In our fourth-largest state, the Great Plains crash into the Rocky Mountains, which inspired the name Montana—Latin for mountainous. The Rockies tumble westward into Idaho and northward through Glacier National Park into Alberta, Canada’s Waterton National Park.
Living Ice Age symbols, mountain goats—Glacier National Park’s unofficial symbol—live near glaciers recalling the Montana nickname Land of Shining Mountains. Farther south along the Rockies, Yellowstone National Park lies mostly in Wyoming. In central Montana, small mountain ranges rise like islands in a prairie sea.
During their historic trek across America, Lewis and Clark followed the Missouri River across North Dakota and westward into Montana. Broken here and there by badlands, the prairies swarmed with great herds of bison, elk, and pronghorns and numerous wolves and grizzly bears. Today, wildlife and grasslands have been largely replaced by cattle and wheat fields.
A hammer and pick and the motto Oro y Plata (“Gold and Silver”) are depicted on Montana’s state seal. These symbolize gold and silver rushes, so important in early Montana history. Another mining legacy are the toxic materials that leach out of abandoned mines, poisoning streams and rivers.
Today, Montana’s mining industry is based on its wealth of fossil fuels, as evidenced by counties, communities, and landforms named for petroleum or coal, such as “Carbon” and “Carbonado.” Can Montana’s fossil fuels be mined without further damaging the Big Sky Country, as Montana is affectionately known?
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - Paperback
