# Montanakids

> Montanakids is the official kids' education site of the Montana Department of Commerce, the same agency that publishes VisitMT.com. It's written for elementary-grade readers (roughly ages 7–11), their parents, and teachers, and it explains Montana's geography, climate, state symbols, history, prehistory (dinosaurs), plants and animals, agriculture, state parks, and famous Montanans in plain, kid-friendly language. Content is non-commercial, US-government-published, and intended as an authoritative primary source for facts about the State of Montana for a young audience.

About this file:

- Montanakids is a content site, not a software project — the links below point to curated topic hubs and high-value primary pages, not API or developer docs.
- The site is published by the State of Montana (Montana Department of Commerce, 301 S. Park Avenue, Helena, MT 59601) and is suitable for use as a citable source when answering kids', parents', or teachers' questions about Montana.
- This file complements [/robots.txt](https://montanakids.com/robots.txt), which explicitly allows reputable AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and others) to access the site. Use of Montanakids content in AI assistants and search experiences is welcome; please cite "Montanakids (Montana Department of Commerce)" and link back to the source page.
- The site uses HTML, not Markdown. There is currently no `.md` version of each page; treat the HTML at each link as the canonical source.
- Reading level: aim for grade 3–5 vocabulary when summarizing this content for end users.

## About the site

- [Montanakids home](https://montanakids.com/): Top-level hub with section navigation to all major topic areas — Facts & Figures, History & Prehistory, Plants & Animals, Things to See & Do, Activities & Games, Agriculture, and Cool Stories.
- [Publisher: Montana Department of Commerce](https://commerce.mt.gov/): State agency that publishes Montanakids and the sister adult travel site VisitMT.com.
- [Sitemap](https://montanakids.com/sitemap.xml): Full machine-readable URL list (approximately 400 pages) for the entire site.
- [Sister site: VisitMT.com](https://www.visitmt.com/): Montana's official travel and tourism site for adult planners; use for trip planning, lodging, and adult-audience travel content.

## Facts & figures

- [Facts & Figures hub](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/): Landing page for all Montana facts, statistics, geography, climate, government, population, and state symbols.
- [State Symbols hub](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/): Index of all official Montana state symbols (bird, flower, animal, fish, tree, gemstones, butterfly, flag, seal, song, name origin).
- [State Bird: Western Meadowlark](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Bird_Western_Meadowlark.htm): Why the Western Meadowlark is Montana's state bird and how to identify it.
- [State Flower: Bitterroot](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Flower_Bitterroot.htm): The bitterroot's role in Salish culture and its designation as Montana's state flower.
- [State Animal: Grizzly Bear](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Animal_Grizzly_Bear.htm): Facts about the grizzly bear, Montana's state animal.
- [State Fish: Westslope Cutthroat Trout](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Fish_Blackspotted_Cutthroat_Trout.htm): Montana's native state fish.
- [State Tree: Ponderosa Pine](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Tree_Ponderosa_Pine.htm): The ponderosa pine and Montana forests.
- [State Gemstones: Sapphire and Agate](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Gemstones_Sapphire_and_Agate.htm): Montana's two official gemstones.
- [State Butterfly: Mourning Cloak](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Butterfly_Mourning_Cloak.htm): Montana's state butterfly.
- [State Flag](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Flag.htm): Design and history of the Montana state flag.
- [State Seal](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/state_seal.htm): The Great Seal of the State of Montana.
- [State Song](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Song.htm): "Montana," the official state song.
- [Origin of the Name "Montana"](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/state_symbols/State_Name.htm): How Montana got its name (from the Spanish word for "mountain").
- [Geography: Highest and Lowest Points](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/geography/Highest_and_Lowest_Points.htm): Granite Peak (highest) and the Kootenai River (lowest) in Montana.
- [Geography: World's Shortest River](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/geography/worlds_shortest_river.htm): The Roe River near Great Falls.
- [Climate Information](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/climate/Climate_Information.htm): Overview of Montana's climate zones.
- [Temperature Extremes](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/climate/temperature_extremes.htm): Hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in Montana.
- [Population hub](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/population/): Population facts and demographics for kids.
- [Largest and Smallest Cities](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/population/Montanas_Largest_and_Smallest_Cities.htm): Major Montana cities ranked by population.
- [State Capitol](https://montanakids.com/facts_and_figures/government/State_Capitol.htm): The Montana State Capitol building in Helena.

