What was the 1st railroad to reach Montana?

Answer 1

In July, 1864, Congress agreed and issued a charter for construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, which would link Minnesota and the Pacific coast. Despite an enormous land grant from the government hard financial time's lead to the bankruptcy of the Northern Pacific. Montanans felt that they would be forever cut off from civilization.

However, at the time, other railroads had their sights on Montana. The Utah and Northern Railroad began construction northward from Salt Lake City to the rich mining regions of southwestern Montana. Their plan was to link the completed Union Pacific with Helena and Butte. Construction proceeded at a snail's pace and the Union Pacific, fearful of competition from the resurrected Northern Pacific bought the Utah and Northern and pushed ahead with construction. On the evening of December 26, 1881, on a bitterly cold night, the first Utah and Northern Union Pacific train entered Butte. The railroad had won the race and tapped the lucrative Butte mining trade.