Brown, Mark H., and W. R. Felton. Before Barbed Wire. New York: Bramhall House, 1956. A commemoration of the life of L. A. Huffman, the frontier photographer who captured on film the era of the Indians and the open range.

Cheney, Roberta Carkeek. Names on the Face of Montana. Missoula: Mountain Press, 1983. When you must know how Twodot and Ubet got their names, check this book.

Chesarek, Frank, and Jim Brabeck, eds. Montana: Two Lane Highway in a Four Lane World. Missoula: Mountain Press, 1978. A western Montana eighth-grade class created this one-volume history of Montana; now out of print, it may be the single best overview of the colorful history of the state, told with energy and insight.

Connell, Evan S. Son of the Morning Star. New York: Harper Collins, 1984. Story of the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Garcia, Andrew. Tough Trip Through Paradise. Sausalito, Calif.: Comstock Editions, 1967. Maybe it’s true, maybe only half so, but it’s a whale of a story about mountain men and Indian life in 1878.

Fritz, Harry, Mary Murphy, and Robert Swartout. Montana Legacy: Essays on History, People, and Place. Helena: Montana Historical Society Press, 2002. A lively compendium of essays on Montana history and culture.

Howard, Joseph Kinsey. Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1943. A lively and opinionated history.

Malone, Michael P., and Richard B. Roeder. Montana: A History of Two Centuries. Seattle: University of Washington, 1991. Now the accepted text on Montana’s history, it is authoritative, rich in vignettes, and almost punchy.

Rinehart, Mary Roberts. Through Glacier Park in 1915. Niwot, Colo.: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1983. An early account of horse-packing through the park.

Spitzer, Donald E. Roadside History of Montana. Missoula: Mountain Press, 1999. Learn the fascinating history of Montana as you motor across the state.

Thompson, Larry. Montana’s Explorers. Montana Geographic Series, no. 9. Helena: Montana magazine, 1985. It’s not all explorers; the focus is on naturalists, including Lewis and Clark and Prince Maximilian of Weid.

Vichorek, Daniel N. Montana’s Homestead Era. Montana Geographic Series, no. 15. Helena: Montana magazine, 1987. A mix of reminiscence and history, regarding the huge influx of homesteaders during the early 20th century.

West, Carroll Van. A Traveler’s Companion to Montana History. Helena: Montana Historical Society Press, 1986. An excellent roadside historical companion.