia Falls, Flathead County, MT. Gallantry in action, Cedar Creek, MT, October 1876.
• Kreher, Wendelin; First Sergeant, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Custer Battlefield National Cemetery, Crow Agency, Big Horn County, MT. Gallantry in action at Cedar Creek, MT, October 1876.
• Leonard, William; Private, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Mayn Cemetery, White Sulphur Springs, Meagher County, MT. Gallantry in action at Muddy Creek, MT, May 1877.
• McCann, Bernard; Private, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Custer Battlefield National Cemetery, Crow Agency, Big Horn County, MT. Gallantry in action at Cedar Creek, MT, Oct 1876.
• Moran, John E.; Captain U.S. Army; Philippine Insurrection; Highland Cemetery, Great Falls, Cascade County, MT. Awarded for gallantry in action in Luzon, Philippines, September 1900.
• Parrish, Laverne; Technician 4th Grade (medic), U.S. Army; WWII; Mountain View Cemetery, Ronan, Lake County, MT. The citizens of Ronan, MT recently erected an ornate but appropriate monument to Tech 4 Laverne Parrish, at Parrish’s gravesite. He earned the Medal of Honor posthumously for gallantry in action in the Philippines in January, 1945, while administering first-aid to 37 wounded soldiers while under fire. His original nondescript flat dark gray government-issue headstone had only the letters “MH” and nothing more to denote he was a Medal of Honor recipient: no gold engraved medallion, no words spelled out in full, just the plain and vague letters “MH.”
• Powers, Leo J.; Private First Class, U.S. Army; WWII; Holy Cross Cemetery, Butte, Silver Bow County, MT. PFC Powers was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action near Cassino, Italy in February, 1944. He died in 1967.
• Pym, James J.; Private, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Custer County Cemetery, Miles City, Custer County, MT. PVT Pym earned his Medal of Honor during the Battle of the Little Big Horn (Custer’s Last Stand), 25 – 26 June 1876. LTC George Armstrong Custer commanded the entire 7th Cavalry Regiment. Pym was in B. Company, 7th U.S. Cavalry. Captain Thomas
• McDougal commanded B. Company; he was also in charge of the 7th’s pack trains. Because of the slow pace of the mule pack trains, McDougal (and Pym) arrived on the battlefield after Sioux warriors destroyed Custer. McDougal reinforced Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen on what is now known as “Reno Hill” at the Custer Battlefield National Monument, Crow Agency, Big Horn County, MT. Pym risked his life by leaving the steep hill and making the perilous trip down to the Little Big Horn River to get water for the wounded soldiers. Pym died in 1893, age 41 years.
• Veuve, Ernest; Farrier, U.S. Army; Indian Campaigns; Missoula Cemetery, Missoula, Missoula County, MT. Awarded for gallantry in action at Staked Plains, TX, November 1874. Note: A “farrier” took care of the horses’ hooves.

Montanans have historically served their country in higher numbers than most states. Our state has paid a dear price in earning its place in American military history. This section contains statistics showing the numbers of Montanans listed as casualties for the major wars of the 20th & 21st centuries.

A major secondary source for the history of Montanans in military service is Montana in the Wars, compiled by Chester K. Shore (American Legion and Auxilary of Montana, 1977). The several sources listed below may be examined for more detailed information about this subject, including lists of names of Montanans lost in World War II and the recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Montana World War I Casualties

Killed in Action or Died of Wounds	681
Died of Disease in War Zone	253
Died of Disease and Other Causes, Out of War Zone	618
Wounded	2,469
Missing	1

 

Source: Chester K. Shore, Montana in the Wars (American Legion and Auxilary of Montana, 1977), p. 69.

Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard

Montana World War II Casualties (Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard)

Killed in Action or Died of Wounds	308
Missing	9
Wounded	415

 

Source: http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ww2/navy-casualties/montana.html, checked 11/13/2009.

 

Army

Montana World War II Casualties (Army)

Killed in Action or Died of Wounds	926
Missing	11
Non-Battle Deaths	493
Findings of Death	123

 

Source: http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ww2/army-casualties/montana.html, checked 11/13/2009.

Montana Korean War Casualties

Killed in Action

350

 

Source: Chester K. Shore, Montana in the Wars (American Legion and Auxilary of Montana, 1977), p. 164.

Montana Vietnam War Casualties

Killed in Action

259

 

Source: Chester K. Shore, Montana in the Wars (American Legion and Auxilary of Montana, 1977), p. 174.

Figures not yet found for Montana casualties of this conflict.

Montana Afghanistan War Casualties

Fatalities	10
Wounded	50

 

Source: http://icasualties.org/, checked 4/4/2013.

This data is for informational purposes only and all sources must be evaluated by the reader as to accuracy.

Montana Iraq War Casualties

Fatalities	28
Wounded	213

 

Source: http://www.icasualties.org/, checked 4/4/2013.

