Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1890-01-04
.DUPUYER VISITED.
GOOD LAND, TIMBER AND COAL
ABOUND THERE.
The Great Falls and Canada Road Will
Open up u Large Area-New
Corners Welcomed.
Especial Dependence Of the TR1BuNE.1

Especial Dependence Of the T~R1BUNE.l
DupUYER, Dec. 20, 1889.
The town of Dupuyer is located in the
healthful, broad valley Of the Dupuyer
river, about rs miles northwest of Great
Falls. It is surrounded by a country
that is unsurpassed as a stock range and
promises to become noted as an a~gricult-
ural region. The country near the town
is much like that of other portions of
Montsna-long stretches of gently roll
ling prairie, broken at intervals by water
courses, and Astounding in springs. The
soil of these p%rairies is very fertile, and
wherever farming has been attempted
good crops have been raised. The early
settlers of the region are mostly old
Montanians, who believe in irrigation,
and a number have combined and taken
out bitches on some of the select land.
The Conrad ditch covers about 20 sec
tons of as fine land as can be found
anywhere, while the Brick creek ditch
will lrrigate almost as large an area.
The very best of government land, in
large quantities, is still vacant in this
region and can be had under any of the
land laws. This soil usually produces
good crops of hay without irrigation and
there is no reason why it should not pro-
duce good crops of grain. All the settlers
so far have been engaged almost exclu-
sively in stock-ralsing. A few have at
tempted farming with very satisfact Dry
results, but the great distance from mar
ket has discouraged all ventures on q
large scale. Those who grow grain plant
only a small field for their own use. In
1888. C. P. Phemeister raised an average
of 65 bushels of oats per acre. 10 LIE
Farnce and DR.. Gillette have also raised
fine crops.
Within a radius of 80 miles of Dupuy-
er there are onlyabout 1876 persons-men,
women and children-a,large proportion
Of them being bachelors. As will be
seen, the country is very sparsely settled
and there is room for many more famll-
les.
Heretofore the raising of cattle, horses
and sheep have occupied the exclusive
attention of the people, but now they are
beginning to realize that their country
possesses vast resources of wealth, which
are as yet unueVelOped.
On Birch creek a 28-inch vein of coal,
equal In quality to the best Pittsburgh,
has been worked to some extent. The
settlers in that vicinity use it and black
smiths prefer it TO any other. This coal,
when hauled to Benton, sells readily at
$13 per ton. There are coal groupings at
other places, but this is the only place
where any organized effort has been
made toward development.
Timber of the finest quality for build
ing purposes is found in the mountains
10 to 80 miles away. The one great need
of this section is a railroad. This want
will be supplied during the summer Of
1890. The Great Falls and Canadian
road will find the most accessible route
through this section, passing north
through the Plegan reservation west of
the Sweet Grass Hills. This is not only
the most accessible route. but the coun-
try will furnish an immense freight traf-
fc to the road in the way of wool stock,
coal, grain and lumber shipments.
The people are anxious that the reser-
walton should be reduced SO that the
boundaries Of the territory over which
the worthless and thieving Indians oam
may be made much smaller. This could
be done without loss to the Indians and
would be a great gain for the people.
The people extend a cordial welcome
to newcomers, and the settler here will
find as intelligent and liberal men here
as in the east. Opportunities are open on
every hand awaiting the enterprising man
mr. Uonap