Montana Horse Racing

For centuries, on prairie grasslands, dusty streets and racing ovals, everyday Montanans participated in the sport of kings. More than a century after horses arrived in the region, Lewis and Clark's Nez Perce guides staged horse races at Traveler's Rest in 1806. In response to hazardous street races, the Montana legislature granted communities authority to ban "immoderate riding or driving." Helena led the way to respectable racing, with Madam Coady's fashion course hosting the first territorial fair in 1868. Soon, leading citizens like Marcus Daly built oval tracks and glitzy grandstands. By 1890, a horse named Bob Wade set a world record for a quarter mile in Butte, a mark that stood until 1958. Horsewoman and historian Brenda Wahler highlights the Big Sky's patrons of the turf and courageous equine champions, including Kentucky Derby winner Spokane.

"Montana Moments offers historical vignettes on topics ranging from axolotls, archaeology, and epitaphs to tourism and time zones"--Provided by publisher.

The Making of a Copper King! Born in 1841 to tenant farmers, Marcus Daly came from rural Ireland to New York as a boy. Having learned the big city’s harsh lessons, he traveled west to the gold and silver mining camps of California, Nevada, Utah and Montana. Then, a spectacular discovery in the Anaconda mine him one of Montana’s famed Copper Kings. Yet, his early life remained shrouded in myth. Famed for his machinations in state politics and shaping Butte into the “Richest Hill on Earth,” his path from farm boy to mining king has been overlooked. For the first time, author Brenda Wahler brings his secretive and formative early years to life.

Do you believe in ghosts? Prepare for thirteen encounters with the supernatural as you shiver through some of Montana's most chilling tales of ghosts and hauntings. All of these stories are true. They are about real people, real places, and real events. Are you prepared to be scared?

Agriculture developed into Montana's top industry from humble beginnings. In 1841, Father De Smet planted a small plot at St. Mary's Mission. Thomas Harris, the territory's first farmer, harvested oats at Fort Owen for "sustenance and trade" in 1854. Within thirty-five years, beef and wool were being exported out of the territory to satisfy national and European demands. In the intervening years, the mechanical engine and rural electrification dramatically transformed agribusiness. Billings became home to America's largest monthly horse sale. And the modern cooperative model is lauded for sustaining agricultural operations and rural communities. With untold and forgotten stories, the American Doorstop Project co-founders and authors Jody L. Lamp and Melody Dobson spotlight the technological advancements and legacies of those who blazed trails, broke sod and built farms and livestock ranches that shaped the Treasure State's agriculture history.