The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-27
FROM AVON TO FLATHEAD
Rich Section That Only Needs a
Railroad to Make 1t a Great
Producer.
Mineral, Timber, Water and Thou
sands Of Acres of Agricul-
tural Land.

IL Is q Chance for the Northern Pacih
but the Burlington or Great North
srn May Take 1t Up.
For a year or more the practicability o!
building a railroad from Avon, west o
Helena on the Northern Pacific railroad
to the Flathead country. in Missoul'
county, has been discussed in this vicinity
It has been acknowledged that the country
through which such a road would pass wal
a productive one. mot only in minerals, bu'
also IN agricultural products. Already
without railroad facilities. tho section II
IL proposed to tap has grown and pros
pered but neither its mineral nor its agri-
cultural possibilities will DO fully developed
without railroad facilities. VIM. Mnth's
attention was called to ths subject n year
OF moro ago, and after looking into IL he
possessed with the idea that a rail-
road built as proposed was not only feast
BILE. but would prove q profitable invest
ment. He also realized that such u road
would bring to this city a large and
proftahle business it does not nov com
mand. and that il would be q constantly
growing trade, shortly after he
was elected president Of the board
Of trade he nut himself III
communication with residents Of that sec
tion. and asked them to furnish him soma
data as to the proposed railroad and the
resonrcss Of the country. The Northern
Pacific is now contemplating the building
Of 4 railroad from Jocko through ths Flat
head reservation, to the lake. The pro
posed route FROM Avon j. from that town
to Nevada Crek valley, to the Big Black
foot. to the Clearwater, crossing the divide
between the Clearwater and Swan river,
down Swan river to Flathead valley. thence
70 the lake. This is o longer route than
that from Jocko, but il will. according 70
the Investigations OF Hiram Blanchard,
Who collected the data for Mr.. Muth. and
who-is a resident Of the country, yield q
much greater traffic and be q more proita-
Bic line. Mr.. Blanchard says to build
through the reservation, rs would be noces-
sary from Jocko, would do neither the rail
road nor any ons else any good, while to
build from Avon would increase the acre
age value Of tho railroad co~mrany's lands
along the route. The route from Avon is
through the Northern Paoitie's land grant
almost all the way, and taps the best tim
bsred and agricultural lands in the state.
with plenty Of water and timber adjacent
80 tho open country. The Northern Pacific
does not, and will not, get all tbs Big
BIsckfoot and Clearwater timber at Bon
ner, nor all Of the Big Fork timber at Flat
head lake. Continuing. MIR. Blanchard
..Lisut. Geo. P. Ahren, o. 8. a.. is re-
sponsible for the statement, after having
made survey Of those streams and passes
for the government, that tho Big Fork is
not navigablo for logs above Swan Lake fol
fifty miles. and the Clearwater is not navi-
gable for logs five miles above its mouth.
It is q succession Of large lakes, still water
with very SMALL and crooked outlets. Lieut.
Ahrsn'x address il Deer Lodge, Mont. Hs
il professor Of military science and tactici
at the College OF Montana.
logs are now lying on the riffs in Clear
water that wero put in two and q half miles
to four miles from its mouth cur years
ago, and many more that were suit fve
miles from it's month were never put in
at all.
"There are 1900 square miles OF timbe,
between the mouth of Clearwater and the
mouth Of Big Fork or Swan river. Seven
hundred and fifty square miles of timber
belongs to the Northern Pacific Railroad
company. and not nore than Is psr sent OF
it can b. got out by waterways. That Il
psr sent would 20 out by water way any
how. no matter how many railroads Wa had;
and the Northern Pacific Railroad com psny
will get Just As much timber at Bonner and
at Flathead after the road is built
as they would before, and il the railroad is
not built there ia IS percent of timber they
will never get at all. The timber consists
OF pine and larches, which grow to be from
four to six feet in diameter; also fir and a
clear white or lodge pole pine. which grows
to be two feet in diameter.
II understand the railroad is new receiv-
ing 81 atumpage per 1000 within one mic
Of the river and so cents per LOCO one mile
and more from the river along ths Bic
Blackfoot. Small mil! men will pay on the
average twice that ssumprge if there is any
railroad facilities to get the timber out.''
Referring to the az ieultul al resources Of
the county Mr.. Blanchard says: '.Ihs
Nevada valley with its tributaries. Douglas
and Cottonwood creekg; the Big Blackfoot
creek and its tributaries, the North Forl
Montour creek, Shanley creek, Elk creek
and the Glen water, az far mp as the TIVE
fork prairie, form q vast tract Of pine bunei
grass and natural meadow lands, Will
plenty of water for all purposea. This dis
trict is eighty miles long and has an aver.
age width of fifteen miles. 1t is contiguou.
to numerous mining and la go numbering
interests, and is productive o
hay, oats, wheat, barley. poas anc
potatoes, more than homo demand
requires, with no available outlet. It is
comparatively we'll settled, although g BIZ
portion is unoccupied. New ranches arr
constantly being taken, seven having beer
taken up within the last year on the NORTH
fork, and the whole country north O.
Helmgville has been setsisd within the last
seven years. Within this distriet there ars
to-day 1871 head of stock cattle, ZIG.
head Of hol SOS and 10, 800 head of sbeep, no
including 5000 Eead of cattle md 800 horse!
at Lincoln.
"Ihere are four cav mills in active oper
alton, having a capacity of 1000 to 80 90
feet par day, n saw aad ahingle mill on Ne
vada creek. saw mill on Big Biackfoot. OH
on Stanley creek and one on Elanchar,
creek. The only demand for lumber ia TO
home consumption. 1t cannot be draw
out to the railroad for whnt it is worth
Large amour OF fir rail Dad ties Nigh
aud wonld be rnade here if thers were an
way to get them out.
"A cora!daraDle dairying business ia don
In this district, our ranch milking 14O COW
and many others a smaller nu4nb.r.
The upper Clearwater and the Sws.
RlVaf valley, which IS about eighty mils
long and fifteen miles wide, are for TIL
most part tinabered, although there 10 som
open agricultural land-and 1t would all b
good agricultural land If c~lsared-lare
natural meadows ut the head Of the lake
and on the tributarieu to these stream,
from which | estimate 9 5000 tong of ha
w-N~tIV I'm --N .A ~Ls--j 80