Montana comes alive from 1840 to 1870 in this mesmerizing second volume of the state's history, Priests and Prospectors.Montana in 1840 was a very quiet place. Indians roamed about as they wished and there were few white men around. The 1850s saw some increased activity, but things largely stayed the same. Then on a hot summer day in 1862 one man struck gold and everything changed.Discover the journey that Montana took from a sleepy backwater of less than 700 people to a thriving territory of more than 20,000 residents. Montana grew a lot over those thirty years in the 19th century and you'll be in on all the details.Learn about Indians and the priests they sought; road builders and the hardships they endured; gold prospectors and the life they led; and politicians and the territory they created.Like the first volume in this Montana history series, Tribes and Trappers, this second volume also takes a biographical approach. Montana's history is told through the stories of the people who lived here, and from those stories we're better able to understand how the state came to be what it is today.