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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.
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.
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