HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Historical Society (MHS) is inviting residents to participate in "Montana Madness," a competition to determine the state's best place.
16 historic locations were selected from the Society's book, "A History of Montana in 101 Places," by attendees of the annual Montana History Conference, MHS announced.
The sites represent Montana's diverse cultural and historical heritage from all six tourism regions.
Martha Kohl, the outreach and education program manager for the Montana Historical Society, expressed excitement about the contest.
"Montana has no shortage of extraordinary places, and we think Montanans will have a strong opinion about which one deserves the top spot. We can't wait to see how this plays out,” said Kohl.
The winning site will be honored with copies of the 101 Places book, a display in the Montana Heritage Center and a customized trophy. The bracket will be narrowed weekly until a single champion is crowned.
This is the second "Montana Madness" contest. The first focused on voting for Montana's favorite object, with the 1943 Smith Mine Disaster board winning the title of "Montana's Most Awesome Object."
Voting begins March 9 and continues weekly at the Montana Historical Society website. Participants can vote once a day per device.
Montana Madness locations:
Central Montana
- Charles M. Russell Home and Studio, Great Falls
- First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, Ulm
- Fort Benton National Historic Landmark, Fort Benton
Glacier Country
- Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park
- CSKT Bison Range, Flathead Reservation
- Missouri River Country
- Fort Peck Dam, Valley and McCone Counties
- Daniels County Courthouse, Scobey
Southeast Montana
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument / Battle of Greasy Grass
- Pictograph Cave State Park, Billings
- Medicine Rocks State Park, Carter County
Southwest Montana
- Bannack State Park, Beaverhead County
- Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, Jefferson County
- Anselmo Mine, Butte
- Grant-Kohrs Ranch, Deer Lodge
Yellowstone Country
- Three Forks of the Missouri, Gallatin County
- Bearcreek, Carbon County