This timeline is a chronology of significant events in the history of the U.S. State of Montana and the historical area now occupied by the state.
2020s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
2024 | November 5 | The 2024 General Election will be held on November 5, 2024. |
2022 | November 8 | In the 2022 General Election, Montana voters elect Ryan Zinke as the U.S. Representative for the new 1st Congressional District and U.S. Representative At-large Matt Rosendale for the new 2nd Congressional District. Republicans retain control of the Montana Legislature.[1] |
2020 | November 3 | In the 2020 General Election, Montana voters elect three presidential electors for Donald Trump, re-elect Steve Daines as junior U.S. Senator, elect Matt Rosendale as U.S. Representative At-large, and elect Greg Gianforte as Governor. Republicans retain control of the Montana Legislature.[2] |
April 1 | The 2020 United States Census enumerates the population of the State of Montana, later determined to be 1,084,225, an increase of 9.58% since the 2010 United States census. Montana remains the 44th most populous of the 50 U.S. states, but will gain a second Congressional seat.[3] |
2010s
edit2000s
edit1990s
edit1980s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1989 | January 2 | Stan Stephens assumes office as the 20th Governor of the State of Montana. |
1986 | October 6 | U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs An Act to amend the National Trails System Act by designating the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) Trail as a component of the National Trails System, creating the Nez Perce National Historic Trail. |
1981 | January 5 | Ted Schwinden assumes office as the 19th Governor of the State of Montana. |
1980 | April 1 | The 1980 United States Census enumerates the population of the State of Montana, later determined to be 786,690, an increase of 13.3% since the 1970 United States Census. Montana becomes the 44th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. |
1970s
edit1960s
edit1950s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1953 | January 5 | J. Hugo Aronson assumes office as the 14th Governor of the State of Montana. |
1950 | April 1 | The 1950 United States Census enumerates the population of the State of Montana, later determined to be 591,024, an increase of 5.6% since the 1940 United States Census. Montana becomes the 42nd most populous of the 48 U.S. states. |
1940s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1949 | January 3 | John W. Bonner assumes office as the 13th Governor of the State of Montana. |
1946 | March 22 | Custer Battlefield National Monument.[9][10] |
1945 | September 2 | World War II ends as the Empire of Japan formally surrenders. |
May 8 | The war in Europe ends as the Greater German Empire formally surrenders. | |
1941 | December 11 | The United States declares war on the German Reich and the Italian Empire. |
December 8 | The United States declares war on the Empire of Japan and enters World War II. | |
January 6 | Sam C. Ford assumes office as the 12th Governor of the State of Montana. | |
1940 | April 1 | The 1940 United States Census enumerates the population of the State of Montana, later determined to be 559,456, an increase of 4.1% since the 1930 United States Census. Montana remains the 39th most populous of the 48 U.S. states. |
1930s
edit1920s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1925 | January 4 | John E. Erickson assumes office as the eighth Governor of the State of Montana. |
1924 | November 24 | The State of Montana creates Petroleum County.[11] |
June 2 | U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue certificates of citizenship to Indians, also known as the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, finally granting full United States Citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States.[12] | |
1923 | May 11 | The State of Montana creates Lake County.[11] |
1921 | January 3 | Joseph M. Dixon assumes office as the seventh Governor of the State of Montana. |
1920 | December 10 | The State of Montana creates Judith Basin County.[11] |
October 4 | The State of Montana creates Golden Valley County.[11] | |
August 30 | The State of Montana creates Daniels County.[11] | |
April 1 | The 1920 United States Census enumerates the population of the State of Montana, later determined to be 548,889, an increase of 46.0% since the 1910 United States Census. Montana becomes the 39th most populous of the 48 U.S. states. | |
February 11 | The State of Montana creates Liberty County.[11] |
1910s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1919 | March 7 | The State of Montana creates Powder River County.[11] |
February 20 | The State of Montana creates McCone County.[11] | |
February 18 | The State of Montana creates Roosevelt County.[11] | |
February 17 | The State of Montana creates Glacier County and Pondera County.[11] | |
February 7 | The State of Montana creates Garfield County and Treasure County.[11] | |
1918 | November 11 | An armistice halts the Great War. |
1917 | April 6 | The United States declares war on the German Empire and enters the Great War. |
February 22 | The State of Montana creates Carter County and Wheatland County.[11] | |
