Historical Marker
Big Sky Country
Powder River County · Montana
The poet the board names was the highway department's own man. Bob Fletcher, born in Iowa in 1885 and in Montana from 1908, was its plans and traffic engineer when a friend passed his verse to Cole Porter; their agreement of December 11, 1934 sold the title and lyrics for $250. From 1935 Fletcher ran the marker program with the artist Irvin "Shorty" Shope and the sign-maker "Ace" Kindrick. The song waited a decade, until Roy Rogers sang it in Hollywood Canteen in 1944 and Bing Crosby's record with the Andrews Sisters reached number one.
Where it stands
45.42181, -105.39745 · Directions
More markers nearby
- The Powder River Country — steps away
- The Hell Creek Formation — steps away
- Southeastern Montana — steps away
- Southeastern Montana — 1.7 mi