This data is for informational purposes only and all sources must be evaluated by the reader as to accuracy.

Our list of military forts does not include fur trade or privately-run forts but strictly military-operated forts. The information was compiled from K. Ross Toole and Merrill G. Burlingame, A History of Montana (New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1957), Vol. 2, p. 150, Don Miller and Stan Cohen, Military & Trading Posts of Montana (Missoula: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1979), and Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States (New York: MacMillan Publishing Company,1988).

Ancestry.com scanned post returns for the forts. Post returns were "a type of personnel report" made monthly by commanding officers of posts and they "show the units that were stationed at a particular post and their strength, the names and duties of the officers, the number of officers present or absent, a listing of official communications received, and a record of events." You can either search for a person or by post. If searching by post, be search to check the box "Exact" for both the Post Name and the Return Period.

Fort C. F. Smith

Established: 1866
Location: On Bighorn River, some ninety miles from mouth, on crossing of Bozeman Road
Named For: Charles Ferguson Smith, Major General of Volunteers

 

Camp Cooke

Established: 1866
Location: South bank of Missouri just west of mouth of Judith River
Named For: Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke

 

Camp Reynolds / Fort Shaw

Established: 1866 (1867)
Location: On Sun River some twenty miles west of the Missouri
Named For: Colonel Robert G. Shaw

 

Fort Ellis

Established: 1867
Location: Three miles east of Bozeman
Named For: Colonel Augustus Van Horne Ellis

 

Fort Benton

Established: 1870
Location: Present town of Fort Benton
Named For: Took name of fur fort named for Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri

 

Camp Baker / Fort Logan

Established: 1869 (1877)
Location: 18 miles northeast of Diamond City, 15 miles west of White Sulphur Springs
Named For: Major E. M. Baker of Fort Ellis; Fort Logan for Captain William Logan, killed in Battle of the Big Hole

 

Camp (Cantonment) Porter

Established: 1873
Location: 3 miles above the mouth of Glendive Creek along the banks of the Yellowstone River

 

Fort Missoula

Established: 1877
Location: Five miles south of Missoula
Named For: Took name of town

 

Fort Keogh

Established: 1877
Location: On Yellowstone at mouth of Tongue River
Named For: Captain Myles W. Keogh, 7th Cavalry, killed on Bighorn with Custer

 

Fort Custer

Established: 1877
Location: At junction of Little Bighorn with the Bighorn
Named For: Major General George A. Custer

 

Helena Barracks

Established: 1877
Location: On Helena Fair Grounds about 3 miles outside city
Named For: Took name from town

 

Fort Assiniboine

Established: 1879
Location: Six miles south of Havre
Named For: Took name of Indians

 

Camp Loder

Established: 1879
Location: On Lodge Pole Creek near Fort Musselshell

 

Camp Poplar River

Established: 1880
Location: 2 miles north of the Missouri, on site of the present day town of Poplar
Named For: Took name of river

 

Camp Porter

Established: 1880
Location: Established on Yellowstone River near Glendive Creek, on site of the present day town of Glendive

 

Fort Maginnis

Established: 1880
Location: Judith Basin some twenty miles northeast of Lewistown
Named For: Montana Representative to Congress, Martin Maginnis

 

Camp Crook

Established: 1890
Location: Near what is now the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (old Tongue River Indian Agency)

 

Camp Merritt

Established: 1890
Location: On Lame Deer Creek, near present town of Lame Deer in Rosebud County and what is now the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (old Tongue River Indian Agency)

 

Fort William Henry Harrison

Established: 1892
Location: Five miles northwest of Helena
Named For: President William Henry Harrison; First named Fort Harrison for President Benjamin Harrison; name changed in 1906

Our list of U.S. Presidents who have visited Montana while in office is likely incomplete. Visitors to our Reference Room can find more information in the Presidents Vertical File. 

Know of a visit we're missing? Contact us at mthslibrary@mt.gov to let us know. 

Chester A. Arthur

Yellowstone National Park, September 1, 1883

Theodore Roosevelt

Montana, May 27, 1903
Helena, April 12, 1911

William Howard Taft

Butte, Anaconda, and Helena, September 27, 1909

 

Woodrow Wilson

Billings, Livingston, Helena, September 11, 1919

 

Warren G. Harding

Dillon, Butte, Helena, Livingston, Gardiner, June 28-July 2, 1923

 

Calvin Coolidge Livingston

Yellowstone National Park, August 27, 1927

 

Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Two Medicine, Glacier National Park, Fort Peck Dam, August 5-6, 1934
HiLine, October 3, 1937

Harry S. Truman

Butte, June 8, 1948
Big Sandy, Havre and Great Falls, May 12, 1950
Kalispell (Hungry Horse Dam), October 1, 1952

 

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Missoula, September 22, 1954

 

