Montana Matters

Available in March from the University of Nebraska Press, award-winning author Mary Clearman Blew’s belated-coming-of-age novel Jackalope Dreams tells the story of Montana-born-and-bred Corey Henry, a spinsterish teacher who finds her world turned upside-down in the wake of professional scandal and personal loss. One of the most striking elements of the story is the setting in beautiful Montana. In Jackalope Dreams, the state—with its rich history and modern landscape—acts as a character in the plot, shaping the narrative as a pseudo-protagonist/antagonist. In light of this, today’s Tuesday Trivia features questions on the great state of Montana. Let’s see how much you know about “Big Sky Country.”

1. Which national park in southern Montana was the first appointed national park in the nation?
2. True or false?: Montana has more species of mammals than any other state?
3. True or false?: Montana has the largest black bear population among the lower 48 states.
4. Which city in Montana is known as the “Cowboy Capital?"
5. What animal, once thought to be extinct in the Rocky Mountain region south of Canada, now numbers over 8,000 in Montana?
6. How many of Montana’s 56 counties are considered “frontier counties,” indicating an average population per square mile of 6 people or less?
7. Montana is home to how many Native American reservations?
    A.10
    B.5
    C.12
    D.7
8. What is Montana’s state nickname? What does its state motto of “Oro y Plata” translate to?
9. What is the most visited site in Montana?
10. True or false?: In Montana, the deer, antelope, and elk populations surpass the human population.

Bonus Question:
Montana’s name comes from the Spanish word “Montaña,” which translates to English as what? (Come on, I know you can get this one!)

Be sure to visit us tomorrow for the answers to today’s trivia set! Have a good evening, bloggers!