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

l Il1 4 Liza L TIIAO ALIL L.
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 ell Rec River Valley of the North in
the superior quality of it's cereals. 1t is
the only agricultural section in the state
OF Montana, where crops can be rlised
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, goosebe, rles, raspber-
ries are being raised successfully. With
a ready market for all products of tie
soil in the rich mineral di tricts to the
east, west and south, the farmers of thu
Flathead valley will soon be classsd
among the wealthiest and most infiuen-
tail of this new countri. Wheat averages
thirty five bushels per acre, oats sixty
bushels, barley forty bushels, rye thirty
bushels, potatoes 400 bushes, cabbage
ten tons per acre, rutabagas thirty tons
per acre.
The Flathead river. with it's tribu-
taries-the North, South and Middle
forks-the Saltwater and Whitetish
rivers, with their numerous br anches,
making a total Of over 6Oo miles of log
| r,p, pf oil ~ ,ylioh r0p,arra Of
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 oawed
in the stlte during the year 1891, 1O0,.
| 100000 was sawed in M ssoula county,
thus demonstrating this portion Of the
states SUI remacy in the lumber in
dustry.
In the northern portion OF the valley
are hidden vast measures OF a superior
quality OF coal towards which tho rail
roads are already building, and the de-
velopment of this resource alone WI
renoer this section The Pitts buag of thu
northwest. Adjoining these immense
bodies OF coal lie large tracts OF oil land,
which G We promise of equa'ing the rich
petroleum fields of Pennsylvania.
Natural gas has also been discovered in
this region.
Underlying a large portion of
the valley, a thirty-foot start
UNI of the finest quail ty of fl o
clay is found, which Offer excep.
tional opportunities for he manufac-
ture of pot evry, and affords the brick
maker n conve4i n and unlimi el sup
ply for his kiln. Common and pressed
BRICK of n most superb quality have
b zen made from this clay, and numer-
GUS handsome buildings throughout tho
va ley sand as monumen d 10 this in
duslry.
Montana's mineral oatput, which now
SURPRISES that Of any o her 8 a in he
uni n, viii be largely nugmen ed by tho
development Of he hidden treasures in
the mountain ranges surrounding tho
Fla head valley. Rich veins of gold,
silver, c}pper and lend, which have
already ben discovered, are attrac ing
the attention OF the CAPT alisls who
have invested largely in mining proper
ties throughout this section, and are
! RAPIDLY pushing their Developments