1916 | August 25 | U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs An Act To establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes.[13] |
1915 | February 5 | The State of Montana creates Phillips County and Prairie County.[11] |
1914 | August 17 | The State of Montana creates Wibaux County.[11] |
August 7 | The State of Montana creates Mineral County.[11] | |
May 27 | The State of Montana creates Richland County.[11] | |
May 7 | The State of Montana creates Toole County.[11] | |
1913 | December 9 | The State of Montana creates Fallon County.[11] |
March 24 | The State of Montana creates Sheridan County and Stillwater County.[11] | |
January 13 | The State of Montana creates Big Horn County.[14][11] | |
January 6 | Sam V. Stewart assumes office as the sixth Governor of the State of Montana. | |
1912 | February 29 | The State of Montana creates Blaine County.[11] |
February 28 | The State of Montana creates Hill County.[11] | |
1911 | February 11 | The State of Montana creates Musselshell County.[11] |
1910 | June 23 | U.S. President William Howard Taft issues a proclamation creating Big Hole Battlefield National Monument.[9][10] |
May 11 | U.S. President William Howard Taft signs An Act to establish "The Glacier National Park" in the Rocky Mountains south of the international boundary line, in the State of Montana, and for other purposes.[10] | |
April 1 | The 1910 United States Census enumerates the population of the State of Montana, later determined to be 376,053, an increase of 54.5% since the 1900 United States Census. Montana becomes the 40th most populous of the 46 U.S. states and gains a second Congressional seat. |
1900s
edit1890s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1899 | February 10 | U.S. President Grover Cleveland issues a proclamation creating the Gallatin Forest Reserve.[15] |
1898 | December 10 | The United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain sign the Treaty of Paris of 1898 to end the Spanish–American War. |
August 12 | The United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain sign a Protocol of Peace. | |
April 23 | The Kingdom of Spain declares war on the United States of America. The United States declares war on Spain two days later. | |
1897 | February 22 | U.S. President Grover Cleveland issues a proclamation creating the Bitter Root Forest Reserve, the Lewis & Clarke Forest Reserve, and the Flathead Forest Reserve.[15] |
February 9 | The State of Montana creates Broadwater County.[11] | |
January 4 | Robert Burns Smith assumes office as the third Governor of the State of Montana. | |
1895 | March 5 | The State of Montana creates Sweet Grass County.[11] |
March 4 | The State of Montana creates Carbon County.[11] | |
1893 | March 2 | The State of Montana creates Granite County.[11] |
February 16 | The State of Montana creates Ravalli County.[11] | |
The State of Montana founds the Agricultural College of the State of Montana. | ||
February 13 | The State of Montana founds the University of Montana. | |
February 7 | The State of Montana creates Teton County.[11] | |
February 6 | The State of Montana creates Flathead County and Valley County.[11] | |
January 2 | John E. Rickards assumes office as the second Governor of the State of Montana. | |
1891 | March 3 | U.S. President Benjamin Harrison signs An act to repeal timber-culture laws, and for other purposes, also known as the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, giving the President of the United States the authority to create protected national forests on federal lands.[17] |
1890 | April 1 | The 1890 United States Census enumerates the population of the State of Montana, later determined to be 142,924, an increase of 265.0% since the 1880 United States Census. Montana becomes the 41st most populous of the 43 U.S. states. |
1880s
edit1870s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1877 | September 30 | U.S. soldiers under the command of General Oliver Otis Howard attack Nez Perce people led by Chief Joseph attempting to flee to Canada in the Battle of Bear Paw. Chief Joseph and many Nez Perce are captured. |
September 13 | U.S. soldiers under the command of Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis attack Nez Perce people attempting to flee to Canada in the Battle of Canyon Creek. | |
August 9 | U.S. soldiers under the command of Colonel John Gibbon attack Nez Perce people encamped in the Bitterroot Valley in the Battle of the Big Hole. | |
February 16 | The Territory of Montana changes the name of Big Horn County[14] to Custer County in honor of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer.[11] | |
1876 | July 4 | The Territory of Montana celebrates the Centennial of the United States of America while still reeling from the Battle of the Little Bighorn. |
June 26 | The 7th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer are defeated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn by a force of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. | |
1875 | April 19 | The Territory of Montana selects Helena as the third Territorial Capital. Helena remains the capital of Montana. |
1872 | March 1 | U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signs An Act to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park, creating Yellowstone National Park, the world's first national park.[10] |
