Take any Big Sky tour and it should be immediately obvious how Montana picked up the nickname “Big Sky Country.” While there are plenty of towering mountains in the background, most of Montana is relatively flat and open land. Montana is so flat, the locals joke, that you can watch your dog run away for three full days. Standing there in the middle of all that open space, the sky really does feel a lot bigger, especially on cloudless days. That’s doubly true if you get out into the wilderness at night to see the vast sea of stars above your head.
Although the nickname “Big Sky Country” had been kicking around since the 1930s, it didn’t really take off until 1947, when writer A. B. Guthrie Jr. released a Western epic novel named The Big Sky. The novel, which takes place in 19th-century Montana, was a major success and inspired a 1952 movie starring Kirk Douglas and directed by Howard Hawks. It added a gritty realism to the story of the Montana frontier. While the film was not particularly successful, it did help to introduce the name into the public consciousness.
Later, in the early 1960s, the Montana State Highway Department put together an advertising campaign designed to bring tourists to the state. The state government printed booklets and flyers declaring Montana as the “Big Sky country,” highlighting the region’s gorgeous untamed wilderness. The taglines focused on different outdoor activities, encouraging potential visitors to “Fish in the Big Sky country” or “Vacation under the Big Sky.” The campaign was so successful that the nickname ultimately stuck around, becoming an unofficial title for Montana’s rural areas.
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