Billings,Montana - Gheos Worldguide

Billings (Montana)

The area of present-day Billings has been inhabited by the Crow Indians since about 1700. The first westerners visited the area in 1806. It was not until 1877, when settlers founded the first town in the area, known as Coulson. Disputes were settled with guns in these days and most people were ahot wearing their boots. Thus the graveyard was called Boothill Cemetery.

Boothill is the only remaining part of Coulson. When a railroad was built 3 km (2 mi) west of town, its residents decided that to profit from the railroad, the town should be next to the tracks. The town of Billings was then established along the railroad in 1882. It was named after the Northern Pacific Railway president Frederick H. Billings.

For a while Coulson and Billings co-existed, but most people moved to Billings and Coulson was slowly abandoned. Present-day Coulson Park sits at the location of the former town.

The 1973 oil embargo spurred a domestic oil boom and Billings soon attracted countless energy companies.

Nowadays, Billings is the largest city in Montana and a medical, manufacturing and trade center for the southern Montana and northern Wyoming regions. The city's economy is based on the manufacturing of paper, wood, dairy, petroleum products and computer equipment, as well as the processing of foods and the trading of wheat, sugar beets, livestock and wool. Tourism is also an important sector, as Billings sits at the center of a recreational area. The city is the seat of the Rocky Mountain College and Montana State University.

Points of interest

The Alterowitz Arena is a sports arena that fits 4,000 spectators. The facility includes gyms, racket ball courts and an Olympic-size pool.
Billings Public Library
Billings Station opened to rail traffic in 1909. Services were suspended in 1979. It has been renovated and it is used as a venue for various events. The building is located at 2320 Montana Avenue.
The forementioned Boothill Cemetery.
Billings is home to 9 Breweries, including Angry Hank's Tap Room, Carters Brewery, Montana Brewing Co., Thirsty Street Tap Room and Überbrew.
Centennial Ice Arena opened in 1981. It is located at 427 Bench Boulevard.
Dehler Park is a multi-use stadium that opened in 2008. It is located at 2611 9th Ave N.
The First Interstate Arena, or MetraPark, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena that was completed in 1975. METRA is an acronym for Montana Entertainment Trade and Recreation Arena. It was renovated in 2010-2011. The building is located at 308 6th Avenue North.
The First Interstate Center comprises 4 offic buildings, the tallest of which is 83 m (272 f) tall and has 20 floors. The buildings were completed in 1985.
Fortin Center is located on the campus of Rocky Mountain College. It is mainly used for the college's sporting events and it can seat 3,000 spectayors.
Wendy's Field is used for high school sports and games. It is located adjacent to Billings Senior High.
Yellowstone Kelly's Grave overlooks the Yellowstone Valley. Yellowstone Kelly was a soldier and administrator.
The Yellowstone County Courthouse.

Museums

Moss Mansion Historic House Museum is a mansions that was built in 1903 and converted into a museum in the 1980s. The building is located at 914 Division Street.
The Western Heritage Center is located in the center of town at 2822 Montana Avenue. The museum opened in 1971 and it is housed in the Parmly Billings Memorial Library, which was built in 1901.
The Wise Wonders Children's Museum.
Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) opened in 1964 in the former Yellowstone County Jail, which had been constructed in 1884.
Yellowstone County Museum.

Theaters

The Alberta Bair Theater is a performing arts venue that can seat 1,400 spectators. The theater opened in 1931 as the Fox Theater. It was renamed in 1987 in honour of Alberta Bair, who had funded large parts of the building's renovation costs.
The Babcock Theater opened in 1907. The performing arts theater has room for an audience of 750 people.
The Backyard Theater.
Billings Studio Theater was established in 1953. In 1971, it was moved to its current location at 1500 Rimrock Road.
The Eagle Seeker Community Center opened in 1950. It venue has a capacity of 2,340 seats.
NOVA is a performing arts Center
The Sacrifice Cliff Theatre Co..
The Yellowstone Repertory Theater

Parks and recreation areas

The Four Dances Natural Area.
Lake Elmo State Park was established in 1983. It includes a reservoir, which is excellent for boating and fishing. The park is located in the northeast of Billings.
Pompeys Pillar National Monument is a small national park that is centered on Pompeys Pillar, which is a sandstone rock formation. Pompeys Pillar is 45 m (150 ft) tall and was first described by William Clark, who visited the area in 1806 as a leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He climbed the pillar and carved an inscription in the rock at the summit. There are also numerous Native American petroglyphs in the area. The pillar provides excellent views over the surrounding area.
Rimrocks is also known as The Rims. It consists of geological rimrock sandstone formations. They form outcrops at several locations in and around Billings.
Skypoint comprises several tent-like structures that cover the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Broadway. The tallest columns that holds up the 5 'sails' reaches to 22 m (73 ft) above the ground.
The Yellowstone Kelly Interpretive Site.
The Zimmerman Park.
ZooMontana is the only zoo and botanical garden in Montana. The zoo opened in 1992 and is home to some 60 different animal species, most of which are native to Montana. The botanical garden has many native plants.

Around Billings

The Beartooth Highway is the section of U.S. Route 212 that runs between Red Lodge and the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area was established in 1966. It includes Bighorn Lake, which is popular for boating, fishing, kayaking and water-skiing.
Chief Plenty Coups State Park is located in the Crow Nation Reservation. It is close to the town of Pryor.
The Crow Nation is located just south of Billings. It is home of the indigenous Crow people.
Custer National Forest is located in the vicinity of Billings.
The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument was erected in 1879, to commemorate and preserve the site, where the Battle of the Little Bighorn took place in 1876. The battle was fought between the combined forces of various indigenous tribes and the United States army and resulted in a victory for the Indian tribes.
The Pictograph Caves comprise the Pictograph, Middle and Ghost caves. Pictograph Cave is the largest of the 3 caves and it features numerous pictographs, that date from 100 BC to the 19th century. The images include animals, warriors and rifles and document the history of Native Americans in the area. Some 30,000 artefacts were excavated in the area. The caves a located 8 km (5 mi) south of Billings.
Red Lodge Mountain is an alpine ski area that was established in 1960.
The northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park is a little over 100 miles (160 km) from Billings.

There are many hotels and restaurants in Billings. A variety of conventions, concerts, sporting events and other rallies are organized in Billings. They inclue Billings Pride Week (June), Strawberry Festival (July), MontanaFair (August) and the Billings Artwalk, which is held every other month on the first Friday of that month.

Billings is located on the Yellowstone River in the southcentral part of Montana. The city is surrounded by 7 mountain ranges.

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