
The Cost of Food in 1863 Montana Was Mind Blowing
Montanans are feeling the pinch at the grocery store, just like the rest of America. The latest commodity to skyrocket in price is eggs. The incredible, edible egg is currently around $5 a dozen - and up - at local grocers due to bird flu sweeping the country.
Eggs are the most recent example, but it seems like no aisle in the store has been safe from inflation and/or price gouging tactics. From beef and vegetables to cereal and potato chips, everything is far more expensive than it was just a couple of years ago.
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Montana's good old days weren't always that great.
I recently bought a copy of The Bad Old Days of Montana - Untold Stories of the Big Sky State by Randi Samuelson-Brown ($24.95). If you enjoy Montana history as much as I do, this book is a must-have for your collection. Life in early Montana was incredibly challenging. Isolated from everything, just getting here was tough enough and necessities were frequently in short supply. And expensive!

The book shares a collection of some of the dirtier secrets and untold stories in Montana's past, with a less white-washed version many of us are familiar with. The book starts with the Louisana Territory and moves to the early trappers and fur trading expeditions, the gold rush booms, the Copper Barons, etc. which all had starring roles in Montana history.
Grocery prices in 1860s Montana were outrageously expensive.
Early in the book, the author shared typical prices for food, drinks, and household goods in the mining camps of 1863 Montana, based upon original notes from shopkeepers and diaries. If you thought prices were high nowadays, be thankful you didn't live in 1860s Montana.
Using the CPI Inflation Calculator, we adjusted those old-timey prices to today's dollar. With a cumulative price increase of over 2,400% since 1863, the cost of goods in Montana in today's dollars is an eye-opener. Scroll down to see more.
The Eye Popping Food Prices of 1860s Montana
Gallery Credit: Michael Foth
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