Starbucks Montana mug: Been There Series
The Montana mug from Starbucks' Been There Series spells MONTANA in tall green capitals across the top, above a green bison, a bear, an eagle, a flower, a tent and a campfire, with ROCKY MOUNTAINS lettered beneath the peaks.
- Series
- Been There Series
- Place
- Montana, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The rancher who counted 400 bison and found nearly 800
Michel Pablo expected the roundup to take one summer. He thought he owned about 400 bison [1]. He had nearly 800, and the job took five years [2]. In 1904 the United States had opened the Flathead reservation in Montana to white settlers, and Pablo could no longer graze his herd there [3]. The American government rejected his offer to sell, so Canada bought the animals instead [4]. The Edmonton Bulletin reported in 1907 that Pablo quietly refused even an offer of $700 a head, because a bargain is a bargain [5]. A Missoula newspaper described the work of loading the animals into stock cars this way: take the most ornery range steer and multiply his stubbornness by 15 [6]. Some researchers estimate that over 80% of plains bison today descend from this one herd, according to Parks Canada [7]. The bison at the upper left of the Montana mug (2) is a drawing, but by that estimate the real animals it stands for mostly come from Pablo's herd.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
MONTANA in tall capitals outlined in green and filled with a lighter green, across the top of the mug.
- 2Bison
A large green bison faces right in the upper left, with a lighter green patch on its flank.
- 3Bear
A light green bear sits upright at the lower left, drawn with brown outlines.
- 4Eagle
A cream-coloured bird of prey flies with its wings spread across the middle of the design.
- 5Flower
A large green and yellow flower with long pointed petals stands above a leafy stem.
- 6Tent and campfire
A green dome tent with a dark doorway sits at the right, with a campfire and roasting sticks drawn above it.
- 7Rocky Mountains
The words ROCKY MOUNTAINS are lettered above a line of snow-capped peaks and green foothills.
- 8Coffee cup
A small white coffee cup with a green logo sits between the bison and the eagle.
The photo shows one side of the mug. The back, the area behind the handle and the inside are out of view, so drawings or the interior colour there are not described.
Collector notes
- The state name runs across the top in tall outlined capitals, so a front-on photo shows the name, the bison and the tent, while the bear sits low at the left edge and can be hidden in a photo taken from the handle side.
- Our Discovery Series Montana mug is a different design: orange lettering on a dark green circle with huckleberries and a lake, so a listing that only says Montana could be either mug.
Before you buy
The photo shows one side of the mug, so the back, the area behind the handle and the inside colour are not described. The bear sits low at the left edge and can be hidden in a photo taken from the handle side. The Discovery Series Montana mug is a different design, with orange lettering on a dark green circle, so a listing that only says Montana could be either.
Other Montana mugs
Sources
- Parks Canada: Pablo-Allard herd, estimate of 400 vs nearly 800
- Parks Canada: the roundup that took five years
- Parks Canada: 1904 opening of the Flathead reservation
- Parks Canada: the sale to Canada
- Parks Canada, quoting the Edmonton Bulletin (1907): offers refused
- Parks Canada, quoting the Daily Missoulian (1907): loading the bison
- Parks Canada: descendants of the Pablo-Allard herd
