HISTORY. The Sieur de la Verendrye is said to have traversed the region now included in the State of Montana in 1742. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark expedition crossed Montana from the northeast to the extreme southwest, and the fol lowing year. on their return journey from the Pacific Coast, descended the Missouri and the Yellowstone in two parties, meeting at the junc tion of the rivers near the present eastern boun dary of Montana. Trading posts were erected on Yellowstone River by Manuel Lisa in 1809, William H. Ashley in 1822, and the American Fur Company in 1829. In 1840 Father Peter John de Smet of the Society of Jesus began mis sion work among the Flathead Indians. and this was followed by the establishment of a perma nent mission among the Indians of Bitter Root Valley in September, 1841. Fort Benton was founded by the American Fur Company in 1846. Gold was discovered as early as 1552 by Fran cois Finlay, a half-breed, near the Heilgate River, hut the discovery aroused little attention till 1857. when John Silverthorn appeared at Fort Benton tvith a large quantity of gold dust which he had obtained in the mountains. In the winter of 1800 James and Granville Stuart settled on Gold Creek in the Deer Lodge Valley, attracted by the rumors of gold in that region, and in the following year they commenced mining on a small scale. having been joined in the meanwhile by three other pioneers. Rich placers were soon discovered at various points in the mountains and an active immigration set in, mining settlements springing up at Bannack City on Grasshopper Creek, on the Bighole River, and on North Boulder Creek. In May, 1863, gold was dis covered at Fairweather Gulch, near Alder Creek. The town of Virginia City sprang up near the spot. and within a year it had a population of 4000. In 1863 the Territory of Idaho, including the present Montana, was set off from Washing ton and Dakota, and on Stay 22, 1864, the Terri tory of Montana. was erected from land taken from Idaho. The early settlers were naturally of a reckless and lawless character and, as a re sult, for a considerable length of time life and property were in jeopardy. The existing state of
affairs was, however, remedied by the stern ad ministration introduced by the establishment of vigilance committees. The Montana Post, the first newspaper in the Territory, was published at Virginia City in 1865. in 1874 the seat of government was removed from Virginia City to Helena. On June 25, 1870, occurred the disas trous fight between General Custer and the Sioux Indians under Sitting Bull on the Little Big Horn River.
The prosperity of the Territory was increased by the completion of the Northern Pacific Rail road in 1883, surveys for the route having been made as early as 1S53 by Isaac I. Stevens under authority of Congress. About 1880 began the development of silver and copper mining, which soon surpassed in importance the gold-milling industry, the value of the output of the two metals rising from $1,000,000 for both in 1880 to more than $18.000,000 for silver and nearly $37, 000,000 for copper in 1901. In January and Feb ruary, 1884, a constitutional convention framed a Constitution which was ratified by the people in November, and application was made to Congress for admission into the Union. No action was taken. however, until February, 1589, when an enabling act was passed by Congress. On No vember 8, 1589, Montana was admitted into the Union by proclamation of the President after a State Constitution had been framed and State of ficers elected. From the first polities in Montana were marked by a spirit of bitter partisanship, which led to frequent delays in legislation. In January, 1891, the dispute between two rival legislatures was settled only by a bargain between the Democrats and the limns. The influence of the great mining corpor ations has also proved a source of political evil. In national eleetions Montana was Repuldiean in 1592; and in 1596 and in 1900 it was carried by a fusion of the Democrats and Populists. The t:overnors of the Territory and Slat.. of NIontana have been as follows: