FUN FACTS ABOUT THE STATE OF MONTANA
- The origin of the name “Montana” comes from the Spanish word for “mountainous.”
- Montana is the fourth largest state in the U.S. with the 44th largest population.
- Montana offers almost 28 million acres of public lands, almost 30 percent of the state’s total acreage.
- Montana is home to seven State Forests and 53 State Parks.
- Montana is the only state in the U.S. with a Triple Divide, which allows waters to flow to Hudson Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean.
- Montana has more different species of mammals than any other state in the U.S. There are approximately 100 species of mammals, including elk, bighorn sheep, caribou, and bobcats.
- The Yellowstone River is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the contiguous United States. The longest river in the U.S. by miles, the Missouri River, begins in Montana at the “Three Forks” - the intersection of the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson Rivers.
- Flathead Lake is the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River.
- Glacier National Park has 250 lakes within its boundaries.
- The North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park, located at Gardiner, is the original entrance to the world’s first National Park when it opened.
- The famous ghost town Bannack was founded in 1862 during the largest western gold rush since the California Gold Rush in 1848. It was first capital of Montana Territory until the capital was moved to Virginia City.
- The famous fly-fishing movie “A River Runs Through It” focuses on the Blackfoot River in Montana, but most of the fishing footage was shot on Montana’s Gallatin River.
- The largest observed snowflake fell during a storm in 1887 in Montana. It was measured at 15 inches wide.
- Yogo Sapphires, found only in Montana, are considered to be among the finest sapphires in the world. Their “cornflower blue” color gives them one of the most true-blue colors naturally (without treating).
- “Tufts-Love Rex,” a giant Tyrannosaurus skeleton, was found in 2016 in Hell Creek, Montana. It is one of only 15 virtually intact T. Rex skeletons and one of the largest ever found.
- Jeannette Rankin from Missoula was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1916.
BELOW ARE FUN FACTS AND OTHER INTERESTING ITEMS ON MONTANA
MONTANA WEATHER
The town of Browning, Montana near Glacier Park holds the national record for the greatest temperature drop n 24 hours, for a 100° drop on 1.23.1916.
The temperatures dropped from 44° to -56°f.
On 1.11.1980, when Great Falls set a national weather record for quickest temperature increase in the shortest time, it took just seven minutes to go from -32° to 15°f.
Montana’s record low s -7°f and the record high is 117°f, for a temperature range f 187°. No State has a temperature Range greater than that.
Cooke City near Yellowstone National Park holds the state record for the greatest snowfall in a single season, with 418 inches or 34.8 feet in the winter of 1977-78. However, the town of Summit near Glacier N.P. holds the greatest snowfall n 24 hours; greatest fall in four days; greatest snowfall n five days; and the greatest snowfall when 131 inches of snow fell in 1.1972.
How long would it take to give a lift to the entire population on Montana in the state’s 65 ski lifts.
About 13 hours at maximum capacity of 72,000 people per hour. There are 15 ski areas in the state with a combined area of 14.000 acres of skiing and 548 downhill runs.
IT’S A FACT
Percentage of avalanche victims n the U.S. who are men: 90%.
Percentage of Montana streams flows that originate from melting snow: 70%.
Miles of Interstate in Montana: 1,200.
Miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Montana; 4,000.
MONTANA STATE FLOWER
The Montana state flower is the Bitterroot. It can live for over a year without water and can be revived even after being boiled, dried, or pressed.
It’s tenacity is reflected in it’s Latin name “Lewis’s rediviva” with “Lewisis” being fir Meriwether Lewis who cataloged it, and “rediviva” meaning “one who lives again.”
NAME THAT STATE
The only state that has more hiking trails than Montana’s 15,000 miles of trails is California.
The only state that has more pickup trucks per capital than Montana’s 361 trucks for every 1,000 residents, are North & South Dakota
The only state that has a higher rate of private airplanes than Montana is Alaska.
The only state that has an average daily wind speeds higher than Montana’s 12.7 mph, is Wyoming, average 12.9 mph.
The only state that has more acres of land being farmed than Montana’s 58.6 million acres, is Texas, with 129 million cultivated acres. After Montana comes Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
MONTANA POPULATION: SPARCE
When Hillary Clinton visited the state in 1993, she subscribed as “hyper-rural.” Nationwide about 25% of the population lives in rural areas, but in Montana , 48% do.
The average population density across the state s 6.2 people per square mile.
The only states more sparsely settled than that are Alaska and Wyoming.
The national average is 75 people per square mile, and New York City has a density of 26,402 people per square mile.
Montana’s least populated counties, Petroleum and Garfield, have only .03 people per square mile.
The county seat of Garfield County is Jordan, known as the “lonesome town in the world” because it is the most solvated county seat in the contiguous U.S. The nearest airport is 175 miles away, and it’s 115 miles t the nearest railroad despot.
About 80% of Montana communities have a population of 3.000 or fewer, and there are only seven cities in the state with a population of over 10,000.
The population of the entire state is just over one million
MONTANA GOLD
Whe six prospectors dipped their gold pans in Alder Creek in 1863, leading to one of history’s richest placer discoveries, they were hoping to find just enough gold to pay off their tobacco. Instead the 10 million dollars worth of gold taken from Alder Creek, which runs thru Virginia City and Nevada City, would be worth 2.5 billion dollars today.
Today Montana ranks 5th in production of gold, behind Nevada, California, Alaska, and South Dakota.
The Montana state motto “Oro y Plata” is Latin for gold and silver and the state seal displays a pick, plow, and shovel.
