BILLINGS - Do you think Montana's border with Idaho looks like a face? If so do you think it was intentional? Before the early 1860's Montana was part of Idaho territory, one big piece of land. So big many people thought it should be split up.
In the spring of 1864 Idaho sent a delegation to Washington D.C. to get the territory split along the crest of the continental divide. Congress agreed. But a man named Sidney Edgerton would disrupt their plan. Edgerton was on his way to Idaho when he got snowed-in in Bannack, Montana. The residents there convinced him to go to Washington and lobby congress to get the territory split along the Bitterroot Mountains. He agreed and in 1864 convinced congress to change their decision and move the border about 3 degrees west to the mountains.
Dr. Keith Edgerton at Professor of History at MSU-Billings says about the border, "It has nothing to do with George Washington's face it has everything to do with making a new territory in a place where Bannack particularly could capitalize on it and frontier politicians could make a name for themselves."
Bannack became the first territorial capital of Montana. And Edgerton became the Governor of the Montana territory. Now if the Idaho delegates had had their way then places like Butte, Missoula and the Flathead Valley would have been a part of Idaho.
Thanks to Andy Benson for that question. If you have a question you'd like us to find the answer to e-mail it to us at news@kulr.com as we'll let you know What's Up With That.