1. In 1876, Colonel John Gibbon led his troops in a skirmish with the Nez Perce tribe near the Big Hole River. Gibbon’s forces were ultimately successful, but not without significant casualties on both sides.

2. In 1903, the famous “Barns-King shootout” took place in Malta. The incident resulted in the deaths of two lawmen and two outlaws, and was eventually made into a Hollywood film.

3. June 2, 1947 saw the dedication of the Hungry Horse Dam, an engineering feat that required the creation of a massive reservoir and the relocation of several towns.

4. In 1972, a massive wildfire known as the Sundance Fire consumed over 56,000 acres of forest in the Lolo National Forest. The blaze was eventually contained, but not before it destroyed several homes and caused significant damage to the local ecosystem.

5. In 2020, Montana Governor Steve Bullock declared a state of emergency in response to widespread flooding caused by heavy rains and snowmelt. Several communities, including Missoula and Billings, were affected by the flooding, which caused significant property damage and forced the evacuation of some residents.