This Month in Montana History: May

May 20th, 1862, 161 years ago: President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862. Under this new law, an American citizen could claim 160 acres of Federal land, provided they "prove up" and reside on the land for at least five years. Many of Montana's first settlers claimed land under the Homestead Act, totaling 151,600 homesteads of 32,050.480 acres of land (about 34% of the state). However, shaping Montanan land proved difficult, causing many homesteaders to fold early and sell their plots back.

May 26th, 1864, 159 years ago: The Territory of Montana is created out of portions of Idaho Territory and Dakota Territory. The territory was created following the discovery of gold at Bannack, which become the territory's initial capitol. Lawyer and alleged vigilante Sidney Edgerton was appointed the first territorial governor by Lincoln before the territory had organized its government under the Organic Act, but Edgerton would end up leaving the state before his term ended in 1866. In retaliation, the original County of Edgerton renamed itself Lewis and Clark County.

May 8th, 1893, 130 years ago: The Fraternity Hall Association of Elkhorn is incorporated to build the iconic Fraternity Hall. The building was the heart of the community for many years, hosting a number of dances, theater performances, school graduations, prize fights, and, true to its name, several fraternal organizations. Fraternity Hall remains one of Montana's most recognizable landmarks and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

May 7th, 1907, 116 years ago: The Northern Pacific North Coast Limited is held up at gunpoint just outside of Homestake. During the scuffle, engineer Francis W. Clow is killed and fireman Thomas Sullivan is wounded. The robbers, clearly afraid after adding murder to their charges, escape without stealing any valuables.

May 11th, 1910, 113 years ago: Glacier National Park becomes the United State's 10th National Park. According to archaeological evidence, the park has been in use for 10,000 years, primarily used by Blackfeet, Salish, Kootenai, Shoshone, and Cheyenne tribes. It was not until 1895 that the area would become well-known to settlers when the Great Northern Pacific Railway began using the beauty of the area as a marketing point and lobbying the United States government to protect it as a forest reserve.

May 20th, 1981, 42 years ago: Areas across West-Central Montana are hit by extensive flooding as a result of heavy rainstorms and snowmelt. Clancy was hit particularly hard by the floods, with a peak discharge of 2,300 ft³/8, almost twice the previous peak record. Although no lives were lost, Montana Disaster and Emergency Services estimated the damages to be in excess of $30 million, or $100 million in today's dollars.

--Information from The Age, The Age Sentinel, Montana Sunlight, and Montana Prospector, as well as additional historic sources. Conduct your own research at MontanaNewspapers.org.