Copyright © 2005-2022 Todd Klassy Photography. All Rights Reserved.

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Sometimes it is hard living in Montana as an expatriated photographer from Wisconsin.

Truth be told, there aren’t many differences between the two states. Small towns in Montana are very similar to the small towns in Wisconsin; they’re just further apart. And aside from the all of the cowboy hats and dirty pick-up trucks, Havre could be dropped into the middle of Wisconsin and no one would notice any difference. On the surface, that is.

Deep down, though, there are some basic differences. More often than not, they are cultural differences. And over the past few years I have kept a running list of those ways Montana and Wisconsin are different (with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek).

  WISCONSIN MONTANA
Origin of the Name: Chippewa for
“grassy place”
Spanish for
“mountainous”
Nickname: “America’s
Dairyland”
“Badger State”
“Big
Sky Country”
“The Last Best Place”
Claim to Fame: Cheese Mountains
Capital: Madison
(Pop. 233,209)
Helena
(Pop. 28, 190)
Population: 5.7 million 998,199
Area: 65,498 sq. mi. 147,042 sq. mi.
Cows: 1.3 million 1.5 million
Highest Point: Timms
Hill
1,951 ft.
Granite
Peak
12,807 ft.
Tallest
Building:
U.S.
Bank Center (Milwaukee)
42 Floors
First
Interstate Center (Billings)
20 Floors
State Animal: Badger Grizzly Bear
Domestic Animal: Holstein Cow Black Angus Cow
State Grain: Corn Wheat
Town Name(s): Dickeyville,
WI
Spread Eagle, WI
Bloody
Dick, MT
Crackerville, MT
Largest Disaster: Peshtigo
Fire
Speculator
Mine Explosion
Born in the Former: Former
Green Bay Packer Jerry Kramer
(Jordan, Montana)
Former
Governor John Erickson
(Stoughton, Wisconsin)
Least Liked State: Illinois California
Term Used for Someone from That State: F.I.B.
Flat Lander
Prune
Picker
Bunny Hugger
Famous
Persons:
Chris
Farley
Harry Houdini
Liberace
Les Paul
Frank Lloyd Wright
Dirk
Benedict
Gary Cooper
Chet Huntley
Evel Knievel
Martha Raye
Speed Limit: 65
MPH (Freeway)
55 MPH (County/Rural)
75
MPH (Freeway)
70 MPH (County/Rural)
Popular Hollywood Portrayals: Happy
Days (TV)
That ’70s Show (TV)
Bridesmaids (Film)
The
Horse Whisperer (Film)
Legends of the Fall (Film)
A River Runs Through It (Film)
Movie Line: “Come on,
it’s Czechoslovakia. We zip in, we pick them up, and we zip right out again.
We’re not going to Moscow. It’s Czechoslovakia. It’s like going into
Wisconsin!”
Stripes (1981)
“I
would have liked to have seen Montana.”
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Head Gear: Green
Bay Packers Ball Cap
Beaver
Felt Cowboy Hat
Popular Summer Activity: Tractor Pulls Rodeos
Sausage: Bratwurst Rocky Mountain Hot
Dog
Famed Beer: Spotted Cow Moose Drool
Favorite Berry: Black Raspberry
(a.k.a. Black Cap)
Huckleberry
Best Selling Automobile: Ford
F-150
Pick-Up Truck
Ford
F-150
Outfit
Found Rolling Around in Pick-Up: Empty Beer Cans Empty Shell Casings
Most Common
Name for a Tavern:
Dew
Drop Inn
Sportsman’s
The
Mint
Stockman’s
Favorite Pick-Up
Truck Accessory:
Roll
Bars
Fuzz Buster
Pine Tree Air Freshner
Dents
Grill
Guard
Gun Rack
10-Ply Tires
Year Old Mud
Favorite Music: 1960s
Anti-War Folk
1970s Rock n’ Roll
Anything with an accordian
Country
Western
Country Western
Favorite Dance: Polka Line
Dancing
Most Memorable Event: The
Ice Bowl
Capturing
the “Unabomber”
Favorite Day of the Year: Packers Training Camp
Opens
Elk Hunting Season
Opens
Favorite Weapon: Chain Saw Minuteman III Nuclear Missile
Favorite Store(s): Mars
Cheese Castle
Green Bay Packers Pro Shop
Cabela’s
Big ‘R’ (similar to Farm & Fleet)
Favorite Designer Label: Packers Carhartt
Jeans: Levis Wranglers
Colloquial Term Unknown to the Rest of the World: Bubbler Jockey Box
Favorite County Fair Food: Fried Cheese Curds Pronto Pups
Most Popular
Tourist Attraction:
Lambeau Field Glacier National Park
Things in Front Yard: Garden
Gnome
Cut-Out of Old Woman Bending Over
Piles
of Split Wood
Cut-Out of Leaning Cowboy Silhouette
Best Place To: Find a bar Hunt
First State
To:
Require citizens to
wear seat belts.
Elect a woman to
Congress.
Last State To: Ban the sale of
yellow colored margarine.
Place speed limits on
automobiles.
Per Capita: More
bars than any state.
More manufacturing jobs than any state.
More
citizens serving in the military than any state.
More hunters and anglers than any state.
Produces More: Milk, cheese,
cranberries and toilet paper.
Copper, coal, wool, and precious stones.
Largest
Employer:
State of Wisconsin State of Montana
A Few of My Favorite Things
Published in Western Horseman

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