Rob Stringer Presents

Big Sky Country: The History of Montana

The state of Montana has its roots in America going back thousands of years before the country even existed, as settlers came to the area and firmly established the land as suitable for living, something the current residents and citizens of the state reflect in their love of where they live. Rob Stringer has seen many states from behind the wheel of his Winnebago as well as from getting out and about in these places, both mingling with the population and seeing the sights. Montana represents a special place in Rob Stringer’s heart, both for its big beauty and large-hearted residents, who treat him with warmth each time he steps outside his RV. Rob Stringer cannot help thinking the people of Montana have a spirit and generosity just as vast as the skylines that dominate the state’s horizons both day and night.

Shaped early on American history by being part of the famous Louisiana Purchase—Thomas Jefferson’s big coup at the expense of the French—Montana was first a territory that was traversed by explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they made their way from St. Louis to the West Coast, recording all the details they could along the way. Their journals reflect a vast expanse of land and wildlife in what would become the state of Montana that holds up today, and Rob Stringer is fascinated when he reads accounts from the Lewis and Clark journals that reflect their observations of things he is seeing today on his trip through this majestic state. As with most places he visits, Rob Stringer feels a tinge of melancholy when taking in the sights and experiences of his travels thinking of his late wife, Sarah, from time to time. She was a faithful spouse and friend, someone who dreamed as big as Rob Stringer when it came to seeing the great places and sights America has to offer.

Rob Stringer Favorite

Established as America’s forty-first state in 1889, Montana has all the tracings of a land shaped by Indian Wars, tribal clashes with Western culture, diverse wildlife, and the advent of the railroad and agriculture. The history of Montana would not be complete without events such as The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Transcontinental Railroad, milestones in the state’s history. Nor would its history be complete without the days of oil, coal and big business getting a stronghold in the state, creating a modern mining economy that would define the state for decades to come.

Rob Stringer notices the changes in the state today, as the economy has shifted from being complete connected to agriculture and into more retail and commercial businesses, reflecting a modern change away from the exclusive reliance on natural resource production and farming that dominated its first century as a territory and first few decades as a state.

Rob Stringer with Montana Today

Today, Montana offers visitors a variety of activities and attractions, including two of America’s greatest National Parks, and a connection to a past that is as American as anything the country has ever known.