Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Montana Portal

East face of the Crazy Mountains in the northern Rocky Mountains of Montana (2015)

Montana (/mɒnˈtænə/ ^ⓘ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It borders Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan to the north. It is the fourth-largest state by area, the eighth-least populous state, and the third-least densely populated state. Its capital is Helena, while the most populous city is Billings. The western half of the state contains numerous mountain ranges, while the eastern half is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands, with smaller mountain ranges found throughout the state.

Most of Montana first came under American sovereignty with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and was explored by the Lewis and Clark Expedition shortly thereafter. Fur trappers followed and were the main economic activity in the area until gold was discovered in 1852. The ensuing gold rush, along with the passage of the Homestead Acts in 1862, brought large numbers of American settlers to Montana. Rapid population growth and development culminated in statehood on November 8, 1889. Mining, particularly around Butte and Helena, would remain the state's main economic engine through the mid-20th century.

Montana has no official nickname but several unofficial ones, most notably "Big Sky Country", "The Treasure State", "Land of the Shining Mountains", and "The Last Best Place". Its economy is primarily based on agriculture, including ranching and cereal grain farming. Other significant economic resources include oil, gas, coal, mining, and lumber. The health care, service, defense, and government sectors are also significant to the state's economy. Montana's fastest-growing sector is tourism, with 12.6 million tourists (as of 2019) visiting the state each year. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Recognized content - show another

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Basin Street

Basin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Montana, United States. It lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the Continental Divide in a high narrow canyon along Interstate 15 about halfway between Butte and Helena. Basin Creek flows roughly north to south through Basin and enters the Boulder River on the settlement's south side. The population was 212 at the 2010 census, down from 255 at the 2000 census.

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of human habitation from 10,000 years ago at a site near Clancy, 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Basin. From about 2000 BCE through the mid-19th century, nomadic tribes hunted bison in the grassy valleys that trend east, away from the Rocky Mountains and into the plains. By the time miners found gold in the streams in and near Basin, most of these tribes of Indians had been forced onto reservations by the U.S. government. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

More recognized content

Selected article - show another

The Kootenai River at Libby, Montana

The Kootenay River or Kootenai River is a major river of the Northwest Plateau in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Montana and Idaho in the United States. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Kootenay River runs 781 kilometres (485 mi) from its headwaters in the Kootenay Ranges of the Canadian Rockies, flowing from British Columbia's East Kootenay region into northwestern Montana, then west into the northernmost Idaho Panhandle and returning to British Columbia in the West Kootenay region, where it joins the Columbia at Castlegar.

The river is known as the "Kootenay" in Canada and by the Ktunaxa Nation, and as the "Kootenai" in the United States and by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Kootenai Tribe of Idaho. Fed mainly by glaciers and snowmelt, the river drains a rugged, sparsely populated region of more than 50,000 km² (19,000 sq mi); over 70 percent of the basin is in Canada. From its highest headwaters to its confluence with the Columbia River, the Kootenay falls more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in elevation. Above its confluence with the Columbia, the Kootenay is comparable in length, drainage area, and volume but has a steeper gradient and is characterized by larger falls and rapids. Part of the lower Kootenay forms Kootenay Lake, one of the largest natural lakes in British Columbia. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images - load new batch

The following are images from various Montana-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Pompeys Pillar National Monument (from Montana)
Image 2Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, Deer Lodge, MT, date unknown (from History of Montana)
Image 3Clark Fork River, Missoula, in autumn (from Montana)
Image 4The Empire Builder in Essex (from Transportation in Montana)
Image 5Stump Horn and family (Northern Cheyenne); showing home and horse-drawn travois. (from History of Montana)
Image 6Population of Montana 1870–2018 (from Montana)
Image 7Chief Joseph and Col. John Gibbon met again on the Big Hole Battlefield site in 1889. (from Montana)
Image 8Early tribal treaty territories in Montana (from History of Montana)
Image 9The Palisades area on the north end of the ski area at Red Lodge Mountain Resort (from Montana)
Image 10Main Street in Red Lodge, 2000, showing iron facades on buildings (from History of Montana)
Image 11Montana State Bobcats football at Bobcat Stadium (Montana State University), Bozeman (from Montana)
Image 12Montana Rail Link freight haulage in 2005 (from Transportation in Montana)
Image 13Ethnic origins in Montana (from Montana)
Image 14Missouri Breaks region in central Montana (from Montana)
Image 15Missoula, the second-largest city in Montana (from Montana)
Image 16Click to enlarge detailed map (from Transportation in Montana)
Image 17Temperature and precipitation for Montana's capital city, Helena (from Montana)
Image 18Buffalo Soldiers, Ft. Keogh, Montana, 1890. The nickname was given to the "Black Cavalry" by the Native American tribes they fought. (from Montana)
Image 19100 pound native Montana wolf taken in 1928 (from Montana)
Image 20Relief map of Montana (from Montana)
Image 21Lone Mountain at Big Sky Ski Resort (from Montana)
Image 22General locations of Indian reservations in Montana (from Montana)

