The Helena independent., 1893-12-17
since tho railrcad opened UP that coun-
try to trace and traffic.

try to trade and traffic.
On the east side OF the river abov,
Cinnabar arc the Cinnabar coal mines
This coal has been proved to yield goot
gas and coke. On Bear creek five sue
cessive coal beds have been opened uI
and proved to be q continuation Of the
great Rocky Fork beds. Four beds
have been opened between the Ben,
creek and tho Rocky Fork mines. These
coal beds cover many square miles be.
| tween Rocky Fork and Clarke's fork.
Careful estimates show this coal field
would furnish 10000 tons OF coal each
day for the next 300 years. Here are
untold quantities Of light and heat to
cheer and warm the homes Of tho mil.
lions whom our mines and fertile yales,
and vast ranges for hocks and herds will
invite.
The coal beds in Flathead and Koote-
mai country, though not so we'll known,
are believed to contain as much coal as
the Bear creek basin just described.
Bull mountain is high level made by
the denudation OF the surrounding ooun-
try. This region covers m area Of some
fifty square miles, all underlaid by hori-
zontal coal beds. which contain fully
S0O,O00.O0O tons Of workable coal.
Coal beds are worked on the Tongue
river near Miles City, on the Rosebud
and In other places in Custer county.
There are several extensive coal beds
in Fergus county. One extending from
Folsom creek across Swimming 'Wo-
mans creek TO Careless creek, some
twenty miles long. There is one bed
near Fort Maginnis; one six miles north
west Of Maiden, one on Plum creek and
another extending from Judith river
across Sage, Willow, Skull and Wolf
creeks, in northwestern direction.
There are several extensive coal areas
in Meagher county. One just south Of
Castle, wnicE has good colxlng coal
and is doubtless continuation OF the
Cokedale beds. There are coal beds on
Sixteen Mile creek, in the southwest
corner of the county and on Careless
creek in the east end of MeaRher.
The coal beds OF Cascade county are
numerous and practically inexhaustible.
Coal beds were long since opened for To-
cal use on both sides of Sun river, on
Muddy creek, on Hound creek, on Deep
creek, in Sand Coulee, on Belt creek, on
Otter creek, on Willow creek, on Smith
river and on the Dearborn. The guam
tity Of coal in Cascade is immense. The
coal beds Of Lewis and Clarke are best
developed on Sun river between Fort
Shaw and the foothills, where the fork |
Of the river enters the Rocky mountains.
The coal beds have been opened in many
places in tbs region and in the high
land between Sun river and the Dear
born. There are two beds of excellent
coal on Flat creek. Theirs is q thick bed
of coal near Eagle Rock and another
south of the Dearborn in the river
bluffs. Another bed has been worked
in valley Of the Prickly Pear noun
tains. The coal bed at the west end of
the Mullan tunnel was worked for sew
eral years, but is now idle.
Coal beds are numerous in the old
county of Choteau, too numerous to be
described In this paper. We have good
coal beds on Birch creek, Dry fork and
Muddy creek. Milk river coal mines
have been long worked to supply Fort
Assinniboine and the adjacent popula-
tions Two coal beds appear short dis
tances north and west of Choteau; and
several successive beds crop out at Coal
Banks on the Missouri river.
There has not been much encourage
nent to prospect and open the coal beds
IN the vast Indian reservations in Cho-
eau and Dawson counties and they are
out little known.
From what has been said one may be
ure Montana has coal enough for all
demands for manufactures,
ailroads, mining and domestic uses.