Montana EssayMontana is a part of the country that many people don't know much about its history. Montana is divided into two parts, East and West. Eastern Montana is part of the northern Great Plains and has played a vital role in American history since the early 1800s. Western Montana is a story of gold rushes and copper king Marcus Daly. The history of Montana is one of many tales of Montana Indian tribes that date back hundreds and thousands of years before American expansion into the region. On the other side we have white settlers from areas all over the United States and European countries, especially settlers from Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Settlers were brought to Montana with the promise of the American Dream of a chance to get rich through mining or a chance to own their own piece of land through the Enlarged Homestead Act. Before Montana was a state, Before it was even part of the Dakota and Idaho Territories, and before Lewis and Clark crossed the region on their way to the Pacific, Montana was inhabited by seven Indian tribes. On the Great Plains there were the Blackfeet Indians, the Crow Indians, the Assiniboine Indians, and the Northern Cheyenne Indians. In the Rocky Mountains, the three main tribes were the Salish Indians, the Kootenai Indians, and the Pend d'Oreilles (pond-oray) Indians who would later make up the confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes of the Flathead Nation, the three tribes are also known just as the Flathead Indians. Much of the history of Montana's Indian tribes prior to American expansion into the region is somewhat vague due to the lack of a written language. However, we have been able to learn a lot about them as the stories go on and... middle of paper... it's mostly about technology, although in some places the technology may be 15 or 20 years behind to the rest of the country. Eastern Montana farmers continue to battle the environment, but they have learned to survive and succeed. The people living their today show us the true American spirit of showing how we can fight against all odds, but still come out on top. Montana today is a place that is still very much like it was a hundred years ago. Ranching and farming in the east, mining continues in Butte, fishing is widespread along the western rivers, and now there's a new boom, with oil and natural gas all over the state. As John Steinbeck said: “I am in love with Montana. For other states I feel admiration, respect, recognition, even a little affection. But with Montana it's love. And it's hard to analyze love when you're in it.”