1870 | July 13 | U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant appoints Benjamin F. Potts the fourth Governor of the Territory of Montana. |
April 1 | The 1870 United States Census enumerates the population of the Territory of Montana, later determined to be 20,595. Montana is the sixth most populous of the nine U.S. territories. |
1860s
edit1850s
edit1840s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1848 | August 14 | U.S. President James K. Polk signs An Act to Establish the Territorial Government of Oregon. The Territory of Oregon includes the portion of the future State of Montana lying west of the Continental Divide of the Americas. The rest of the future state remains unorganized United States territory. |
February 2 | The United States of America and United Mexican States sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to end the Mexican–American War. | |
1846 | July 17 | The Oregon Treaty between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland takes effect. The 49th parallel north is set as the international border from the Strait of Georgia to the Lake of the Woods. All land in the future State of Montana becomes unorganized United States territory. |
May 13 | The United States declares war on the Mexican Republic. | |
Alexander Culbertson establishes Fort Benton, the last fur trading post on the Upper Missouri River.[26][27] | ||
1841 | September 24 | French Jesuit priest Pierre Jean DeSmet arrives in the Bitterroot Valley and establishes St. Mary's Mission, the first Euro-American settlement in the future State of Montana[28] |
1830s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1832 | spring | The steamship Yellowstone makes its inaugural voyage from St. Louis to Fort Union and back.[29] |
1820s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1828 | spring | The American Fur Company establishes Fort Union on the Missouri River near its confluence with the Yellowstone River. |
1822 | March 10 | William Henry Ashley forms the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in St. Louis. The company operates it in Wyoming and Montana for twelve years. Jim Bridger, William Sublette and Jedediah Smith are among its corps of trappers.[30] |
1821 | August 10 | The State of Missouri is admitted to the Union. The rest of the Territory of Missouri becomes unorganized United States territory. |
March 2 | U.S. President James Monroe signs An Act to authorize the people of the Missouri territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, and to prohibit slavery in certain territories. |
1810s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1819 | January 30 | The Treaty of 1818 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland takes effect. The treaty calls for the joint occupation of the Oregon Country west of the Continental Divide of the Americas, and the 49th parallel north as the international border east of the Continental Divide to the Lake of the Woods. The Continental Divide separates the future State of Montana between the Oregon Country and the Territory of Missouri. |
1814 | William Clark publishes A Map of Lewis and Clark's Track Across the Western Portion of North America. | |
1812 | October 1 | The Territory of Missouri creates St. Charles County which includes all land in the future State of Montana in the Missouri River watershed.[11] |
June 4 | U.S. President James Madison signs An Act providing for the government of the territory of Missouri. The Territory of Louisiana is renamed the Territory of Missouri. The Territory of Missouri includes all land in the future State of Montana in the Missouri River watershed. | |
1810 | February 26 | Canadian fur trader and explorer David Thompson encounters Salish Indians wintering on the Flathead River below Flathead Lake.[31] |
1800s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1809 | November 9 | Canadian fur trader and explorer David Thompson establishes Saleesh House at Thompson Falls on the Columbia River.[32] |
1807 | November 21 | Fur trader Manuel Lisa establishes Fort Raymond at the confluence of the Big Horn River with the Yellowstone River.[33] |
1806 | September 23 | The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrives in St. Louis in the Territory of Louisiana (the future State of Missouri). |
August 11 | The Lewis and Clark Expedition reunites at the confluence of the Yellowstone River with the Missouri River. | |
July 7 | William Clark and the other members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition cross the Continental Divide of the Americas at the saddle now known as Big Hole Pass. | |
Meriwether Lewis and nine other members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition cross the Continental Divide of the Americas at the saddle now known as Lewis and Clark Pass. | ||
July 3 | On their return east, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark decide to split their expedition to search for a shorter route to the Missouri River. | |
March 22 | The Lewis and Clark Expedition depart Fort Clatsop and begin their voyage back to the United States. | |
1805 | December 7 | The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrive at the site of their winter encampment on the south side of the Columbia River and begin the construction of Fort Clatsop. |
