1. On October 4, 1876, Montana's first elected governor, Green Clay Smith, was inaugurated in Helena. Smith had previously served as a Union Army general during the Civil War and was a prominent Republican politician.

2. In 1933, on October 4, Yellowstone National Park was closed due to a budget crisis caused by the Great Depression. The closure lasted for two years, and during that time, the park's wildlife and natural features were seen only by a handful of park rangers.

3. On October 4, 1940, the world's largest airplane at the time, the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose," made its first and only flight. The massive aircraft, designed as a troop transport during World War II, was built entirely out of wood due to wartime shortages of metals.

4. October 4, 1968, marked the first day of the annual C.M. Russell Auction in Great Falls, Montana. The event, named after Western artist Charles M. Russell, raises money for the museum that bears his name and features artworks by some of the country's foremost Western artists.

5. In 2009, on October 4, the musical "Montana Suite" premiered at the Alberta Bair Theater in Billings, Montana. The production, which tells the story of Montana's history and culture through music and poetry, was written and directed by Montana native D. Michael Dahlen.