The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-22
THE FLATHEAD VALLEY.

The Flathead valley, ten years ago an
almost unknown region, the home OF the
savage and wild beast, to-day is this
most productive section of the north.
west, yielding per acre double the out.
put of Kansas, Iowa or the Dakotas,
and is the only section west of the Miss.
issippi river which can rival tie cele.
b,a 81 Red River Valley of the North in
the superior quality Of its cereals. 1t is
the olly agricultural section in the state
o Montana, where crops can be raised
without irrigation. Vegetables of all
kinds are grown in abundance, while
apples, plums, peaches, cherries, pears,
and the small fruits such as strawber-
ries, b~lackberries, goosehe 'rles, raspber-
ries are beng raised successfully. With
a ready market Tor all products of the
soil in the rich mineral di tricts to the
east, west a d south, the farmers of tho
Flathead valley will soon be classsd
among The wealthiest and most infiuen-
tail of this new countr . Wheat averages
thirty five bushels per acre, oats sixty
bushels, barley forty bushels, rye thirty
bushels, potatoes 400 bush s, cabbfge
ten tons per acre, rutabagas thir y tons
per acre.
The Flathead 1ivcr, with it's tribu.
taries-tle North, South and Middle
forks-the Saltwater and Whitetish
rivers, with th1ir hume cous br anches,
making a total of over co. miles of los-
ging streams, al of which converge at
kalispell, flow through vast fores s OF
pine, tamarack, fir, larch and oeItr.
Under the recent law enacted by con-
gress these bolndless tracts of timber
land can be purchased at $3.50 Per acre.
According to the state aud tors report,
of the 1O3,4 S9,2 S3 feet OF lumber cawed
in the st tie during the year 1891, 100,-
0. O,00O was sawed in M ssoula county,
thus demonstrating this portion If the
| states SUI remacy in the lumber in-
dustry.
In the nor hern portion o. the valley
| are hidden vast measures of a superior
quality of ccal towards which the rail
roat 8 are alre.dy building, and the de-
veloEment of this resource alone W II
ron err this section he Pitt buag of the
northwest. Adjoining tn SO immense
bodies OF coal lie large tracts OF oil land,
which & We plomise of equa'i ing the rich
ret; o.eum fields of Pennsylvania.
Natural gas has also been discovered in
this region.
Underlying a large portion OF
tie valley, Il thirty-foot start
UNI of the finest quail ty of fie
clay is found, which offers excep.
tional opport n ties for he manufac-
tur. of POI .vry, and aff, rds lhe brick
maker a conye i n, and unlimi el sup
ply for 10 kiln. Common and pressed
BRICK of a most super or quail y have
b en- II ale from this clay, and m
GUS handsome buildings throughout The
va ley and as monumen 8 10 this in.
dus ry.
M ntana's mineral output, which now
surpasses hni of any 0 her 8 a,e in he
uni n, will be largely augmen ed by tho
de elopment of he hidden reasures in
The mountain Ranges surrounding the
+ a head valley. Rich veins of gold,
silver, Q pper and lead, which have
already b. en- discov red, are attrac ing
the at ention OF the CAPT alis's who
have invested largely in mining proper
ties throughout this section, and 40
! rauidly pushing their development.