Bordered
by Canada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho, Montana is
the fourth largest state in the United States, but is ranked only 44th
in population and 48th in population density. Its western third contains
numerous mountain ranges, and smaller island ranges are found
throughout the state. In total, 77 named ranges are part of the Rocky Mountains. However, about 60% of the state is prairie, part of
the northern Great Plains. The Hell Creek Formation in Northeast Montana is a major source of dinosaur fossils.
Various
indigenous peoples lived in the territory of the present-day Montana for thousands of years. The tribes encountered by Europeans
included Crow, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, Assiniboine, Gros Ventres, Kootenai, Salish, Pend d'Oreille and Kalispel. The land in Montana east
of the continental divide was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Subsequent American, British and French traders operated a fur trade.
Until the Oregon Treaty (1846), land west of the continental divide was
disputed between the British and U.S. and was known as the Oregon Country.
The
first permanent settlement by Euro-Americans in what today is Montana
was St. Mary's (1841) near present-day Stevensville. A series of major
mining discoveries in the western third of the state found gold, silver,
copper, lead, coal (and later oil) that attracted tens of thousands of
miners. The largest mining operations were in Butte, which had important silver deposits and gigantic copper deposits.
Prior
to the creation of Montana Territory (1864-1889), various areas were
parts of Oregon Territory, Washington Territory, Idaho Territory, and Dakota Territory. The first capital was Bannack, but it was moved to Virginia City in 1865 and to Helena (were still is), in 1875. Major
battles between Native Americans and U.S. Army occurred in Montana
during Red Cloud's War, the Great Sioux War of 1876, the Nez Perce War and in conflicts with Piegan Blackfeet.
In
1889 Montana become the 41st state in the union. During WWI, due to a
miscalculation of state's population, approximately 40,000 Montanans
(10% of the population), either volunteered or were drafted into the
armed forces, which was 25% higher than any other state. On the other
hand, the war created a boom for Montana mining, lumber and farming
interests. The 1918 Influenza epidemic claimed the lives of over 5,000
Montanans, far more than the war.
An
economic depression began in Montana after WWI and lasted through the Great Depression until the beginning of WWII. During the war, Montana
again contributed one of the highest numbers of soldiers per capita of
any state. In nowadays, the state's economy is primarily based on
agriculture, including ranching and cereal grain farming. Other
significant economic activities include oil, gas, coal and hard rock
mining, lumber, and the fastest-growing sector, tourism.
About the stamps
The first stamp, dedicated to Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962), is part of the series Legends of Hollywood, about which I wrote here. The second is part of the definitives series American Design, about which I wrote here. The last stamp, issued on May 29, 2014, to celebrate Nevada’s 150th anniversary, is part of the series Statehood, about which I wrote here.
References
Montana - Wikipedia
Sender: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 26.01.2015
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