Before the state of Montana was named, and before it even became a state, the Native American people lived there on their own. Whether they knew that there were other people out there and whether they thought that those people might come to take their land is only speculation. They were just interested in raising their families, and they hunted, fished, and grew crops there, just like in other states. Even though there were quite a few different groups of Native Americans, there was plenty of land so they could put space between them if they didn't get along.
While they didn't always get along, most of them co-existed because they had enough space to do so. Tribes included the Cheyenne, Crow, and Blackfeet, among others. Some of these tribes were very large and had a lot of influence, while others were very small and kept to themselves. They generally just tried to stay out of the way of the larger tribes.
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase encompassed the part of Montana that was east of the continental divide. You could get big pieces of land then and it didn't cost that much. That was mostly because the value of the land hadn't yet been seen and there weren't a bunch of other people trying to get it. People didn't see how important it was to buy land either for resale or for the value that it would have in it later, so they got rid of it easily and cheaply.
Things started to change with the Louisiana Purchase, and people begin to discover the different climates in the new world and how much land was really out there. Some areas of land also had a lot of minerals in them, and that increased their value relative to other areas. Lewis and Clark explored the country and there was gold found in Montana, so in the 1860s Montana was made into a United States Territory. There were other areas that started becoming states, but Montana waited a while.
In the late 1880s Montana was made the 41st state. Forts and other buildings were soon constructed, and Fort Shaw was one of them. It was used during the Civil War. The military installation had a parade grounds, a hospital, barracks, a store, and other necessities.
There were still vast areas where nothing had been built, so places like Fort Shaw had to be generally self-sufficient so that they could operate and be effective. Fort Shaw became obsolete, was no longer needed, and eventually closed in 1891. After closing down as a military installation it was decided that Fort Shaw would be used as a school. The alternatives were to allow it to decay or to tear it down, both of which seemed to be wasteful, so the school idea was a great alternative.
American Indian children and young adults were given industrial training at the school where Fort Shaw used to be. When it first opened there were more than 300 students in attendance and there were 20 of the old military buildings in use. That wasn't the only change that Montana experienced, though, because the early 1900s also brought a revised Homestead Act that changed the way people lived in the state. The land that had been offered by the Homestead Act of 1862 was expanded from 160 acres to 320 acres.
President Taft signed it into law, and in 1908 the Sun River Irrigation Project was opened for homesteading, as well. This Reclamation Act dealt with land just west of Great Falls and said that people could claim up to 40 acres to homestead, but there was a catch - the person (or people) had to remain living there for a specific period of time and could only be away for a certain length of time, even on vacations. A lot of the people who took this offer were young couples from the Midwest who were just starting out, and they wanted to hunt and fish and raise families there and be able to see the mountains. Montana's history includes Custer's Last Stand, when the Native Americans were defeated as they were fighting to keep their land.
The Nez Perce Wars are part of Montana's history, too. Most of that history means cattle ranching, which is still popular today. It has grown a lot, and the cattle ranching and Native American influence make it popular with residents and tourists.
While they didn't always get along, most of them co-existed because they had enough space to do so. Tribes included the Cheyenne, Crow, and Blackfeet, among others. Some of these tribes were very large and had a lot of influence, while others were very small and kept to themselves. They generally just tried to stay out of the way of the larger tribes.
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase encompassed the part of Montana that was east of the continental divide. You could get big pieces of land then and it didn't cost that much. That was mostly because the value of the land hadn't yet been seen and there weren't a bunch of other people trying to get it. People didn't see how important it was to buy land either for resale or for the value that it would have in it later, so they got rid of it easily and cheaply.
Things started to change with the Louisiana Purchase, and people begin to discover the different climates in the new world and how much land was really out there. Some areas of land also had a lot of minerals in them, and that increased their value relative to other areas. Lewis and Clark explored the country and there was gold found in Montana, so in the 1860s Montana was made into a United States Territory. There were other areas that started becoming states, but Montana waited a while.
In the late 1880s Montana was made the 41st state. Forts and other buildings were soon constructed, and Fort Shaw was one of them. It was used during the Civil War. The military installation had a parade grounds, a hospital, barracks, a store, and other necessities.
There were still vast areas where nothing had been built, so places like Fort Shaw had to be generally self-sufficient so that they could operate and be effective. Fort Shaw became obsolete, was no longer needed, and eventually closed in 1891. After closing down as a military installation it was decided that Fort Shaw would be used as a school. The alternatives were to allow it to decay or to tear it down, both of which seemed to be wasteful, so the school idea was a great alternative.
American Indian children and young adults were given industrial training at the school where Fort Shaw used to be. When it first opened there were more than 300 students in attendance and there were 20 of the old military buildings in use. That wasn't the only change that Montana experienced, though, because the early 1900s also brought a revised Homestead Act that changed the way people lived in the state. The land that had been offered by the Homestead Act of 1862 was expanded from 160 acres to 320 acres.
President Taft signed it into law, and in 1908 the Sun River Irrigation Project was opened for homesteading, as well. This Reclamation Act dealt with land just west of Great Falls and said that people could claim up to 40 acres to homestead, but there was a catch - the person (or people) had to remain living there for a specific period of time and could only be away for a certain length of time, even on vacations. A lot of the people who took this offer were young couples from the Midwest who were just starting out, and they wanted to hunt and fish and raise families there and be able to see the mountains. Montana's history includes Custer's Last Stand, when the Native Americans were defeated as they were fighting to keep their land.
The Nez Perce Wars are part of Montana's history, too. Most of that history means cattle ranching, which is still popular today. It has grown a lot, and the cattle ranching and Native American influence make it popular with residents and tourists.
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