The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-28

ALcWistoWn ZOE tuO purpose Oh CoustEuctluV
a large ditch from big Spring creek
for the irrigation Of the bench
lands wesi OF the town. When completed
II 10 expected that the ditch will OF on up
aome $4,000 acres Of rich lands. This il
bat a beginning. There are opportunities
for many other enterprises OF the kind on n
large scale. which will be improved in time.
During the past two years there has been
much railroad talk in the county. especially
Of the Burlington. 1t IL expected that the
main line OF that road will run through the
basin, but just whore N one knows, as
they have surveyed several different routes.
It is probable that il tho Burlington builds
tn. ough. the Northern Pacific or the Great
Northern. and perhaps both will build into
the basin, rather than lose the ever incrsas-
inR trade Of that section. Besides the ag-
ricultural and stock interests to afford busi-
ness for a railroad. transportation by rail
would opcn M large mineral shipments from
the Maiden. Moccasin. Yogo, Wolf Greek and
othes mining districts which have never
been extensively developed owing to the
expense of shipping. and the hesitancy
with which capital leaves the great thor
oughfares OF travel and transportation for
investment. no matter how allurinG
the pres pects may be. The old adnee says,
A things come to him who waits" The
PEOPLE of Fergus county havs been waiting
With soma degree of patience. knowing full
we'll that in the course of time all of these
disadvantages will be overcome, and F. :
gus county cease to be the only county in
the groat state of Montana no portion of
whose soil has over been ssen I. ON the win
dow of any public CONVEYANCE other than
that of a 20. d s. jerky."
Lewistown. the county seat of Fergus
county. is centrally located QeoRraph-
ica,iy, though the center OF popu-
lution is farther west and south. II is sit
uated about lao miles from Billings. los
from Big Timber. lis from Great Falls, 100
from Fort Benton and the same from Big
Sandy, and has stage connection with all
Of these places excepting Yimbe-. and an
effort has been made to establish similar
connection with that place, as being tho
natural shipping Joint for that section, on
account of the better roads. and as being
connected with Lewistown by the Montana
Midland telephone line. The visitor for
the first time is not little
sur. rised at the size of the place and the
many indications of prosperity; while those
who como back after two or three years.
absence find n marked increase in the oize
and importance of the town. All sg. 60
that there Ia no town in the state which
shows better evidences of life and prosper
ity than this little tow 100 miles from any
where. At present Lswistown has q popu-
lat1on of about 700. and is tho supply point
for a largo portion OF the county. Big
S.. ring creek, which lows through the mid
die OF the town. is as fine a stream as ever
ran from the mountains to SEQ, or emptied
its crystal waite 8 into the turbid waters Of
the Missouri. The stream furnishes power
to q fl s~t-class Touring mill, and is to be
used to furnish owe to an electric light
plant soon to be ut in operation; but all
of the water so far diverted is not percepti-
BILE in the main stream below the point of
diversion. The business of L%ewistown
covers all of the main lines. and is greatly
in excess of what would be expect
ed in a town of its size. The
Bank OF Fergus County is the
only institution of tho kline in the
county, although there is talk of another
there and of one at Maiden. Its capital
stool, is 500. 900, and under the efficient
and conservative management of the
cashier, Jas. Il. Mos, it pays a handsome
dividend to the stockholders every year.
TIE leading mercantile houses are T. G.
Power & B o.. VIM. w. Dewitt. and Chas.
Lehman g. Co., in general merchandise.
any one of which would do credit to many
a larger place, In the hardware line are
the Montana Hardware Co., Hobsnsack &
Sloan. Geo. Il. Chambers & Co., and Oliver
Jutras, who carry full stocks in their line;
G. NJ. STATIC d has q large harness n
saddlery business; All J. Stephens and W.
M. McGinness handle the drugs for the
place; j. E. Murray carries O line of smok-
ers' articles and notions; the hotels are the
Day house. the Lewistown hotel and the
Palace. The Fergus County Argus ia the
republican paper of the county, while the
Montana Democrat ia published in the
interests of the other party. as its name
indicates. Besides these there are many
smaller business houses of various kinds.
Within the past year Lewistown has
improved considerably in the way of build
ing. Besides many dwellings and smaller
structures, Messrs. Lau1 Bros. built a
handsome two-story brick, 50x90 feet. with
a stone warehouse in the rear. This is
occupied by T. G. Power d Bro. The
Presbyterian society has erected a fine
brick chu- oh; Maurice Sullivan built a
substantial stone building for his business;
w. G. Norman built q two.story brick now
known as the Palace hotel; Charles Leh-
man & Co. erected their fine stone store
and warehouse. Last winter a FIRE visited
the town and burned four frame business
houses, which a,e- now being replaced by
substantial stone structures. The United
States land Office at Lewiston has beeu
doing u land offics business" in the usual
acceptat!on OF that phrase. recently,
owing to the filing of the rlats for nine
teen townships. on some of which settlers
have been Twin, for ten or twelve yea g.
The plata were filed on the 18th inst, md
all day long there was q string of settlers
waiting their turn to make filings.
BY methodical work and close at
tention to business the register