When a hotel was built in the state capital of Helena, enough gold was recovered from the excavation of the basement to pay fir the construction of the entire building.
At a nearly gulch, miners pulled out 700 pounds of gold from a two acre plot in a single day.
In the 1880’s , Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the nation, with 50.
MONTANA FUN FACTS. BY JANET SPENCER
The town of Drummond, Montana sponsors the annual Flapjack Race, where rules dictate that you must build a fire and cook an edible pancakes, all while keeping your untied mule next t you at all times.
Bearcreek’s 50 residents hold pig races each summer. Pigs are tended by “sow boys.”
Missoula hosts the annual “Punkin’ Chuckin’ Contest” to see who can build a catapult to throw the pumpkin the farthest without using a motor or explosives. The current record is nearly 4,000 feet.
Reed Point’s answer to Pamplona’s Running if the Bulls is the annual Running of the Sheep, including the Sheep Roundup, the Sheep Beauty Contest, and ski-diving (plastic) sheep.
MONTANA WEATHER
The town of Browning, Montana near Glacier Park holds the national record for the greatest temperature drop n 24 hours, for a 100° drop on 1.23.1916.
The temperatures dropped from 44° to -56°f.
On 1.11.1980, when Great Falls set a national weather record for quickest temperature increase in the shortest time, it took just seven minutes to go from -32° to 15°f.
Montana’s record low s -7°f and the record high is 117°f, for a temperature range f 187°. No State has a temperature Range greater than that.
Cooke City near Yellowstone National Park holds the state record for the greatest snowfall in a single season, with 418 inches or 34.8 feet in the winter of 1977-78. However, the town of Summit near Glacier N.P. holds the greatest snowfall n 24 hours; greatest fall in four days; greatest snowfall n five days; and the greatest snowfall when 131 inches of snow fell in 1.1972.
How long would it take to give a lift to the entire population on Montana in the state’s 65 ski lifts.
About 13 hours at maximum capacity of 72,000 people per hour. There are 15 ski areas in the state with a combined area of 14.000 acres of skiing and 548 downhill runs.
IT’S A FACT
Percentage of avalanche victims n the U.S. who are men: 90%.
Percentage of Montana streams flows that originate from melting snow: 70%.
Miles of Interstate in Montana: 1,200.
Miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Montana; 4,000.
MONTANA STATE FLOWER
The Montana state flower is the Bitterroot. It can live for over a year without water and can be revived even after being boiled, dried, or pressed.
It’s tenacity is reflected in it’s Latin name “Lewis’s rediviva” with “Lewisis” being fir Meriwether Lewis who cataloged it, and “rediviva” meaning “one who lives again.”
NAME THAT STATE
The only state that has more hiking trails than Montana’s 15,000 miles of trails is California.
The only state that has more pickup trucks per capital than Montana’s 361 trucks for every 1,000 residents, are North & South Dakota
The only state that has a higher rate of private airplanes than Montana is Alaska.
The only state that has an average daily wind speeds higher than Montana’s 12.7 mph, is Wyoming, average 12.9 mph.
The only state that has more acres of land being farmed than Montana’s 58.6 million acres, is Texas, with 129 million cultivated acres. After Montana comes Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
MONTANA POPULATION: SPARCE
When Hillary Clinton visited the state in 1993, she subscribed as “hyper-rural.” Nationwide about 25% of the population lives in rural areas, but in Montana , 48% do.
The average population density across the state s 6.2 people per square mile.
The only states more sparsely settled than that are Alaska and Wyoming.
The national average is 75 people per square mile, and New York City has a density of 26,402 people per square mile.
Montana’s least populated counties, Petroleum and Garfield, have only .03 people per square mile.
The county seat of Garfield County is Jordan, known as the “lonesome town in the world” because it is the most solvated county seat in the contiguous U.S. The nearest airport is 175 miles away, and it’s 115 miles t the nearest railroad despot.
About 80% of Montana communities have a population of 3.000 or fewer, and there are only seven cities in the state with a population of over 10,000.
The population of the entire state is just over one million
MONTANA GOLD
Whe six prospectors dipped their gold pans in Alder Creek in 1863, leading to one of history’s richest placer discoveries, they were hoping to find just enough gold to pay off their tobacco. Instead the 10 million dollars worth of gold taken from Alder Creek, which runs thru Virginia City and Nevada City, would be worth 2.5 billion dollars today.
Today Montana ranks 5th in production of gold, behind Nevada, California, Alaska, and South Dakota.
The Montana state motto “Oro y Plata” is Latin for gold and silver and the state seal displays a pick, plow, and shovel.
When a hotel was built in the state capital of Helena, enough gold was recovered from the excavation of the basement to pay fir the construction of the entire building.
At a nearly gulch, miners pulled out 700 pounds of gold from a two acre plot in a single day.
In the 1880’s , Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the nation, with 50.
MONTANA FUN FACTS. BY JANET SPENCER
The town of Drummond, Montana sponsors the annual Flapjack Race, where rules dictate that you must build a fire and cook an edible pancakes, all while keeping your untied mule next t you at all times.
Bearcreek’s 50 residents hold pig races each summer. Pigs are tended by “sow boys.”
Missoula hosts the annual “Punkin’ Chuckin’ Contest” to see who can build a catapult to throw the pumpkin the farthest without using a motor or explosives. The current record is nearly 4,000 feet.
Reed Point’s answer to Pamplona’s Running if the Bulls is the annual Running of the Sheep, including the Sheep Roundup, the Sheep Beauty Contest, and ski-diving (plastic) sheep.
Click to set custom HTML
