"Oro y plata" The United States of America. James F. Kaserman Sarah J. Kaserman. (Gold and silver) Helena. I Save A Tree Electronic Books

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1 Montana "Oro y plata" (Gold and silver) The United States of America James F. Kaserman Sarah J. Kaserman Helena I Save A Tree Electronic Books C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc. ISBN# X

2 Table of Contents Location 5 History before statehood 7 History since statehood 9 State government 11 State flag 13 Current facts 15 Industry today 17 State landmarks 19 Weather and land 21 Animals in Montana 23 State bird 25 State tree 27 State flower 29 Famous people from Montana 31 Things to do in Montana 33 Popular sports in Montana 35 Fast facts 37 Glossary 39 Web sites / books for information 41 Index 43 Credits 45

3 Location Montana's northern border is the country of Canada. Tothe east lie the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. Wyomingis south of Montana and Idaho is both south and west. Helena is the capital. It is locatedin the western part of the state. Helena 6

4 History Before Statehood Sitting Bull The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Oregon Treaty in 1846 officially made Montana part of the U.S. An expedition in 1805 by Lewis and Clark opened the doors for fur traders and settlers. Mining, starting with gold in 1862, shaped the state's history. Vigilante groups were formed to police lawless mining towns. The 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn is famous. The Sioux and Cheyenne defeated General George Custer. It was called "Custer's last stand." Lewis and Clark reinactment 8

5 History Since Statehood Aluminum Montana became the 41st state of the Union on November 8, Copper-mine owners formed one company, the Anaconda Company, which became very powerful. The company built a power company, railroad and dams. Copper ore When World War II began, the state prospered by supplying grain, meat and metals for the war effort. After the war, the Anaconda Company built a large aluminummanufacturingplant. Today, the mines are streamlining and making use of the remaining ore. 10

6 Government State capitol building The state government of Montana is dividedintothreebranches. Governor Judy Martz is head of the executive branch. Thisbranch is in charge of carrying out the laws. Thelegislature has two parts, the Senate and House of Representatives. It is called the legislative assembly. The third branch is the judicial branch. This branch interprets the laws. Montanahas56counties. Eachhas a local government. Governor Judy Martz 12

7 State Flag Montana's state flag has a blue field with apictureofthestateseal. Ontheseal, a plow, a pick and a shovel on the soil represent farming and mining. The Great Falls of the Missouri River and the mountains represent the beautiful natural resources of the state. The state motto, "Oroy plata"(gold andsilver), appears on a ribbon. 14

8 Current Facts Resort Wildlife Over 902,195 people live inmontana. The state is ranked the 44th largest state for the number of peoplelivinginit. Montanacovers 145,556 squaremiles. Itisrankedthe 4th largest state in total area in the United States. Most of Montana's counties, 46 out of 56, have an average of six or fewer peoplepersquaremile. They're considered "frontier counties." 16

9 Industry Today The tourism industry is very important in Montana. Many people from all over the world visit the state and its national parks and other attractions. Large deposits of coal, copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc make mining an important industry. Oil and gas are also found in Montana. Lumber and wood products play a key role in commerce as do farm and agricultural products like wheat, barley, sugar beets, hay, cattle and hogs. Wheat Coal mine 18

10 Landmarks Rocky mountain The Little Bighorn Battlefield and Big Hole National Battlefield are sites of two famous Indian battles. Beartooth Highway leads to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park and offers spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains. Great Falls is the highest waterfall on the Missouri River, with water cascading 400 feet. MedicineRocks are in the Badlands of Montana. Wind and water have carved out many unusual shapes in the sandstone. Badlands 20

11 Weather & Land Rocky mountains Average January temperatures rangefromabout 14 to20 Fahrenheit. In the summer, temperatures average 64 to 71. Theaverageyearly precipitation is 13 or 14 inches and much of that is snow in the winter. Montana has rugged mountains, deep valleys and wide open plains. Farms and ranches make up approximately two-thirds of the state's total land area. Most of this land is range land for cattle and sheep, while the remainder is used for growing crops. Plains 22

12 Animals In Montana Bighorn sheep The grizzly bear was named the stateanimalin1983. Itsnumbersare threatened, but Montana has the largest bear population in the nation. There are large numbers of big game animals in Montana. Infact, the elk, deer and antelope outnumber Grizzly bear the humans in Montana. The largest number of wild buffalo and migratory elk in the nation can be found in thestate. Bear,moose,mountain, goats, bighornsheep and mountain lions live in theruggedmountains. 24