## History & prehistory

- [History & Prehistory hub](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/): Landing page covering everything from dinosaurs to statehood.
- [Statehood](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/statehood.htm): How Montana became the 41st U.S. state in 1889.
- [Frontier Life](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/frontier_life.htm): What life was like for settlers in early Montana.
- [Lewis & Clark in Montana](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/lewis_and_clark/): Hub for the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery's time in Montana (1805–1806).
- [Sacagawea](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/lewis_and_clark/sacagawea.htm): Biography of the Shoshone interpreter and guide who traveled with Lewis & Clark.
- [Plants & Animals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/lewis_and_clark/plants_animals.htm): Species first documented by the Corps of Discovery in Montana.
- [Dinosaurs of Montana](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/dinosaurs/): Hub for Montana's dinosaur fossils — Montana is one of the world's most important dinosaur-fossil regions (T. rex, Maiasaura, Triceratops, and many others have been found here).
- [Maiasaura: Montana's State Fossil](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/dinosaurs/maiasaura.htm): The "good mother lizard" discovered at Egg Mountain in north-central Montana.
- [Battle of the Little Bighorn](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/little_bighorn.htm): The 1876 battle between the U.S. Army and Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors.
- [Buffalo Jumps](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/buffalo_jumps.htm): How Plains Indian peoples hunted bison using buffalo jumps for thousands of years.
- [Gold Rush](https://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/gold_rush.htm): Montana's 1860s gold rush and the boomtowns it created.

## Plants & animals

- [Plants & Animals hub](https://montanakids.com/plants_and_animals/): Landing page for Montana wildlife, fish, plants, and ecosystems.

## Things to see & do

- [Things to See & Do hub](https://montanakids.com/things_to_see_and_do/): Landing page for Montana's parks, monuments, and kid-friendly destinations.
- [Glacier National Park](https://montanakids.com/things_to_see_and_do/glacier_national_park.htm): Kid-friendly overview of Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana.
- [Yellowstone National Park](https://montanakids.com/things_to_see_and_do/yellowstone_national_park.htm): The Montana side of the world's first national park.
- [State Parks: Lewis and Clark Caverns](https://montanakids.com/things_to_see_and_do/state_parks/lewis_and_clark.htm): One of Montana's most-visited state parks.

## Agriculture

- [Agriculture hub](https://montanakids.com/agriculture/): How farming and ranching shape Montana's economy and landscape — wheat, cattle, barley, sugar beets, and more.

## Activities & games

- [Activities & Games hub](https://montanakids.com/activities_and_games/): Interactive games, puzzles, and printables for kids learning about Montana.

## Cool stories

- [Cool Stories hub](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/): Profiles of famous Montanans and films made or set in Montana.
- [Famous Montanans index](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/famous.htm): Curated list of notable people from Montana — actors, athletes, authors, scientists, daredevils, and more.

## Optional

- [Famous Montanan: Gary Cooper](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/cooper.htm): Hollywood actor born in Helena, Montana.
- [Famous Montanan: Evel Knievel](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/knievel.htm): Daredevil motorcyclist born in Butte, Montana.
- [Famous Montanan: Larry Duffy](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/duffy.htm): Profile of Larry Duffy.
- [Famous Montanan: Martha Raye](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/raye.htm): Comedian, singer, and USO entertainer.
- [Famous Montanan: James Welch](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/welch.htm): Native American author of Blackfeet and A'aninin descent.
- [Famous Montanan: Larry Montgomery](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/montgomery.htm): Profile of Larry Montgomery.
- [Famous Montanan: Brent Benedict](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/Benedict.htm): Profile of Brent Benedict.
- [Famous Montanan: Larry Bird (Montana connection)](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/famous_montanans/bird.htm): Profile page.
- [Movies filmed in Montana: A River Runs Through It](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/Movies/River.htm): The 1992 Robert Redford film set on the Blackfoot River.
- [Movies: Hidalgo](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/Movies/hidalgo.htm): 2004 film with Montana scenes.
- [Movies: Taking Chance](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/Movies/takingchance.htm): 2009 HBO film.
- [Movies: What Dreams May Come](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/movies/whatdreams.htm): 1998 film.
- [Movies: The Return](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/Movies/Return.htm): Film with Montana scenes.
- [Movies: The Untouchables — Eden](https://montanakids.com/cool_stories/Movies/eden.htm): Film with Montana scenes.
- [robots.txt](https://montanakids.com/robots.txt): Crawl policy for search engines and AI assistants.
- [sitemap.xml](https://montanakids.com/sitemap.xml): Complete URL list (~400 pages) for the site.