5 Insane Things That Happened In Montana You Won’t Find in History Books

It's no secret that some pretty crazy things have happened here in the Treasure State ... take Earthquake Lake, for example. Some bizarre parts of our past haven't even made the history books. From cults in Montana to abductions to UFO sightings, we're pretty sure you'll learn something new from this list.

1. Church Universal and Triumphant making a home in Montana.

While this isn't widely known, Montana actually made the national news when a group known as Church Universal and Triumphant purchased a large ranch near Gardiner in the 1980s. They named it the Royal Teton Ranch, and the leader, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, recruited more members to her group many were calling a cult. But when the Prophet's major prediction of a nuclear war failed to happen, many people left. It continues to operate out of Paradise Valley today but on a much smaller scale.

2. The Flood of 1964

In June of 1964, Montana had one of the worst floods in its history. At one point, about one-fifth of the state was underwater, especially in the central part of the state. The flooding was so bad that it led to new laws about Montana and flood plans.

3. The 1984 abduction of Kari Swenson.

Kari Swenson was a well-known biathlete who earned a bronze medal as a member of the U.S. relay team. When she was 23, she took a summer job at a guest ranch in Big Sky. That July, she was abducted by Don Nichols and his son, Dan. The two men took her in hopes of making her Dan's wife. Swenson was eventually rescued and the men were arrested, but not before Don Nichols shot a would-be rescuer to death and shot Swenson in the chest. Swenson not only recovered but earned a spot on the U.S. Biathlon team again in 1986. These days, she works as a veterinarian in Bozeman.

4. The ghostly canaries at Stonehouse Restaurant in Reeder's Alley.

Reeder’s Alley is a nice little historic strip in Helena full of old buildings with history. Back in the early 1900s, Laura and George Duchesnay bought one of the stone buildings and filled it with canaries. The birds were delightful, but they were also useful -- during Prohibition, Laura would hang some of her canary cages outside the house to let people know that more alcohol had arrived. Here's the strange part: after Laura's death, the building was converted into a restaurant. Customers and employees sometimes swore they heard the faint sound of singing canaries.

5. The 1950 UFO sighting at the Malmstrom Air Force Base.

There were several witnesses to Montana's most notorious UFO sighting in 1950, most notably Nick Mariana, the general manager of the Great Falls Electrics minor-league baseball team. The video footage captured from the incident is believed to be among the first UFO footage ever taken. Skeptics claim it was a hoax, but no one has ever been able to prove that.

Had you heard of any of these parts of our history before? Were you familiar with any of these strange facts like the Royal Teton Ranch Cult in Montana? If you think these stories are bizarre, check out this list of Montana's unsolved mysteries.