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Learn About Montana
First Inhabitants	Early History	Geography & Landforms	Economy
Capital: Helena	Entered the Union: 11/8/1889	Population: 902,195	Area (square miles) 147,042
State Bird: Western Meadowlark	State Flower: Bitterroot	Nickname: Treasure State	Governor: Brian Schweitzer
Web Links: State Home Page	Home Page for Students	Members of Congress

Places to Visit in Montana: (Click the links to learn more.)

Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana - Ronan
This museum was established to discover and memorialize the history and culture of the Flathead Reservation. It includes an art gallery, Indian artifacts including Native American beadwork, and representations of life in Montana throughout history.

World Museum of Mining - Butte
This museum preserves the mining, ethnic and social history of Butte, Montana. The museum is located on the site of the Orphan Girl mine, from which silver, zinc and gold were extracted. You can travel underground and visit a simulated underground mine as well as see full size mining equipment in the outdoor mining yard.

Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman
The Museum of the Rockies is Montana’s premiere natural history museum, and also includes the Taylor Planetarium and a Living History Farm. The Bowman Fossil Bank provides a place for visitors to talk with volunteers cleaning dinosaur bones.

Yellowstone National Park -
Located in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park is the first and oldest national park in the world. The park includes Old Faithful Geyser along with over 10.000 other hot springs and geysers. There are also grizzly bear and wolf, as well as free-ranging herds of bison and elk.

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Famous Citizens:

Gary Cooper
Born Frank James Cooper in Helena, Montana, Gary Cooper was the son of a rancher. His first acting experience was while he was still in high school, and he soon starred in a series of Westerns, first in the silent movie era, and also after “talkies” became popular. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the movie Sergeant York, and was nominated for several other Oscars. In 1961 he was awarded a special career-achievement Oscar, just months before his death of cancer.

Jack Horner
Born in Shelby, Montana, Jack Horner found his first dinosaur fossil at the age of 8. Although he wasn’t an outstanding student in school, he excelled at science projects. After spending time in the US Marine Corps, he went to college and discovered his love for fossils and paleontology. Although he studied for seven years, he was unable to get a college degree, and discovered that his academic difficulties were caused by a learning disability—dyslexia. By this time, however, he was a working paleontologist at Princeton University. Today he is the curator of paleontology at the Museum of the Rockies in Montana, and served as the model of the scientist Alan Grant in the movie Jurassic Park.

Evel Knievel
Born in Butte, Montana, Robert Craig Knievel was raised by his grandparents. When he was 8 years old he went to an auto daredevil show and made the decision to become a motorcycle stuntman. An outstanding high school athlete, he participated in track and field, ski jumping, and became a semi professional ice hockey player. He began his daredevil career in 1965 by forming a touring show in which he and others performed motorcycle stunts. Probably his most daring stunt was jumping a motorcycle over the Snake River Canyon.

Jeannette Rankin
Born in Missoula, Montana, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to serve in either house of the United States Congress. She was elected in 1916, a time when most states did not even permit women to vote. While serving as a member of Congress, she introduced legislation in support of government sponsored prenatal and child-care education for women. Her decision to vote against US entry into World War I and World II, particularly after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, ended her political career.