Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eastern Montana is an amalgam of landscapes and cultures. From Billings's rimrocks and
urban vibe to the rolling hills of the Little Bighorn Battlefield and the stark yet startlingly
beautiful terrain along the Missouri River Breaks, eastern Montana is a vibrant and colorful
blend of past and present. Home to four of the state's seven Indian reservations, the region
is rich with history and culture.
Sometimes referred to as Montana east of the mountains, rather than eastern Montana
(in truth, the region occupies more than a third of the state's land mass), this region may not
have the mountainous grandeur that most people expect when they visit Montana, but it has
a sense of authenticity, a grittiness, that is not often duplicated elsewhere in the state. There
are plenty of towns in eastern Montana that were founded by accident, when someone's
wagon broke down and options were limited. A day's drive in this region gives visitors
a true sense of the hardscrabble life in these parts, the unavoidable isolation and yet the
incredible value placed on community. And there is beauty here that should not be over-
looked. The often crumbling architecture of agriculture—leaning barns, lonely grain elevat-
ors, and rusted equipment—is as much a part of the landscape here as mountains are farther
west. The tones of golden light are subtle but too plentiful to count. The clouds change their
moods often and play tricks with the shadows.
