The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-05
THE VALLEY.

AAAAI l. AA&A - o
The Flathead valley, ten years ago an
almost unknown region, the home of the
savage and wild beast, to-day is the
most productive section Of the north.
west, yielding per acre double the out.
put OF Kansas, Iowa CT the Dakotas,
and is the only section west of the Miss.
issippi river which can rival the cele.
bra cd Red River Valley of the North in
the superior quality of it's cereals. 1t is
thu NY agricultural section in the state
O. Montana, where crops can be raised
without irrigation. Vegetables of all
kinds are grown il abundance, while
apples, plums, peaches, cherries, pears,
and the small fruits such as s%trawber-
ries, blackberries, goosebe rles, raspber-
ries are being raised successfully. With
a ready market for all products of the
soil in the rich mineral di tricts to the
east, west &C south, the farmers of thu
Flathead valley will soon be classed
among the wealthiest and most infiuen-
tail of this new countrl. Wheat averages
thirty five bushels per acre, oats sixty
bushels, barley forty bushels, rye thirty
bushels, potatoes 400 bushels, cabbage
ten tons per acre, rutabagas thirty tons
per acre.
The Flathead river, with it's tribu-
taries-tbe North, South and Middle
forks-the Saltwater and Whitefish
rivers, with their hume eous br anches,
making a total of over Coz miles of log
:.- 10 49,, ali - ,,L,ab "a
Kalispell, flow through vast forests Of
| pine, tamarack, fir, larch and cedar.
Under the recent law enacted by con-
| gress these boundless tracts of timber
land can be purchased at $3.50 per acre.
According to the state auditors report,
| of the 1O3, 4s9,2s3 feet of lumber sawed
| in the st tie during the year 1891, 100,-
| 100000 was sawed in M ssoula county,
| thus demonstrating this portion of the
states supremacy in the lumber in
dustry.
In the northern portion of the valley
are hidden vast measures OF a superior
quality of coal towards which the rail-
roads are already building, and the de-
velopment of this resource alone Will
render this section the Pittsbuag of the
northwest. Adjoining these immense
bodies of coal lie large tracts of oil land,
which give promise of equaling the rich
petroleum fields of Pennsylvania.
Natural gas has also beer discovered in
this region.
Underlying a large portion of
the valley, a thirty=foot start
UNI of the finest quality of fire
clay is found, which offers excep.
tional opportunities for the manufao-
ture of POTTERY:, and affords the brick
maker n convent mt and unlimi cd sup
ply for his kiln. Common and pressed
brick of a most superior quality have
b.en made from this clay, and numer-
GUS handsome buildings throughout the
valley stand as monuments 10 this in
dusiry.
Mcntana's mineral output, which now
surpasses that of any o her s'ate in tho
uni, n, will be largely augmen ed by the
development of The hidden treasures in
the mountain ranges surrounding the
Fla head valley. Rich veins of gold,
silver, cppper and lead, which have
already been discov red, are attrac ing
the attention OF the CAPT alis 3 who
have invested largely in mining proper
ties throughout this section, and are
] rapidly pushing their DEVELOPMENT