On the recordNovember 8, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a special place: Montana. From our snowcapped mountains to our nearly endless prairies, Montana is an awe-inspiring place of tremendous beauty. We call it Big Sky Country, the Treasure State, the Last Best Place, and we call it home. When Montana first became a territory in 1864, it was the Wild West. Prospectors, cattle ranchers, and settlers overcame scorching sun and blistering cold to establish our Nation's 41st State. But there is something even more special than the beauty of an eastern Montana sunset or being knee-deep in a crystal-clear mountain stream. It is the people of Montana. Montanans are kind, warm, generous, and hardworking people. On November 8, 1889, our special place became part of something even more special, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Today, Montanans celebrate the 128th anniversary of our statehood. ____________________
Source
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