The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-09
THE VALLEY.

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 or the Dakotas,
and is the only section west of the Miss.
issippi river which can rival the cole.
bra ed Red River Valley of the North in
the superior quality of it's cereals. 1t is
the only 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, blackberries, 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 a~d south, the farmers of thu
Flathead valley will soon be classed
among the wealthiest and most inf1uen-
tail of this new countr :. 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 thir,y tons
per acre.
The Flathead river, with it's tribu-
taries-the North, South and Middle
forks-the Saltwater and Whitetish
rivers, with thoir numerous br anches,
making a total of over Coz miles of log
ging streams, al of which converge at
| k%alispell, flow through vast forests OF
| pine, tamarack, fir. larch and cedar.
Under tho recent law enacted by con-
gress these boundless tracts of timber
, land can be purchased at $3.50 per aero.
According to the state auditors report,
of the 1O3,4S9,2S3 feet OF lumber cawed
in the st tie during the year 1891, l00,-
10000 was sawed in M ssoula county,
thus demonstrating this portion Ct the
states SUI remacy in the lumber in-
dustry.
In the northern portion OF the valley
are hidden vast measures of q superior
quality of coal towards which the rail
roaCs are already building, and the de-
yelol ment of this resource alone W II
render this section The Pitt buag of the
northwest. Adjoining these immense
bodies of coal lie large tracts OF oil land,
which g We promise of equa'ing the rich
Petroleum feds of Pennsylvania.
Natural gas has also been discovered in
this region. :
Underlying a large portion OF
the valley, n thlrty-foot start
um of the finest quail ty of ii Q
clay is found, which Oil "a excep.
tional opport n tics for he manufac-
ture of potgeVry, and aft rds The brick
maker a conve-i n and unlimi g sup
ply for h s kiln. Common and pressed
brick Of a most super, or quail y have
b zen made from this clay, and numer-
GUS handsome buildings througt out 'he
va ley s and as monumen q 10 his in-
dus ry.
Mcntana's mineral output, which now
surpasses hat of an, o her sa lin ,ho
uni n, will b.. largely augmen ed by the
Development of he hidden reasure in
The mountain ranges surrounding the
+ a head valley. Rich veins of rold,
silver, G pper and lead, which h We
already ben distov red, are attrao ing
the attention OF the CAPT alis s who
have invested largely in mining proper
ties throughout this section, and 40
RAPIDLY pus hing heir de-, elopmenL