July 2024

Sheep grazing along the Musselshell, 2019.

Early sheep industry in Montana. The big picture

Mining, sheep and cattle, Norwegian immigrants in Montana, Norwegian immigrants in the mining industry / By

Many people have written about the history of the Montana cattle industry. In comparison, historical research and writing on the sheep industry in Montana is scant. The stories of “the great sheep trails from California and Oregon have lain in deep obscurity,” wrote Edward N. Wentworth in 1941, while the trails from Texas “with its […]

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Map of southwestern counties in Montana, which shows county borders and rivers and towns in 1890. It is a cropped version of a larger map, that shows some sites mentioned in this article.

Gold discovery led to the establishment of Meagher County, Montana

Mining, sheep and cattle, Norwegian immigrants in Montana / By

Late in the fall of 1864 gold was discovered in a gulch on the west-facing slopes of the Big Belt Mountains. The small stream flowing through the gulch drained into Canyon Ferry Lake. The gold was discovered by four former Confederate soldiers who were traveling south from Fort Benton on the Missouri River. Their destination

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