In 1915 college students of nearby Montana State University, tired of standing around in the snow, cow tipping, and drinking homemade grain alcohol (usually all three at once) decided that a “M” made out of rocks would look pretty good on the side of a local mountain overlooking town.

Using local bison and trained pterodactyls (Tyrannosaurus Rexs were tried but their small, delicate, T Rex arms couldn’t carry rocks), thousands of rocks stolen from Crazy Ed’s rock farm were packed up the hill to build the M. The original chosen spot had to be abandoned after it was determined the rocks wouldn’t stay in place on the 86% incline and hundreds of college kids falling to their death wouldn’t be good publicity for the project.

The project was beset by setbacks from the beginning. Local men refused to return to help after finding out the promised Swedish bikini team was not waiting for them at the top. The bison went on strike halfway through after learning their provided daily lunches were not grassfed, organic, non-GMO, local grown, and sustainable-farmed beef but instead were just…..beef. The governor had to step in when fans of other letters blocked the trail in protest.

After the M was finished the kids trekked down the mountain to gaze at their wonderful project only to find the gray-ish rocks mixed in with the gray-ish surroundings and the side of the mountain looked like…..a side of a mountain. It was determined the M should be painted hot pink, inline with the school colors and school mascot, the southwestern Montana spotted hooked-beak Bridger Mountain flamingo (both the mascot and colors were changed after the football team was mercilessly tormented and fans complained about having to yell “GO SOUTHWESTERN MONTANA SPOTTED HOOKED-BEAK BRIDGER MOUNTAIN FLAMINGOS!!! The species eventually became extinct from freezing to death). However when vandals later painted the rocks white the college students said “Fuck it, I’m tired of climbing up there” and so it remains white today.

True story.

Or you can read a different version about the “M” and the trail to get to it here.