In the history of this great nation, we've had 46 men sworn into the office of President of the United States.  As we celebrate President's Day, you might wonder, which one was the best.

That's certainly up for interpretation as many folks have pretty strong opinions when it comes to such a topic.  For the sake of arguments, we are going to go about this a little bit differently.  The question that we have is, which U.S. President has done the most for Montana?

Now keep in mind, Montana didn't become a state until 1889, so we will use that as a starting point.

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When it comes to picking "the best" people often choose someone that was President during their life.  It's one of the reasons that when you come across one of these polls, many of the names on the lists served in the last few decades or so.

Having said that, I think a strong case could be made that as far as Montana goes, the best President very well could be Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was certainly no stranger to the Montana area, having spent time here in his youth. In fact, as the story goes that he was once involved in a Montana bar room brawl prior to becoming the President.

Theodore Roosevelt
Getty Images Hulton Archive / Stringer
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Roosevelt would return to Montana as President, in fact, he was not only in attendance but had the honor of laying the cornerstone of what is now known as the Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone National Park.

Roosevelt's love for the west and the great outdoors would end up having huge benefits for Montana.  He started the U.S. National Forest Service and is credited for starting the National Parks and Forests movements.

Theodore Roosevelt
Getty Images Hulton Archive / Stringer
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In many ways, Roosevelt represents the spirit of Montana. Tough, adventurous, with love and responsibility for the outdoors. One thing is for sure, much like Montana, 'ole Teddy was an original.

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