Montana Fun Facts & Trivia

MONTANA LEGENDS

Montana Fun Facts & Trivia

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The largest snowflake ever observed was 38 cm wide was recorded in Montana on January 28, 1887. That’s just darn near 15 inches. Amazing!

Giant Springs, Montana is home to the largest fresh water spring in the U.S.

Montana holds the world record for the greatest temperature change in 24 hours. On January 14-15, 1972, the temperature went from from -54°F to 49°F a whopping 103 degrees in Loma!

In Helena, Montana it is illegal to throw an item across a street.

Giant Springs Montana

Giant Springs, courtesy Russell Country Montana Website

In Montana, the word “ditch” can be used to order a drink. It means "with water." "I'd like a Jack Daniel's ditch, please" means, "I'd like a Jack Daniel's and water." This is not a joke. In fact, all you really have to ask for is a "Jack ditch." Try it out the next time you find yourself in a Montana saloon.

It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone.

The selection of Helena as the capital of Montana had an inauspicious beginning. A political war between two "Copper Kings" Marcus Daly and William Clark, resulted in massive bribery and vote-buying scandals only a "Copper King" could afford. With Daly backing Anaconda and Clark supporting Helena, it is estimated that in 1894 each man spent almost $3 million to determine which city would become Montana's new capital.

In Montana, it is illegal for married women to go fishing alone on Sundays, and illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all.

Montana has the largest migratory elk herd in the nation.

At the Rocky Mountain Front Eagle Migration Area west of Great Falls more golden eagles have been seen in a single day than anywhere else in the country.

The average square mile of land contains 1.4 elk, 1.4 pronghorn antelope, and 3.3 deer.

The Roe River is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's shortest river. The Roe flows 200 feet between Giant Springs and the Missouri River near Great Falls. The Roe River competes with the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon for the title of the shortest river. Both rivers have been measured on different occasions, with lengths varying from 58 feet to 200 feet. Schoolchildren in Great Falls campaigned successfully to have the Roe River placed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 1888 Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.

Steer Montana the largest steer in the world

Steer Montana, photo courtesy Baker, Montana Website

The World's Largest Steer can be found at Baker, Montana at the O'Fallon Museum. Weighing in at 3,980 pounds, he grew to be 5'9" tall and 10'4" long. Born March 23, 1923 just east of Baker, Montana, the steer lived for 15 years and 4 months. Raised by Jack Guth, a former jockey, the steer toured local stock shows and circuses when he was alive. After he died, his hide was preserved. Steer Montana disappeared for many years, but was finally discovered in a storage facility in Billings and donated to the O'Fallon Museum.

At Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge it is possible to see up to 1,700 nesting pelicans.

Creeks in Montana are often pronounced "crick."

The Montana Yogo Sapphire is the only North American gem to be included in the Crown Jewels of England.

It is a misdemeanor to show movies that depict acts of a felonious crime.

46 out of Montana's 56 counties are considered "frontier counties" with an average population of 6 or fewer people per square mile.

In Montana the word “spendy” means "expensive," used in the same way the rest of us would use "pricey."

During the Wild West days in Billings, Montana, the cowboys and scarlet ladies of every saloon performed impossible dances atop bars, tables, and in some instances upon atop the pianos.

The notorious outlaw, Henry Plummer, built the first jail constructed in the state at Bannack.

In Excelsior Springs, balls may not be thrown within the city limits.

Every spring nearly 10,000 white pelicans with a wingspan of nine feet migrate from the Gulf of Mexico to Medicine Lake in northeastern Montana.

The "Going to the Sun Road" in Glacier Park is considered one of the most scenic drives in America.

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Henry Plummer

Beaverhead County Courthouse, Bannack, Montana, 1963.

This image available for photographic prints HERE!

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