Map of counties in Montana by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census

Legend

Non-Hispanic White

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

80–90%

90%+

Native American

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

(from Montana)

Image 24U.S. Route 93 in Montana (from Transportation in Montana)
Image 25The Big Sky Resort (from Montana)
Image 26Map of domestic flights available from the largest airport in Montana (Click to enlarge) (from Transportation in Montana)
Image 27Montana ranks 2nd nationally in craft breweries per capita. (from Montana)
Image 28Map of Williston Basin oil fields with reservoirs in Bakken Formation (from History of Montana)
Image 29Montana population density map (from Montana)
Image 30Map of Montana (from Montana)
Image 31Mountain Line buses queue to pick up passengers in Missoula. (from Transportation in Montana)
Image 32Guided snowmobile tours in Yellowstone Park (from Montana)
Image 33First Interstate Center, in downtown Billings, is the tallest building in Montana. (from Montana)
Image 34Chief Joseph (from History of Montana)
Image 35Early Indian treaty territories in Montana (from Montana)
Image 36Pretty Nose at Fort Keogh, 1879 (from History of Montana)
Image 37The Scout in Winter, Crow, 1908 by Edward S. Curtis (from History of Montana)
Image 38Yellowstone Airport, West Yellowstone, Montana (from Montana)
Image 39From Frank Bond, "Louisiana" and the Louisiana Purchase.
Government Printing Office, 1912 Map No. 4. (from History of Montana)
Image 40Quake Lake was created by a landslide during the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake. (from Montana)
Image 41Assiniboine family, Montana, 1890–91 (from Montana)
Image 42Joseph M. Dixon, Congressman (1903–1913) and Governor of Montana (1921–1925) (from History of Montana)
Image 43Mining headframes in Butte, MT (from History of Montana)
Image 44Saint Mary Lake in Glacier National Park (from Montana)
Image 45Mennonite family in Montana, c. 1937 (from Montana)
Image 46Jeannette Rankin, August 1916 (from History of Montana)
Image 47Swedish gold panners in 1860s Montana. The Montana gold rush began in 1862. (from History of Montana)
Image 48Montana Territory in 1865 (from Montana)
Image 49Dancers at Crow Fair in 1941 (from Montana)
Image 50Treemap of the popular vote by county, 2016 presidential election. Areas are in proportion to the number of votes cast in each county. (from Montana)
Image 51Köppen climate types of Montana, using 1991-2020 climate normals (from Montana)
Image 52An Airbus A319 waits at Billings Logan International Airport. (from Transportation in Montana)

Did you know - load new batch

... that campaign literature in the 1894 Montana capital referendum accused Helena residents of copious Manhattan consumption?
... that the owner of a Montana TV station changed the name of his company because he was asked why his license plate read "SUNBELT"?
... that one owner of Montana radio station KXGF went from owning a stake in a waterbed dealership to liquidating his assets in a span of six months?
... that Symphyotrichum molle, the soft aster, can be found only in the Bighorn Mountains of Montana and Wyoming?
... that Kane Ioane finished his playing career at Montana State as the Big Sky Conference's all-time tackles leader?
... that Montana television station KOPR-TV brought forward its start date by several months, only to last just one year?

Topics

v t e State of Montana
Helena (capital)
Topics	Index Congressional delegations Geography Government Governors History bibliography People Protected areas Sports State symbols The Last Best Place Transportation Tourist attractions	Seal of Montana
Society	Crime Culture Demographics Economy Education Politics LGBT rights
Regions	Eastern Montana The Flathead Glacier National Park Regional designations of Montana Western Montana Yellowstone
Largest cities	Anaconda Belgrade Billings Bozeman Butte Columbia Falls Dillon Glendive Great Falls Hamilton Havre Helena Kalispell Laurel Lewistown Livingston Miles City Missoula Polson Sidney Whitefish
Counties	Beaverhead Big Horn Blaine Broadwater Carbon Carter Cascade Chouteau Custer Daniels Dawson Deer Lodge Fallon Fergus Flathead Gallatin Garfield Glacier Golden Valley Granite Hill Jefferson Judith Basin Lake Lewis and Clark Liberty Lincoln Madison McCone Meagher Mineral Missoula Musselshell Park Petroleum Phillips Pondera Powder River Powell Prairie Ravalli Richland Roosevelt Rosebud Sanders Sheridan Silver Bow Stillwater Sweet Grass Teton Toole Treasure Valley Wheatland Wibaux Yellowstone

