Montana Disney Travel Agents Near Me

Overview

Introduction

Although Montana is no longer the Wild West, it remains a state where the wildlife outnumbers the people. Its independent, friendly residents treasure the solitude Montana's wilderness areas provide, and they do all they can to protect them.

Travel into the backcountry of Glacier National Park, and you'll find unspoiled scenery that looks much as it has for centuries to go along with the scenic vistas and outdoor adventure. However, for those who like to keep the modern world close at hand, there is a wide variety of comfortable guest ranches and resorts, and thriving cities with plenty of cultural offerings.

So the choice is yours: You can explore historic sites or ski across world-class terrain. At night you can camp in a secluded corner all your own or stay at a luxurious lodge. The range of possibilities may surprise you. Just be sure to spend some time outdoors, whether it's with a backpack, a canoe or a golf cart. Montana's panoramas of mountains, lakes, rivers and ranches will disappoint no one.

Geography

History

In the mid-1700s, the tribes that called this area home—the Blackfeet, Northern Cheyenne, Sioux, Crow and Assiniboine—were primarily bison hunters who followed the migrating herds that occupied the region. They traded with early French fur traders.

Even after the Louisiana Purchase (of which Montana was part) and the ensuing exploration by Lewis and Clark, Montana remained a remote territory. As was so often the case in the American West, it took the discovery of gold to really spark Easterners' interest. By 1862, prospectors were trying their luck in Montana. They were soon followed by farmers and ranchers.

By the mid-1860s, the cattle industry was well-established, and in 1866, the first drive of Texas longhorns to Montana took place. Huge die-offs during the extremely cold winter of 1886-87 marked the end of the great cattle drives and the open range.

Extensive settlement of Montana was hampered by continuing conflicts between new settlers and Native Americans, who fiercely resisted the encroachment on their homeland. These conflicts led to the bloody encounter of June 1876, when Lt. Col. George Custer and his men were wiped out in the battle of Little Bighorn. This Indian victory spurred the U.S. military to send more forces to the region, and Native American resistance was eventually overcome. One of the most dramatic defeats suffered by the Indians, the surrender of the Nez Perce led by Chief Joseph, took place in Montana in 1877.

With the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883, the flood of new settlers became unstoppable and Montana joined the Union just six years later, in 1889. Today, tourism, agriculture, wood production and mining are the mainstays of Montana's economy.

Snapshot

Montana's chief attractions are spectacular scenery, Glacier National Park, trout fishing, skiing, camping, hiking, Native American culture, gambling, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, ghost towns, dude ranches, horseback riding, hunting and white-water rafting.

Travelers interested in the great outdoors and the history of the West—or who feel that dramatic high-mountain scenery is reward enough for long drives—will love Montana. Those who prefer big-city attractions may be surprised at the breadth of cultural offerings there and might find the slower pace a refreshing change.

Potpourri

Missoula native Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress. She took office in 1917, before women in some states even had the right to vote.

Located north of Great Falls on the Missouri River, the tiny town of Loma holds the national record for the greatest 24-hour temperature change. On 14-15 January 1972, a Chinook wind caused the temperature to rise from -54 F/-47 C to 49 F/9 C.

Shelby native and respected paleontologist Jack Horner discovered and named the Maiasaura dinosaur in Montana in the 1970s. Horner was in large part responsible for the revised theories of dinosaurs as nurturing, social creatures.

It's true: The town of Joe, Montana, is named for football star Joe Montana. Fans in the tiny town of Ismay had the name officially changed in July 1993 as a tribute to the former NFL quarterback, although residents still call the town Ismay.

Some sheep ranchers in Montana use "guard llamas" to protect their flocks from coyotes. Llamas, it seems, will fight prowling coyotes, making them good guardians for the sheep.

Big Sky Resort was the brainchild of news anchor and native Montanan Chet Huntley. Other Montanans of note are Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy, Evel Knievel, Lester Thurow and Dana Carvey.