Montana Travel and Hotel Guide from Tour 50 States

Montana is known as "Big Sky Country" because of its vast size and rolling plains. The members of the Lewis and Clark expedition were the first white explorers known to have set foot in Montana. It joined the United States in 1889 as the 41st state. The name Montana comes from the Spanish word Montana, meaning "mountainous," although the eastern part of the state consists of gently rolling pastureland. The Anaconda Company had a stranglehold on the state's copper industry for about 100 years, but today Montana is known as a tourist destination for those drawn to its many trout streams and wide open spaces.

Montana History/Profile

Montana Map

Capital, Helena | Largest city, Billings
Statehood, Nov. 8, 1889 (41st state)
Nickname, Treasure State
Motto, Oro y Plata [Gold and Silver]
State bird, Western meadowlark
State flower, bitterroot | State tree, Ponderosa pine

Major Destination Guides

•	Billings
•	Bozeman
•	Butte
•	Hardin
•	Helena

•	Kalispell
•	Missoula
•	Red Lodge
•	Whitefish

Montana Weather