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69th Legislature 2025 HB 402.1
- 1 - Authorized Print Version – HB 402
1 HOUSE BILL NO. 402
2 INTRODUCED BY F. SMITH, D. BAUM, C. FITZPATRICK
3
4 A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT REDESIGNATING WOLF POINT AS THE SITE OF THE
5 MONTANA COWBOY HALL OF FAME AND WESTERN HERITAGE CENTER; DIRECTING THE
6 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO IDENTIFY IT AS
7 SUCH ON OFFICIAL STATE MAPS; AMENDING SECTION 1-1-525, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE
8 EFFECTIVE DATE.”
9
10 WHEREAS, Wolf Point has the oldest continually held rodeo in Montana; and
11 WHEREAS, Wolf Point was home of rodeo legend stock contractor Marvin Brookman, who was the
12 oldest active Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association cardholder in the United States; and
13 WHEREAS, according to local history that is provided in Marvin Presser's book Wolf Point: A City of
14 Destiny, it was during the midteens of the 1900s that "local Cowboys and Indians would hold an impromptu
15 gathering and stage a little afternoon rodeo on the downtown dirt streets on a summer afternoon"; and
16 WHEREAS, Wolf Point is located on the stretch of U.S. Highway 2, a coast-to-coast artery of the United
17 States, that was originally part of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway when it was first constructed in
18 1919; and
19 WHEREAS, local history reflects traditions of the Indian horsemen, along with some of the largest cattle
20 and horse ranches in Montana; and
21 WHEREAS, Wolf Point is the birthplace of renowned Hollywood movie star, trick rope performer, and
22 American cowboy hero Montie Montana; and
23 WHEREAS, the hall of fame would be housed in conjunction with a museum facility currently in
24 development along U.S. Highway 2 in Wolf Point.
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26 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
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28Section 1. Section 1-1-525, MCA, is amended to read:
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69th Legislature 2025 HB 402.1
- 2 - Authorized Print Version – HB 402
1 "1-1-525. Montana cowboy hall of fame and western heritage center. (1) There is a The city of
2 Wolf Point is designated the site of the Montana cowboy hall of fame and western heritage center. Once the
3 recipient of the grant for site development and project planning authorized pursuant to section 4(7), Chapter 3,
4 Special Laws of May 2007, determines the location of the Montana cowboy hall of fame, the grant recipient
5 shall notify the department of commerce and the department of transportation.
6 (2) Once notified that the location of the Montana cowboy hall of fame is determined, the The
7 department of commerce and the department of transportation shall identify the site the city of Wolf Point as the
8 location of the Montana cowboy hall of fame and western heritage center on official state maps. When existing
9 road signs need replacement, the department of transportation shall provide appropriate markers to recognize
10 the site."
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12 NEW SECTION. Section 2. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.
13 - END -