_____________ bill NO. _____________

INTRODUCED BY _________________________________________________

By Request of the ****

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT REDESIGNATING wolf point as the site of the montana cowboy hall of fame and western heritage center; directing the department of commerce and the department of transportation to identify it as such on official state maps; AMENDING SECTION 1-1-525, MCA; and PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE."

WHEREAS, Wolf Point has the oldest continually held rodeo in Montana; and

WHEREAS, Wolf Point is home of rodeo legend stock contractor Marvin Brookman, who is currently the oldest active Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association cardholder in the United States; and

WHEREAS, according to local history that is provided in Marvin Presser's book Wolf Point: A City of Destiny, it was during the midteens of the 1900s that "local Cowboys and Indians would hold an impromptu gathering and stage a little afternoon rodeo on the downtown dirt streets on a summer afternoon"; and

WHEREAS, Wolf Point is located on the stretch of U.S. Highway 2, a coast-to-coast artery of the United States, that was originally part of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway when it was first constructed in 1919; and

WHEREAS, local history reflects traditions of the Indian horsemen, along with some of the largest cattle and horse ranches in Montana; and

WHEREAS, Wolf Point is the birthplace of renowned Hollywood movie star, trick-rope performer, and American cowboy hero Montie Montana; and

WHEREAS, the hall of fame would be housed in conjunction with a museum facility currently in development along U.S. Highway 2 in Wolf Point.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Section 1-1-525, MCA, is amended to read:

"1-1-525. Montana cowboy hall of fame and western heritage center. (1) There is a The city of Wolf Point is designated the site of the Montana cowboy hall of fame and western heritage center. Once the recipient of the grant for site development and project planning authorized pursuant to section 4(7), Chapter 3, Special Laws of May 2007, determines the location of the Montana cowboy hall of fame, the grant recipient shall notify the department of commerce and the department of transportation.

(2)        Once notified that the location of the Montana cowboy hall of fame is determined, the The department of commerce and the department of transportation shall identify the site as the city of Wolf Point as the location of the Montana cowboy hall of fame and western heritage center on official state maps. When existing road signs need replacement, the department of transportation shall provide appropriate markers to recognize the site."

NEW SECTION. Section 2. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.