August 12 | Meriwether Lewis and three other members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition cross the Continental Divide of the Americas at the saddle now known as Lemhi Pass and enter territory claimed by Native Americans, the Kingdom of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Russian Empire. The rest of the expedition will follow. | |
June 13 | The Lewis and Clark Expedition reaches the Great Falls of the Missouri River. It will take four weeks to portage the falls. | |
April | The Lewis and Clark Expedition travels up the Missouri River and enters the future State of Montana. | |
March 3 | U.S. President Thomas Jefferson signs An Act further providing for the government of the district of Louisiana. The District of Louisiana is reorganized as the self-governing Territory of Louisiana. The Territory of Louisiana includes all land in the future State of Montana in the Missouri River watershed. | |
1804 | October 1 | The District of Louisiana is organized under the jurisdiction of the Territory of Indiana. |
May 21 | The Lewis and Clark Expedition departs St. Charles in the District of Louisiana (the future State of Missouri) and begins its voyage up the Missouri River. | |
March 26 | U.S. President Thomas Jefferson signs An Act erecting Louisiana into two territories, and providing for the temporary government thereof. The portion of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 33rd parallel north is designated the military District of Louisiana. | |
1803 | December 20 | The French Republic turns its colony of La Louisiane over to the United States. All land in the future State of Montana in the Missouri River watershed becomes unorganized United States territory. |
April 30 | The United States and the French Republic sign the Louisiana Purchase Treaty. | |
1800 | October 1 | Under pressure from Napoléon Bonaparte, the Kingdom of Spain transfers the colony of la Luisiana back to the French Republic with the secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso. |
1780s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1783 | September 3 | The Treaty of Paris is signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America. The treaty affirms the independence of the United States and sets the Mississippi River as its western boundary. |
1770s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1776 | July 4 | Representatives of the thirteen United States of America sign the Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. |
1760s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1762 | November 13 | Fearing the loss of its American territories in the Seven Years' War, the Kingdom of France transfers its colony of La Louisiane to the Kingdom of Spain with the secret Treaty of Fontainebleau. |
1680s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1682 | April 9 | René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claims the Mississippi River and its watershed for the Kingdom of France and names the region La Louisiane in honor of King Louis XIV. The Mississippi Basin is later determined to be the fourth most extensive on Earth and includes lands inhabited by hundreds of thousands of native peoples and lands previously claimed by Spain, France, and England. The Louisiane claim includes all land in the future State of Montana east of the Continental Divide of the Americas. This will set up a rivalry among native peoples, France, Spain, and eventually the United States in the area. |
1540s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1541 | June 28 | A Spanish military expedition led by Hernando de Soto, Governor of Cuba, become the first Europeans to cross the Mississippi River. |
1510s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1513 | September 29 | Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama and arrives on the shore of a sea that he names Mar del Sur (the South Sea, later named the Pacific Ocean). He claims the sea and all adjacent lands for the Queen of Castile. This includes the portion of the future State of Montana west of the Continental Divide of the Americas. |
1490s
editYear | Date | Event |
---|---|---|
1493 | May 5 | Pope Alexander VI (born Roderic de Borja in Valencia) issues the papal bull Inter caetera which splits the non-Christian world into two halves. The eastern half goes to the King of Portugal for his exploration, conquest, conversion, and exploitation. The western half (including all of North America) goes to the Queen of Castile and the King of Aragon for their exploration, conquest, conversion, and exploitation. The indigenous peoples of the Americas have no idea that any of these people exist. |
1492 | October 12 | Genoese seaman Cristòffa Cómbo (Christopher Columbus) leading an expedition for Queen Isabella I of Castile lands on the Lucayan island of Guanahani that he renames San Salvador. This begins the Spanish conquest of the Americas. |
Before 1492
editEra | Event |
---|---|
c. 12,000 BCE | During a centuries long period of warming, ice-age Paleoamericans from Beringia begin using the ice-free corridor east of the Rocky Mountains to migrate throughout the Americas. |
See also
editReferences
editReferences are included in the linked articles.