John F. Kennedy

Billings, September 25, 1963
Great Falls, September 26, 1963

 

Lyndon B. Johnson

Great Falls, September 16, 1964
Butte, October 12, 1964

 

Richard M. Nixon

Kalispell, Libby 1971

 

Gerald Ford

Libby (Libby Dam dedication), August 23, 1975

 

Ronald Reagan

Billings, August 11, 1982
Great Falls, October 28, 1982

 

George H. W. Bush

Helena, September 18, 1989
Billings, July 19-20, 1990

George W. Bush

Great Falls,  2005

 

Barack Obama

Belgrade, August 2009

 

Donald Trump

Great Falls, July 5, 2018
Billings, September 6, 2018
Missoula, October 18, 2018
Bozeman, November 3, 2018

The Northwest’s Great Forest Fire of 1910 consisted of 1,736 fires that ravaged three million acres and killed 85 (possibly 87) people, particularly during August 20 and 21. The fires were fueled by abnormally low amounts of precipitation and soaring high temperatures. Clarence B. Swim of the Forest Service declared: "the late summer of 1910 approached with ominous, sinster, and threatening portents. Dire catastrophe seemed to permeate the very atmosphere. Through the first weeks of August, the sun rose a coppery red ball and passed overhead red and threatening as if announcing an impending disaster. The firey red sun continued day after day. The air felt close, oppressive and explosive. Drift smoke clouded the sky day after day." (Miller, Don and Cohen, Stan The Big Burn The Northwest's Great Forest Fire of 1910)

On June 8, 1917, at about 11:30 p.m., a fire began in the 2,400 foot level of the Granite Mountain Shaft of the Speculator Mine. The fire was touched off by a shift boss when his carbide lamp ignited some oil-soaked electrical cable. Flames roared up the shaft to the surface and into the night sky. Of the 410 men who went to work on the night shift, 165 died. It was the worst catastrophe in the history of Butte mining.(Butte Miner, June 9, 1917)

During the month of October, Montana's capital city was rocked by 710 quakes. The biggest jolt of the series that shook Helena rumbled in at 9:47 p.m. October 18 with a Richter Scale magnitude 6.25. It, and a second violent quake on October 31 took four lives. (Earthquakes; Vertical Files)

On June 19, 1938 47 persons died and 75 were injured when a westbound Milwaukee fast train carrying 155 passengers and a crew of 10 derailed after a cloudburst washed out the Custer Creek bridge near Saugus, Montana. The 11-car train was traveling approximately 50 miles per hour when the trestle gave way at 12:35 a.m. swallowing seven of the cars. (Terry, Montana; Vertical Files)

The explosion at Smith No. 3 mine changed the lives of many. "Seventy-seven men descended into the shaft at the Smith Mine on Saturday morning, February 27, 1943. Three men returned alive." (Carbon County News, February 27, 1943) According to investigators thirty of the miners probably died instantly in the explosion, while the other forty-four were killed shortly after by carbon monoxide gas and lack of oxygen. (Montana The Magazine of Western History 38(2)2-13)

At 11:37 pm on Monday, August 17, 1959, southwest Montana experienced one of the severest earthquakes recorded on the North American continent. The quake shook Madison Canyon causing millions of tons of rock to slide down the mountainside damming up the Madison River. The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks buried Rock Creek campground, trapped hundreds of tourists, and killed 28 people. The Montana-Yellowstone Earthquake also damaged Hebgen dam, created a new lake, and destroyed 20 miles of new road. (Hebgen Lake Earthquake, 1959; Vertical Files)

In the second week of June of 1964, the worst natural disaster in Montana's recorded history turned once picturesque creeks into raging, mile-wide rivers. For the first time since Gibson Dam was built on the Sun River, water came pouring over its top. The huge reservior, swollen by heavy snow melt and pounding rains, spilled its overflow down the face of the 200-foot-high barrier into the Sun. Dams, and railroads washed out, homes and ranches were swept away, and thirty people died. The area affected by the flooding amouted to "nearly thirty thousand square miles, or roughly 20 percent of the state." (Montana The Magazine of Western History 54(2)20-31)

A square-mile area of Helena was evacuated on the morning of February 2, 1989 after a runaway freight train slammed into a work train causing an explosion that knocked out power to much of Helena, shattered windows a mile away, threw debris for blocks, and raised concerns about toxic gases spreading through the community. It couldn’t have happened on a worse day. The temperature at the time of the accident was about 32 degrees below zero, and the resulting power outage cut heat all over town. (Helena Independent Record February 2, 1989)

The summer of 2000 is a fire season marked by miracles and loss, heroism and heartache, smoky skies and blackened backyards, of evacuations, waiting, and planning. By late September of 2000 Montana reported 2,379 fires that were responsible for the destruction of 947,044 acres.(Forest Fires 2000; Vertical Files)