Here Is Why Montana Is Called “The Treasure State”

Why Montana Is Called The Treasure State

Have you ever stopped to think about how things get their names, like how your brain somehow decided to call itself a brain?

When it comes to nicknames, sometimes they have been around so long that we forget why they were given in the first place.

Montana’s Official State Nickname Explained

Here in Montana, we have plenty of nicknames, but only one official one: The Treasure State. The reason behind it might seem pretty obvious, but what surprised me was just how long that name has been around.

The first recorded use goes all the way back to 1895, when the Montana Bureau of Agriculture, Labor, and Industry used it in a promotional brochure. It later showed up on Montana license plates from 1950 to 1966 and then made a comeback again in 2010.

So where did it come from? It is pretty simple. Montana is packed with minerals.

Montana’s Rich Mining History

It all started with gold, and before long miners were pulling out silver, copper, coal, platinum, and plenty of gemstones. That mineral wealth helped fuel Montana’s economy for years and helped lock in the nickname.

Mining is not nearly as big as it once was, but the name has stuck. And it is not the only one we go by. You have probably heard "Big Sky Country" and "The Last Best Place", but Montana has also been called the Bonanza State, the Land of Shining Mountains, and even the Stubbed Toe State.

Nobody really knows where that last one came from, but some say it has to do with our rugged mountains and rocky trails.

No matter what you call Montana, its beauty has inspired people for generations. Scroll through the gallery below to see some of the best quotes ever said about the Treasure State.

Source: MT Beyond