Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-04-17
MINERALS Or CASCADE COUNTY
paner Read at the County lmmi'
grafton Convention By Prof.
o. G. Morrison.
Seventy Per Cent Of All Coal Pro-
duced in Montana From
This County.

The following paper on "Ihe Coal
and Mineral Resources of Cascade
County" was read by Prof. y. G. Mort
son at the county immigration and min
ing convention:
In the formation of this brief essay
on the mineral products of Cascade
county, would state that the minerals
found must be termed economic, as the
precious deposits of gold, silver, ETC.,
found in the adjacent sister counties,
surrounding our county and touching
its borders on three sides, are lacking in
that of Cascade.
These, however, are more than re-
placed by the vast deposits of coal, iron,
fire clay, building materials, ETC., which
are essentially economic, and whose ex-
istence is of vital Importance in building
up manufacturing and industrial COM
munities. The existence of coal in vast
deposits has alone in ten years in this
county resulted in the creation OF one
great manufacturing center-Great
Falls; and two great coal towns-Belt
and Sand Coulee, and this only a COM
mencement. The number of these
economic minerals, and the practically
unlimited amounts in which they are
found, together with the vast water
power of the Missouri river, all within
the boundaries OF Cascade county, will
naturally result, in the near future, in
various kinds of industrial establish
ments being created, and new foc OF
business being built up which the gen
eral public at the present time scarcely
dream Of.
Given: A city or section consuming
the largest amount of coal, and there
Will be found great industrial establish
ments showing the highest development.
Given: A section producing the larg-
est amount of coal, and there will be
found the objective point for railroads
and immigration, resulting in the cree
ton of prosperous towns and villages,
and furnishing markets for adjacent
agricultural communities.
In Cascade county, Great Falls fills
the requirement Of the first proposition,
and Belt and Sand Coulee fill that of the
second one. The Belt coal mines were
the first ones worked, under the direc-
ton of Mr.. John K Castner, as far back
as 1877, supplying Fort Benton as we'll as
local consumption. This was done by
Mr. Castner under all conceivable diff
culties, having to construct his own
grades and roads. The annual output
work commenced in Sand Coulee, and
also on Smith River. In 1883 Sand Cou,
lee produced 800 tons, the output for the
county being about 1,40O tons. In 1889,
however, Sand Coulee produced lGG,4eO
tons, and gradually increased till in 1894
this section produced over 800 900 tons.
The total production in 1894 of Cascade
county was G}S, ,0GO tons of total output
for Montana CT 927, ,395 tons; resulting
that Cascade county produced GS per
cent. of the whole output OF Montana.
Statistics for 1898 are not Yet available,
but with the enormous output OF the
great coal town of Belt it most certainly
will be above the million tons mark
The coal industry Of Cascade county
furnishes an object lesson to the entire
west of how when unlimited quantities
OF coal exist in a certain section, the con-
structlon and arrival OF railroads there
will stimulate the production in an in
crediby short time to an amount attain
able by but few older communities.
The following coal fields of this county
pertain to the kootenai groups near the
base of the cretaceous system, and locally
they consist of four groups, though of
the same horizon, viz: Belt, Otter Creek,
Sand Coulee and Smith River, together
known AS the Great Falls coal fold. The
Dearborn field, and that of Sun River,
are of more recent formation, and there
is again in the north part of the county
alignite field which in the future w.! be
OF commercial Importance for the manu-
tacture of briquettes now SO popular in
Central Europe for fuel.
The total coal area of Cascade county
may be coneervatlvely estimated at about
26O square miles.
The output is now used on the Great
Northern railway from the Cascade range
TO Barnesvile; also on the Montana
Central railway; besides large local
traffic. The Belt coal now forms the
smelters at Anaconda. and the output ia
constantly increasing on account of its
excellent qualities.
In conclusion. it might be stated, that
practically the coal areas of this county
are scarcely touched as yet, though up
to the present time it amounts to over
20 per cent of the total output OF the
state.
The manufacture of coke in this county
on any large scale is of very recent date,
though its feasibility was demonstrated
both at Belt and Sand Coulee dozen
years ago. The present plant at Belt has
proved success, and by its purenees
and adaptability 10y crushing tests has
obtained an enviable record. When the
, additional ovens and increase of washing
plant are constructed this year, the coke
plant of the Castner Coal & Coke Co.
will be by far the largest plant in the
northwest.
The coal and coke industries in this
county now give direct employment in
the workings and plants to over 1000
men.
Iron is found at numerous points with
in the confines Of this county, and, with
the success and completion OF several
electric experiments now pending in the