1. Montana became a state on October 1, 1889. The state was the 41st to join the United States, and its incorporation was significant in American history.

2. On October 1, 2003, a forest fire broke out in Lolo, Montana, which destroyed over 12,000 acres of land. The blaze also forced the evacuation of several nearby homes.

3. In 1909, the Department of Commerce and Labor established the Montana Dry Farming Congress on October 1 in order to foster research and discussion of dryland farming methods. The Congress was held annually until its dissolution in the 1930s.

4. On October 1, 1973, in one of the most infamous events in the state’s history, a forest fire sparked by a train derailment devastated the city of Missoula’s Rattlesnake Wilderness Area. The fire engulfed over 13,000 acres and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

5. In 1913, an underground explosion occurred at the Speculator Mine in Butte, Montana, killing 168 workers. The tragedy occurred on October 1, and it remains one of the deadliest mining accidents in American history.