Montana: A Taste Of The Old West by Art Gib
Montana has long been linked with the romantic conceptions of the American West: cowboys, cattle drives, Native Americans, and an untamed wilderness. Indeed, the state is still one of the most pristine places in the continental United States, and people who long for a simpler lifestyle know that it's a great place to settle on a ranch and enjoy nature. Here's a little bit about the "Wild West" history of Montana.
Although evidence has shown that primitive peoples inhabited Montana nearly 2,100 years ago, the most predominant modern natives of the area were the Crow tribe: they were a nomadic people who dwelt in large tepees and followed the great herds of buffalo that roamed Montana's vast plains.
Most of the land which would later become the 41st state and the country's fourth largest in square mileage was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804. From then on, white European Americans developed a fascination with the newly bought expanses of untamed wilderness that lay between their settlements and the west coast.
Thomas Jefferson, a great proponent of exploration and research, sent forth the famous Lewis and Clark party who were to study and map the region. It was William Clark who, with a host of men, floated down the Yellowstone River and explored the area which is now Billings, Montana. In fact, Clark's name is still inscribed on a stone pillar nearby, marking the passing through of his famous party. The Clark group had run- ins with the Crow, who stole nearly half their horses: an inauspicious welcome indeed!
Official government settlements weren't established in Montana territory until more than 60 years after Clark's arrival, when Fort Shaw was built in the Sun River Valley. Native Americans were being herded onto designated reservations by then and tensions ran high. In the summer of 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand took place in the eastern area of the territory, ushering in an intense period of warfare between whites and Native Americans that would last for nearly two decades.
The Homestead Act of the early 20th century was instrumental in luring white settlers west from the Midwest and Minnesota, mainly. They came to make a new start from themselves: to raise their families as well as cattle.
These hardy folks quickly fell in love with Montana's beautiful mountains, abundant fish and game, and sweeping plains. They nicknamed their new home Big Sky Country. The state has retained much of the beauty and wild grandeur that attracted settlers in the first place: in a lot of ways, two centuries after William Clark's arrival, it is still the Wild West.
If you are interested in beautiful Montana ranches for sale, contact the professionals at David Viers & Associates (http://www.davidviers.com). Art Gib is a freelance writer.
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Montana has long been linked with the romantic conceptions of the American West: cowboys, cattle drives, Native Americans, and an untamed wilderness. Indeed, the state is still one of the most pristine places in the continental United States, and people who long for a simpler lifestyle know that it's a great place to settle on a ranch and enjoy nature. Here's a little bit about the "Wild West" history of Montana.
Although evidence has shown that primitive peoples inhabited Montana nearly 2,100 years ago, the most predominant modern natives of the area were the Crow tribe: they were a nomadic people who dwelt in large tepees and followed the great herds of buffalo that roamed Montana's vast plains.
Most of the land which would later become the 41st state and the country's fourth largest in square mileage was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804. From then on, white European Americans developed a fascination with the newly bought expanses of untamed wilderness that lay between their settlements and the west coast.
Thomas Jefferson, a great proponent of exploration and research, sent forth the famous Lewis and Clark party who were to study and map the region. It was William Clark who, with a host of men, floated down the Yellowstone River and explored the area which is now Billings, Montana. In fact, Clark's name is still inscribed on a stone pillar nearby, marking the passing through of his famous party. The Clark group had run- ins with the Crow, who stole nearly half their horses: an inauspicious welcome indeed!
Official government settlements weren't established in Montana territory until more than 60 years after Clark's arrival, when Fort Shaw was built in the Sun River Valley. Native Americans were being herded onto designated reservations by then and tensions ran high. In the summer of 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand took place in the eastern area of the territory, ushering in an intense period of warfare between whites and Native Americans that would last for nearly two decades.
The Homestead Act of the early 20th century was instrumental in luring white settlers west from the Midwest and Minnesota, mainly. They came to make a new start from themselves: to raise their families as well as cattle.
These hardy folks quickly fell in love with Montana's beautiful mountains, abundant fish and game, and sweeping plains. They nicknamed their new home Big Sky Country. The state has retained much of the beauty and wild grandeur that attracted settlers in the first place: in a lot of ways, two centuries after William Clark's arrival, it is still the Wild West.
If you are interested in beautiful Montana ranches for sale, contact the professionals at David Viers & Associates (http://www.davidviers.com). Art Gib is a freelance writer.
Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory