Montana Nearly Became Two States in the 1930s

Here’s a bit of trivia that made me spit out my coffee this weekend: in the 1930s, Montana was almost split in two. Yeah, really. Somebody hatched this half-serious, half-petty idea to create an entirely new state and call it Absaroka.

So What Was Absaroka?

Picture this: the middle of the Great Depression. Ranchers and cowboys in northern Wyoming, southern Montana, and western South Dakota are looking around, saying, “All the money’s going to the big cities while our towns are stuck with dirt roads and broken fences.” Their solution? Forget Boise, Helena, and Pierre; let’s just start our own state.

And they gave it a real shot. Absaroka license plates were made, a Miss Absaroka was crowned, and a guy named A.R. Swickard even declared himself “governor.” It wasn’t exactly a revolution, more like that cranky neighbor who swears he’s going to start his own HOA because the county won’t fix a pothole.

Of course, it fizzled fast. When World War II came along, people had bigger things to worry about than carving a new state out of the western end of the Great Plains.

This Isn’t Just Ancient History

The funny thing is, these secession ideas still pop up. Ever heard of the “Greater Idaho” movement? Several eastern Oregon counties have been voting to ditch Oregon and join Idaho because they feel ignored by Portland politics. And before that, folks were floating the idea of a State of Lincoln out of Idaho and Washington. Apparently, America’s favorite hobby is drawing new lines on maps whenever people get cranky.