Only in Montana: 5 Facts about Big Sky Country

Montana is a wealth of interesting facts, but what is truly unique to the State? Here are some interesting facts that the Treasure State strictly holds.

1.) Montana is the only State that has a Triple Divide.

Triple Divide Peak, on the east side of Glacier National Park, is the only place in the U.S. where water drains to 3 different river basins. Those basins feed into the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Hudson Bay.

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2.) Only State to Constitutionally Require American Indian History

Montana is the only State constitutionally requiring American Indian cultural heritage and history to be taught in schools. This provision is known as Indian Education for All (IEFA).

"Every Montanan, whether Indian or non-Indian, learn about the distinct and unique heritage of American Indians in a culturally responsive manner..." -- IEFA.

3.) First State to Elect a Woman to Congress

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman ever elected to Congress and the first woman to serve in federal office in 1917. She was born in Missoula County, was the only lawmaker to vote against the U.S.'s entry into both world wars, and served two terms.

4.) Montana is the Largest Land Locked State.

A whopping 147,040 square miles makes Montana the largest landlocked State in the U.S. Just to give that more perspective, Germany is about 9,000 square miles smaller than Montana.

We are also the only State that shares a border with three Canadian provinces!

5.) The Largest-Ever Recorded Snowflake

Snow for Montanans is nothing new. So, of course, we must have the biggest snowflake ever recorded!

"On the night of 27 January 1887, a fierce winter storm dropped snowflakes described as "larger than milk pans" over the Clark Fork River valley, in the vicinity of a ranch owned by Matt Coleman, near Missoula in Montana, USA. Reports suggest that they were up to 1 ft 3 in (38 cm) wide and 8 in (20 cm) thick." - Guinness World Records.

Credit: Montana Budget, Archive , World Records , Mt.gov