Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 41

Please Note: Do to an important blog post tomorrow, I am doing my personal States of the Union Challenge post today (a day earlier than usual).


This is the 41st week of my personal 50-week States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood). I share tidbits of information about the state here on my blog and I create a card that is inspired by something about that state.

This week's state (the 41st one to attain statehood) is...

Montana

Date of Statehood: November 8, 1889

Montana is large enough to contain six American states. You can fit the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia into Montana.

Montana has many lakes. In fact, the Glacier National Park is host to 250 lakes and many of them are within Montana’s boundaries.

The tallest point in Montana is the Granite Peak. It stands at a height of 12,807 feet. It is the tenth highest point in the U.S.

Montana has a large population of grizzly bears. This is probably why the grizzly bear is the state animal of Montana. An estimated 1800 grizzly bears are thought to be alive today.

Montana is home to approximately 8,000 moose. This animal was once considered extinct but it is alive in well in Montana.

Approximately 10,000 white pelicans migrate from the Gulf of Mexico to Medicine Lake, Montana every spring. These birds are striking because they have wingspans of about nine feet.

There are more cattle than human beings in Montana.

One of the largest steer in world history rests in the O’Fallon Museum in Montana. This steer was about six feet tall and weighed an impressive 3,980 pounds.

Montana has the largest population of golden eagles in the United States. You can see more eagles on a single day here than anywhere else in the United States.

Montana has a very low population density. Of the state’s 56 counties, 46 counties have average populations of just 6 people or less per square mile. This is why these counties are considered “frontier counties”.

The largest city in Montana is Billings and the capital city is Helena. Billings is the only city in Montana to have a population of more than 100,000 people while approximately 75,000 people live in Helena.

The city of Loma Montana has the world record for the greatest temperature change in 24 hours. The temperature changed a whopping 103 degrees Fahrenheit moving from -54 degrees Fahrenheit to 49 degrees Fahrenheit.

Montana is home to one of the largest earth-filled dam in the world. This dam is the Fort Peck Dam located in northeast Montana.

During World War II, almost 30 Japanese balloons landed in Montana? However, no damage to life or property resulted from these balloons.

Butte, Montana is called the “richest hill on planet earth”. This is because of the rich mining history of this city.

In 1888, there were more millionaires per capita in Helena, Montana than any other city on earth. Most of these millionaires made their money from gold.

Only one gem from North America is included in the Crown Jewels of England. This is the Montana Yogo Sapphire.

The largest snowflake ever observed was seen in Fort Keogh, Montana. This snowflake had an incredible diameter of 15 inches.

Montana is the first state in the United States to elect a woman to Congress. Montana native, Jeanette Rankin was elected to Congress in 1916 and re-elected in 1940. Jeanette Rankin was against the World Wars and also opposed the U.S. attack on Pearl Harbour. Her’s was the only vote against the war and she faced furious opposition for her views.

How about these strange laws:

In Montana, it is illegal for married women to go fishing alone on Sundays, and illegal for unmarried women to fish alone at all.

It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone.

It is a felony for a wife to open her husband’s mail.

In Billings, it is against the law to raise pet rats. It is also illegal to use speed-dial in the city phone system and persons in possession of a “pea shooter”  are at risk of it being confiscated by police.

"Worrying squirrels" in Excelsior Springs Montana will not be tolerated. Balls may not be thrown within the city limits either.

It is illegal to annoy passersby on Helena Montana sidewalks with a revolving water sprinkler.

All pool tables in Kalispell Montana  must be able to be viewed from the street outside a billiard hall where they are located.

I decided to go with this bit of Montana information for my card's inspiration... For World War I, Montana contributed one of the highest numbers of soldier per capita of any state. It was higher than 25% of any other state on a per capita basis. Approximately 1500 Montanans died and 2437 were injured. Almost 40,000 Montanans volunteered or drafted for the war. This is a huge contribution of manpower by any state in the U.S. during the time.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Supplies Used

Stamps: Joy Clair God's Army and Stamp Craft Thank You stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and SU Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, and Soft Suede Inks and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Fun Stampers Journey Hazelnut Blend, Recollections 110# White, and SU Sahara Sand CS

Embellishments: Enamel Dots from an unknown vendor