This is Montana Columns

Through a range of topics, physical, historical, cultural and economic geography, University of Montana writers and guest columnists present lively educational writing. In essence the story of Montana.  Essays range in length from 600 – 800 words.

Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains Represent the Roof fo Montana (Part 1 of 2)

Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains Represent the Roof fo Montana (Part 2 of 2)

Anaconda - A Montana Gem

Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness: An Excellent Choice for Adventure

Arctic Grayling: Ranchers Agreements Help Conserve Arctic Grayling

A Visual History: Visiting The Big Hole National Battlefield

Avon: Heart of the Little Blackfood Valley

Bannack: Mining Makes a Comback in Old Bannack (Part 1 of 4)

Bannack: Mining Makes a Comback in Old Bannack (Part 2 of 4)

Bannack: Mining Makes a Comback in Old Bannack (Part 3 of 4)

Bannack: Mining Makes a Comback in Old Bannack (Part 4 of 4)

Beargrass and Yucca

The Bear Ears National Monument - Native Officials Will Help Manage Utah National Monument

The Big Snowy Mountains Offer Wonders in Central Montana

The Big Belt Mountains - Helena's and Townsend's Home Ranges

The Bitterroot River Runs Through Montana History (Part 1 of 2)

The Bitterroot River Runs Through Montana History (Part 2 of 2)

Bits of Montana Wisdom (Part 1 of 5)

Bits of Montana Wisdom (Part 2 of 5)

Bits of Montana Wisdom (Part 3 of 5)

Bits of Montana Wisdom (Part 4 of 5)

Bits of Montana Wisdom (Part 5 of 5)

The Blackfeet Nation has Long, Epic History

Bob (Robert) Marshell: A Forester and Crusader

The Bob Marshell - Get Out and Explore The Bob Marshall Wilderness

The Bob Marshell - How Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness was Created

Bowdoin Wildlife Refuge Offers Incredible Haven for Wildlife

Bull River Country: Montana's Bull River Country Offers Giant Trees, Stunning Vistas

Bull Trout - Glacier National Park Works to Save Bull Trout (Part 1 of 2)

Bull Trout - Glacier National Park Works to Save Bull Trout (Part 2 of 2)

The Centennial Valley

Central Montana Offers Spectacular, Diverse Landscapes (Part 1 of 2)

Central Montana Offers Spectacular, Diverse Landscapes (Part 2 of 2)

City Band Embodied Early Montana Communities (Part 1 of 3)

City Band Embodied Early Montana Communities (Part 2 of 3)

City Band Embodied Early Montana Communities (Part 3 of 3)

The Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuges Offers Remote Beauty

Confluence Country: Find Adventures in "Confluence Country"

Crown of the Continent Timeline

The Crazies: A Dramatic Island of Mountains in Central Montana

Darby Project Brings the End of the Road

Deer Lodge and the Deer Lodge Valley

Dillion: Capital of the Beaverhead

Earthquake Slide - The Night the Mountain fell in Yellowstone

East Pioneer Mountains: Southwest Montana's East Pioneer Mountains

Ekalaka - A Beautiful Outpost in far Eastern Montana

Ekalaka - A Montana East of the Mountains Outpost

Ennis - Fly Fishing Mecca of Montana

Equinox - The Promise of the Equinox: A Personal Account

Flathead Lake Biological Station: The Sentinel of Flathead Lake (Part 1 of 2)

Flathead Lake Biological Station: The Sentinel of Flathead Lake (Part 2 of 2)

Flathead Lake: Our Local Ocean in Motion

Fort Missoula Camp Helps Italians and Japanese During World War II

Fort Benton: Montana's Birthplace (Part 1 of 2)

Fort Benton: Montana's Birthplace (Part 2 of 2)

Garnet Offers Montana's Best Preserved Ghost Town

Gates of the Mountains Wilderness

Gold Gives Birth to Western Montana

Gold Creek - A Montana Original

Granite Peak: Montana's Highest

Grant Kohrs Ranch -  Jonny Grant, Conrad Kohrs, and The Grant Kohrs Ranch

The Great Burn Shaped by Catastrophic 1910 Fire Season

Helmville - A Montana Original

Homestead Act Launches a New Era in Montana (Part 1 of 3)

Homestead Act Launches a New Era in Montana (Part 2 of 3)

Homestead Act Launches a New Era in Montana (Part 3 of 3)

The Italian Peaks

Jackson & Wisdom: Montana Originals

Jewels of the Sky: Hummingbirds of Western Montana

Jordan Country Offers Prairie Magnificence

Kipp Landing - Steamboats at Kipp Landing Helped Settle Montana

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (Part 1 of 2)

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge (Part 2 of 2)

Lodgepole Pine: Wildfires Create Signature Montana Forests

Malta: Old West Beef Empires Launched Town of Malta (Part 1 of 2)

