The Montana Gold Rush of the 1860s was a turning point in the region’s history, attracting thousands of miners, settlers and speculators eager to strike it rich.

A series of rich gold discoveries transformed the land from a sparsely inhabited frontier into a bustling hub of economic activity, eventually paving the way for Montana to become a U.S. state in 1889. But this gold-fueled growth also intensified conflict with Native peoples, particularly the Lakota, who resisted the waves of settlers entering their hunting grounds via routes like the Bozeman Trail.

The initial discovery was recorded in the spring of 1858 at Gold Creek, just east of Drummond, by brothers Granville and James Stewart, along with their partner Reece Anderson. Four years later, prospectors led by John White found go

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