Are You Older Than These New Montana Towns? You Just Might Be

When a state is over 100 years old you're going to get some pretty old cities in it. What's surprising is how recent some cities in Montana are.

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In 1889 Montana became the 41st state in the nation, but there were plenty of towns already settled prior to that. One a full 48 years before statehood.

Jordan

Jordan was incorporated in 1951. Located on MT HWY 200, their population stands at 356 as of the 2020 census. Jordan is the county seat for Garfield County. It also is Garfield County's only incorporated community.

Brockton

Brockton was incorporated in 1952. Located on U.S. Route 2, their population stands at 358 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the town boomed in size once non-Natives were allowed to settle there.

Flaxville

Flaxville was incorporated in 1955. Located on MT HWY 5, their population stands at 63 as of the 2020 census. Their name is derived from the abundance of flax grown in the area.

Ennis

Ennis was incorporated in 1956. Located on U.S. Route 287, their population stands at 917 as of the 2020 census. Ennis is home to the stuffed Madison Monster, a mysterious animal that was killing livestock.

Rexford

Rexford was incorporated in 1966. Located on MT HWY 37, their population stands at 78 as of the 2020 census. Rexford incorporated so they could negotiate with the US Army Corps of Engineers regarding the construction of the Libby Dam. In the 1970s due to the damming of the Kootenai River the town flooded and was then moved to their present location 10 miles west of Eureka, MT.

West Yellowstone

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Want To Know More? 6 Things You May Not Know About Yellowstone National Park

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Yellowstone is the world's first national park

On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National Park became the world's first national park when Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone Park Act. At that point, only three expeditions had explored the area over the years of 1869 – 1871.

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Yellowstone is home to over 10,000 hydrothermal features.

With half the world’s hydrothermal features found in the park. Geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles are all hydrothermal features that can be found in Yellowstone. These features are also home to microscopic organisms known as thermophiles. These heat-loving organisms give the features their brilliant colors

Seen here is a panoramic view of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park.

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Yellowstone is 3,472 square miles

Yellowstone is over 2.2 million acres and 3,472 square miles, which makes it larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. There are five entrances to the park, 11 visitor centers/museums, and approximately 1,000 miles of hiking trails.

Yellowstone also has 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes annually and is home to more than 290 waterfalls.

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Yellowstone has the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states (67 species)

Yellowstone National Park is home to a variety of mammals including bison, grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, wolves, lynx, fox, and more. The park is also home to an estimated 285 species of birds and 16 types of fish.

The park reminds visitors that these animals are wild and to stay at least 25 yards from large animals and 100 yards away from bears and wolves.

Bison, seen here, are the largest mammal in North America and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. These bison are on the Madison River in Winter in Yellowstone National Park.

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Yellowstone is 11,000 years old

Yellowstone has been home to many tribes and bands that hunted the land and traveled through it.

John Colter is known as Yellowstone's first mountain man and explorer to venture through Yellowstone. He described several geothermal features and what he was describing seemed so outlandish that no one believed him. They mocked him and called it Colter's Hell.

West Thumb Geyser Basin shown here has thermal activity that is highly noticeable with the morning fog.

Photo: Jesse James

Yellowstone has more geysers than anywhere else on earth

Old Faithful is the most well-known geyser and earned its name in 1870 for its regularity. Eruptions normally last between 1.5 to 5 minutes and can vary in height from 100-180 feet.

The geyser erupts more frequently than any of the other geysers and while it's never exact, Old Faithful erupts about 17 times a day. Since 2000 the geyser will erupt anywhere from every 44 minutes to two hours.