The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-14
Harvesting in the Bitter Root and
Flathead Valleys, in Missoula
County.
Some Suggestions on the Subject
Of Dividing That Empire
Growing Populous.
Special Agents Realize tho Possibiiitiee Of
the Fiathead valIey--An Underground
Kiver--State News.


sners of the Bitter Root valley have many
tho coming week the most Of IL in the val-
Icy will have been harvested. In some por-
tions lack Of moisture has lssssned the
yield but on the whole thers will be good
average crop. The fruit crop will be good
and number OF young orchards have COM
mencad bearing, which will make the yield
this season the largest in the history Of the
section. The building Of ths large -four
mill at Bonner and the smaller one at Vic
tor has stimulated TO u small extent the
growing Of wheat. but oats are still con-
sidsred the most profitable grain crop for
this valley and the acreage in that cereal
will largely exceed that Of other graius.
Tho large sawmill of the Bitter Root Devsl-
opment company at Hamilton will be run
ming in two or three weeks. The capacity
Of this mill will be about equal to the ono
at Bonner and Missoula county will then
have in operation within its borders two Of
the largest sawmills in tho west.
The people of the valley are wondering
what has become of the railroad that was
to be built this fall up the Scalksho over
the range to Philipsburg and Anaconda.
The preparations made last spring gave
strong hopes that this much needed line
! would be constructed in the near future
but there seems to be at present no imme-
diate prospect of the actual work of grading
being commenced. The future Of the ssc-
tion seems to be largely centered In the
bnilding of a competing line of railroad
that will give an outlet not controlled by
the Northern Pacific. When this ia accom-
| v,liG al ho nd nf ho
valley will be rapid. II il gem
session Of the legislature this county will
be divided into two, or probably three
counties. This will meet tho approval Of
the people living in and close to the city OF
about half the taxes. and about three
fourtha of the expenses have come from
the outside sections. The Flathead region
has heretofore paid very small proportion
of the taxes. but the court expense, par
ticularly from criminal business from chat
this was occasioned BY the trials which re-
suited in the hanging of the four Indians,
aud during the building Of the Great North
ern. Should the county bs divided in
three. one portion taking. in the greater
part Of the Bitter Root valley. will be Bit
ter Root valley, with Hamilton and Stevens
vile to fight for the county seat. The Flat
i head country and . portion of the kootsnai
valley will make the Flathead county.
There 10 considerable discussion 40 TO whore
the line of division for this county shoald
run. Some think that Horse Plains, Para
disc and Thompson Falls should be taken
| into the new county. Missoula county
would then inclnde only the Big Black
foot, Camas prairie, the Frenchtown and
Missoula valleys, and the mining sections of
Cedar Greek. Iron Mountain, Spring Gulch
and St. Regis. Should the county be d.
| vidod IL ia prohahlA that Mipunu1a amid
then secure the building of . respectable
court house instead Of the old shack which
now houses the county records. In every
effort that has heretofore been made to get
a new structure the proposition has been
strenuousiy fought by the farming element
in the outside districts.
Now that the peoples party has placed
its ticket in the field there is considerable
figuring being done BY the leaders in the
old parties as to the results in the fail cleo
tion. No one seems to think there IL any
prospect of any portion OF the ticket being
elected with one or two exceptions. Most
of the candidates havs NO political strength
and the ticket as whole is not generally
considered as representing the full strength
of the peoples party. In fact, some Of the
best men in the party have been overlooked.
The alliance men seem to have controlled
everything in the convention and a The
INDEPENDENT correspondents predicted sew
eral weeks since the ticket has "a decidedly
rural aspect" The main strength OF the
alliance is in the small towns of the Bitter
Root valley and at Frenohtown. There
does not appear to be any important defec-
ton from the old parties in the Flathead.
That portion of the county along the line
of the Great Northern has increased 80
largely in population since the last election
that the vote Of that section in the previous
campaign furnishes NO data that can be OF
any reliability in estimating the probable
results in the coming struggle. 1t is thought
by those best posted that the vote of the
whole county will this year exceed 1000