13 State Bird Meadowlark The western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) was named the statebirdin1931. Meadowlarks are brown with a yellow throat and belly. In flight, they reveal white tail feathers. The bird builds its nest on the ground with a roof of grass to hide the eggs. Meadowlarks feed on the ground, eating insects, grain and weed seeds. Theysing a beautiful song. Meadowlark 26

14 Ponderosa pine State Tree Ponderosa Pine The ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)was named the state tree in Pines are evergreen trees. They have needle-shaped leaves that grow 10 inches long and in bundles. The ponderosa pine is the most important western pine for lumber. It is found in the mountains of the west. The tree may grow to 200 feet tall. 28

15 State Flower Bitterroot The bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) was named the state flower in The leaves appear and then wither soon after the snow melts. In June,thebitterroot's lovely white-to-pink blossoms form close to the ground. The plants like sunny areas in the dry, rocky soil of valleys, plains and foothills. Indians valued the plant's root because it was a nutritious food that would store for long periods of time. Bitterroot 30

16 Famous People Dana Carvey Charles M. Russell was a famous westernartist. He was acowboy and sheepherder before he became an artist in the 1880s. Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the United States Congress. Evel Knievel, world-renowned motorcycle daredevil, was born in Butte, Montana. Famous actors include Dirk Benedict, Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy and George Montgomery. Comedians Dana Carvey and Martha Raye are also Montanans. Evel Knievel 32

17 Things to Do In Montana Glacier State Park Many visitors visit the national and state parks, Indian reservations, dude ranches, museums and ski lodges. Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks are two of the most scenic areas in America. Glacier National Park has 60 glaciers and 200 lakes. Yellowstone National Park has steaming geysers and thermal pools. At the National Bison Range on the Flathead Reservation, buffalo roam freely. Bannack is preserved as a ghost town in a state park. Buffalo 34

18 Sports In Montana White-water rafting, hunting, fishing and hiking are some of the more popular warm-weather sports. Snow skiing,riding snowmobiles and ice skating are favorite winter sports. Montana has high-school and college teams that compete in a variety of interscholastic and intercollegiate sports. Snowmobiles The University of Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State Bobcats compete in all sports at the college level. There are anumber of men and women's minor-league professional teams located in Montana. White-water rafting 36

19 Waterfall Fast Facts Governor: Judy Martz Capital: Helena Size: 145,556squaremiles,4th in the U.S. Population: 902,195 people,44th in the U.S. Major cities:billings,missoula,great Falls,Butte,Helena Nickname:"TreasureState" Stateanimal:grizzlybear Statebird:westernmeadowlark Stateflower:bitterroot State tree:ponderosa pine State song:"montana" Statemotto:"Oroyplata"(Goldand silver) Raccoon 38

20 Glossary antelope, a swift running animal with long horns and slim build. artist, a person whose work shows exceptional creative ability or skill. dude, an Easterner or a city person who vacations on a ranch in the west. expedition, a journey undertaken by a group of people with a definite purpose. plow, a farm implement with a heavy blade used for breaking up soil and cutting furrows in soil for planting. range land, pasture set aside for animals to roam and graze. Rocky Mountains, a major mountain system of western North America stretching for 3,000 miles from Alaska to the Mexican border. streamlining, altering something to make it more efficient. vigilante, one who takes law enforcement into one's own hands. wither, to dry up and shrink. 40

21 Links & Books For more information Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4 Title: TheWorld Book Encyclopedia Publisher: World Book, Inc. Copyright: 2002 Title: The Kid'sWorld Almanac of the United States Author: Dr.Thomas G. Aylesworth Publisher: World Almanac Copyright: 1990 Title: Exploring the 50 States Author: Marcie Anderson Publisher: Willowisp Press, Inc. Copyright: 1983 Visit our 42

22 Index bear, grizzly, 23 bitterroot, 29 cattle, 18, 22 Custer, General George, 8 gold, 7, 14, 17 Lewis and Clark, 7 Martz, Judy, 11 meadowlark, 25, 26 mining, 7, 13, 17 park, national, 17, 19, 33 pine, ponderosa, 27, 28 Russell, Charles M., 31 trader, fur, 7 44

23 Credits Written by James F. Kaserman Sarah J. Kaserman Edited by Linda Coyner Produced by Robert Rance Technologies Doug Meyers Design Dan Mader Photo credits Montana Department of Natural Resources I Save A Tree Inc. reserves the right to remove or exchange any photo/illustration at any time without notice. 46