- ^ "Montana elections, 2022". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Montana elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "2020 Census Apportionment Results". United States Census Bureau. April 26, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Montana elections, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Montana elections, 2016". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Montana elections, 2014". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Montana elections, 2012". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Montana elections, 2010". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Antiquities Act". National Park Service. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Park Anniversaries". National Park Service. October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as "Montana: Individual County Chronologies". Newberry Library. 2005. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Sixty-eighth United States Congress (June 2, 1924). "An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue certificates of citizenship to Indians" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Sixty-fourth United States Congress (August 25, 1916). "An Act To establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c Big Horn County, Montana Territory was not the same county as present day Big Horn County, Montana.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Establishment and Modification of National Forest Boundaries and National Grasslands" (PDF). United States Forest Service. 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Fifty-ninth United States Congress (June 8, 1906). "An Act For the preservation of American antiquities" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Fifty-first United States Congress (March 3, 1891). "An act to repeal timber-culture laws, and for other purposes" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Benjamin Harrison (November 8, 1889). "Proclamation 293—Admission of Montana into the Union". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Fiftieth United States Congress (February 22, 1889). "An act to provide for the division of Dakota into two States and to enable the people of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington to form constitutions and State governments and to be admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, and to make donations of public lands to such States" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Thirty-Eighth United States Congress (May 26, 1864). "An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Montana" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Jeffrey J. (2003). Montana Book of Days. Missoula, MT: Historic Montana Publishing. p. 186. ISBN 0966335562.
- ^ Smith, Jeffrey J. (2003). Montana Book of Days. Missoula, MT: Historic Montana Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 0966335562.
- ^ "Historic Missoula- Hell Gate Village Era (1860–65)". Missoula Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ Milner, Clyde A.; O'Connor, Carol A. (2009). "Partners in a New Land". As Big As The West-The Pioneer Life of Granville Stuart. Oxford University Press. pp. 39–68. ISBN 9780195127096.
- ^ Smith, Jeffrey J. (2003). Montana Book of Days. Missoula, MT: Historic Montana Publishing. p. 200. ISBN 0966335562.
- ^ Chouteau County, Montana Website, accessed 26 October 2009
- ^ The History of "Old Fort Benton", Fort Benton Website, accessed 26 October 2009
- ^ History of St. Mary's Mission in Stevensville, Montana – Where Montana Began
- ^ Smith, Jeffrey J. (2003). Montana Book of Days. Missoula, MT: Historic Montana Publishing. p. 109. ISBN 0966335562.
- ^ Smith, Jeffrey J. (2003). Montana Book of Days. Missoula, MT: Historic Montana Publishing. p. 82. ISBN 0966335562.
- ^ Smith, Jeffrey J. (2003). Montana Book of Days. Missoula, MT: Historic Montana Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 0966335562.
- ^ Parry, Ellis Roberts (2001). Montana Dateline. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. p. 245. ISBN 156044956X.
- ^ Goodwin, Cardinal (February 1917). "Manuel Lisa". The Overland Monthly. 68 (2). San Francisco, California: Overland Monthly Publishing Co.: 151–155.