Montana’s Most Important Decade occurred in Southwest Montana

Modern day Montana began in Southwest Montana with the discovery of gold on Grasshopper Creek July 28, 1862. Bannack quickly took root by that autumn.

That was the beginning but in the 1880’s four major events took place, that helped propel Montana to statehood!

In 1880 The first railroad – The Utah & Northern – to make it to Montana reached our border at Monida Pass on May 9,1880.  It reached Butte, its destination, on December 21, 1881.

In 1882 in Butte, large copper deposits were discovered. The railroad opened markets for the copper and other precious minerals as well as for Montana agricultural products.

As a result of the discovery of copper and the coming of the railroad, the timber industry “came out of the backwoods” and grew to a mainstay of the Montana economy. The railroad and mines needed timber.

Montana became a state on November 8, 1889

Another event “the hard winter” of 1886-1887 while most felt on the Montana prairie put an end to the open range cattle industry.