Malta: Old West Beef Empires Launched Town of Malta (Part 2 of 2)

Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge: A Stunning Prairie Oasis

Missouri Headwaters are Central to Montana History (Part 1 of 2)

Missouri Headwaters are Central to Montana History (Part 2 of 2)

Missouri River Territory: A Journey with the Yellowstone in Missouri River Territory (Part 1 of 2)

Missouri River Territory: A Journey with the Yellowstone in Missouri River Territory (Part 2 of 2)

Montana Creates Univeristy-Dedicated Mill Levy in 1920

Montana East of the Mountains: An Uncommon Landscape

Montana Followed Meandering Path Toward Statehood (Part 1 of 2)

Montana Followed Meandering Path Toward Statehood (Part 2 of 2)

Montana Leads with Bear Spray Protection

Montana Offers Amazingly Diverse Tapestry

Montana: One State With Three Changing Regions (Part 1 of 3)

Montana: One State With Three Changing Regions (Part 2 of 3)

Montana: One State With Three Changing Regions (Part 3 of 3)

Montana Remains "High, Wide, and Handsome"

Montana Weather, Terrain Offers Land of Extremes

Montana Winters Aren't For Wimps

Montana's Biologist's Musings About College Echo Modern Critiques

Montana's First Written History

Montana's Greatest Wonder: The Missouri River (Part 1 of 5)

Montana's Greatest Wonder: The Missouri River (Part 2 of 5)

Montana's Greatest Wonder: The Missouri River (Part 3 of 5)

Montana's Greatest Wonder: The Missouri River (Part 4 of 5)

Montana's Greatest Wonder: The Missouri River (Part 5 of 5)

Montana's Lonesome Highway

Montana's Maria River Provided a Puzzle for Lewis and Clark

Montana's Milk River a Major Hi-Line Feature

Montana's Pryor Mountains Offer Diverse Landscapes

Montana's Rural Schoolhouses - ABC's and 123's of Montana's Historical Rural Schoolhouses

Mount Everest Discovery and the Fist Accent 64 Years Ago

Mountain Science Glacier (Part 1 of 4): Glacier Park Scientist Talks Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems

Mountain Science Glacier (Part 2 of 4): Avalanches and Climate Change in Glacier National Park

Mountain Science Glacier (Part 3 of 4): Disappearing Glaciers Give Scientists New Insights

Mountain Science Glacier (Part 4 of 4): Beyond Doom and Gloom: Science Communication at Glacier National Park

Ovando: More Scenery Per Capita

Parker Homestead State Park Reveals Bygone Era

Philipsburg and the Flint Creek Valley: SIlver and Sapphires

Powder River Country Offers Picturesque Montana Prairie

Prairie Badlands: The Natural Masterpieces of Eastern Montana

Public Invited to Participate in Wildlife Research as Citizen Scientists with BioBlitz

The Red Conglomerate Peaks

Research at the University of Montana

Rocky Mountain Front's First Rangers (Part 1 of 3)

Rocky Mountain Front's First Rangers (Part 2 of 3)

Rocky Mountain Front's First Rangers (Part 3 of 3)

Rock Creek - From Philipsburg to Clinton: Riding Rock Creek Road

Rockies Today Brings Regional Context to Montana News

Ross Hole: The Salish and Corps of Discovery Meet at Ross's Hole

Sapphire Mountains are one of Montana's Gems

Sheridan - Heart of the Ruby Valley

Silver Star - "Worldwide Service from the Middle of Nowhere!"

St. Ignatius - Guardian of the Mission Mountains

Southwest Montana: A Profile (Part 1 of 4)

Southwest Montana: A Profile (Part 2 of 4)

Southwest Montana: A Profile (Part 3 of 4)

Southwest Montana: A Profile (Part 4 of 4)

Swan Mountains a Gateway to Montana Adventure (Part 1 of 2)

Swan Mountains a Gateway to Montana Adventure (Part 2 of 2)

Sculptures in the Wild: Lincoln, Montana

That Time Montana Hit 70 Below... And Maybe Colder

This Is Montana: Before YouTube

Train Trips to Paradise: The Railroad Transformed Montana (Part 1 of 2)

Train Trips to Paradise: Montana in the Railroad Homestead Eras (Part 2 of 2)

Twin Bridges - Gathering of Three Rivers

UM Geography's "This is Montana" Celebrates 100 Columns (Part 1 of 2)

UM Geography's "This is Montana" Celebrates 100 Columns (Part 2 of 2)

UM Geologist Describes Where the Gold Comes From

Virginia City: Montana's First Incorporated Town (Part 1 of 2)

Virginia City: Montana's First Incorporated Town (Part 2 of 2)

Whitehall

Yellowstone and Hellgate: A Discussion of Two Montana Names