Protected areas of Montana

Federal

National parks	Glacier Yellowstone
National monuments	Little Bighorn Battlefield Pompeys Pillar (BLM) Upper Missouri River Breaks (BLM)
National battlefield	Big Hole
National historical parks and historic sites	Grant–Kohrs Ranch NHS Nez Perce NHP
National historic and scenic trails	Lewis and Clark NHT Nez Perce NHT Continental Divide NST Pacific Northwest NST
National recreation area	Bighorn Canyon
National Wildlife Refuges	Benton Lake Black Coulee Bowdoin Charles M. Russell Creedman Coulee Grass Lake Hailstone Hewitt Lake Lake Mason Lake Thibadeau Lamesteer Lee Metcalf Lost Trail Medicine Lake Ninepipe Pablo Red Rock Lakes Swan River UL Bend War Horse
National Forests	Beaverhead–Deerlodge Bitterroot Custer Flathead Gallatin Helena Kootenai Lewis and Clark Lolo
National Wilderness	Absaroka–Beartooth Anaconda–Pintler Bear Trap Canyon Bob Marshall Cabinet Mountains Gates of the Mountains Great Bear Lee Metcalf Medicine Lake Mission Mountains Rattlesnake Red Rock Lakes Scapegoat Selway–Bitterroot UL Bend Welcome Creek
National wild and scenic rivers	East Rosebud Creek Flathead Missouri

State

State parks	Ackley Lake Anaconda Smoke Stack Bannack Beaverhead Rock Beavertail Hill Big Arm Black Sandy Brush Lake Chief Plenty Coups Clark's Lookout Cooney Council Grove Elkhorn Finley First Peoples Buffalo Jump Fort Owen Frenchtown Pond Giant Springs Granite Ghost Town Greycliff Prairie Dog Town Hell Creek Lake Elmo Lake Mary Ronan Lewis and Clark Caverns Logan Lone Pine Lost Creek Madison Buffalo Jump Makoshika Medicine Rocks Missouri Headwaters Painted Rocks Parker Homestead Pictograph Cave Pirogue Island Placid Lake Rosebud Battlefield Salmon Lake Sluice Boxes Smith River Somers Beach Spring Meadow Lake Thompson Falls Tongue River Reservoir Tower Rock Travelers' Rest Wayfarers West Shore Whitefish Lake Wild Horse Island Yellow Bay
State forests	Clearwater Coal Creek Lincoln Lubrecht Experimental Stillwater Sula Swan River Thompson River
Wildlife Management Areas	Amelia Island Aunt Molly Badlands Beartooth Beckman Big Lake Blackfoot-Clearwater Blackleaf Blue Eyed Nellie Bowdoin Buffalo Head Park Bull River Calf Creek Canyon Creek Canyon Ferry Dodson Creek Dodson Dam Dome Mountain Ear Mountain Elk Island F Island Flathead Lake Flathead River Fleecer Mountain Fox Lake Freezout Lake Fresno Reservoir Fresno Tailwater Gallatin Garrity Mountain Grant Marsh Gravelly-Blacktail Haymaker Hinsdale Horseshoe Lake Howard Valley Isaac Homestead Judith River Kootenai/Falls Kootenai/West Kootenai/Woods Ranch Lake Helena Lost Creek Lower Stillwater Lake Madison-Bear Creek Madison-Wall Creek Milk River Mount Haggin Mount Jumbo Mount Silcox Nevada Lake Ninepipe North Swan Valley CE Pablo Ray Kuhns Robb-Ledford Rookery Roundhom Sanders Seven Sisters Silver Gate Silver Run Smith River Sun River Swan Lake Thompson-Fisher CE Three Mile Threemile Vandalia War Dance Island Warm Springs

Other

Nonprofit	American Prairie
Tribal	CSKT Bison Range

New articles

This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Last updated: 2024-02-12 21:07 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.

Janaprakal Chandruang (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Phoebus 28 (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2024-02-09, score: 34

2024 Montana Secretary of State election (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Coolxsearcher1414 (talk · contribs · new pages (14)) started on 2024-02-11, score: 34
William P. Pilgeram (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by MoviesandTelevisionFan (talk · contribs · new pages (106)) started on 2024-02-10, score: 54

Chonprakan Chanrueng (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Phoebus 28 (talk · contribs · new pages (4)) started on 2024-02-09, score: 34

Paul Richards (Montana politician) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by MoviesandTelevisionFan (talk · contribs · new pages (106)) started on 2024-02-05, score: 54

Bitterroot Health-Daly Hospital (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Lysy (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2024-02-03, score: 54

Froid (disambiguation) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Flux55 (talk · contribs · new pages (21)) started on 2024-01-29, score: 34

Related portals

WikiProjects

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Commons
Free media repository
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals
Wikidata
Free knowledge base
Wikinews
Free-content news
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations
Wikisource
Free-content library
Wikiversity
Free learning tools
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus