Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-07-03
CASCADE COUNTY, MONTANA
Some General Information Regarding
1t For Those Seeking
New Homes.
Statement That Will Be Sent Out by
the County Immigration
Committee

resources of Cascade county. has been
prepared by the county immigration
bureau and will be included in q volume
that will be printed by tho state immi-
grafton society and judiciously crcu-
lated in the middle west and eastern
states:
Cascade County
Cascade county is eituated at the base
OF the Belt mountain range, and covers
an area of about $500 equare miles. Its
average attitude Is about3, 800 feet above
the sea level. It's Topography presents a
wide variety Of features, including vast
ranges of rolling prairie or bench lands,
intereected by many couleea ut the bot
tom OF which may be found rich agti.
cultural lands, valleys Of extraordinary
fertility following the courses of the
rivers and creeks and, in the southern
portion of the county, a mountainous
district heavily timbcred. The Missouri
river, with its feeders, the Sun river and
Belt river, form the main water courses
within the county, although numerous
creeks, flowing from unfaillng springs in
the mountaiue, cover the county and
render lI one Of the best watcred tracts
OF land in the state. Large tracts of fer
II o bench lands have already been
brought under water by means Of irriga-
ton canals, and there is an immense
amount of good government lands open
to free settlement on the benches, which
could be brought under water very
Cbeap!y, IN some Instances at a cost Of
less than 81 per acre Wheat and other
grain crops can be raised on those
benches successfully without irrigation.
ard thousands Of bushels of No. hard
File wheat are now being raised on them
every year and sold TO the Royal Milling
company at Great Falls. q company
which operates II Touring mill with a
capacity Of 800 barrels per day and fur
nishes Il cash market for 100000 bushels
OF wheat per Gnnum, ouly Il small frac-
ton OF which Is ut present proQucod ju
ths section.
The best agricultural lands in the val
Ioys where noirrlgatlon ie required are
now taken up by settlers, bur many of
these farms can bo purchased from their
owners at moderate prices
The Raising Of cattle and sheep has
proven most prUhtabIa buainesa ia this
county, where up to date the stock
owner has had free pas turage of tho very
riChGet and best character ca the public
ranges, but ae the country gets more and
more settled and the LAND fenced in this
industry is bound to decline and livergi-
tied farming take ite place. I,eC0guizing
this fact, many cattle men Who have
occupied rich valley farms which they
uBe1 eololy to produce hay, arc either
turning their attention tD cuItivatiug
the soil or are getting out Of the cattle
business and are willing to sell out their
farms. There is no better agricultural
land to be found in tie state than can
he found in Cascaue county. aud tbs
crops produced on it are exceedingly
large There are numerous records IT
100 bushels of oats to tho acre in this
county and the figures are we'll Huthen-
tlcated. Seven hundred bushels Of
potatoes TO the acre were raised
on one five acre patch few yeara
ago. The average wheat crop on
tho hench lands without irrigation
'a about - bushels per acre. and many
instances can he cited where the crop
exceeded 80 bushels per acre, BARLEY
IL specially adapted to this Ci mate and
soil and does eAccIieutly. Vegetables Of
all kinds flourish and proGuce ,n u way
70 surprise the eastern farmer. A few
years Ego in Upper Sand CouIec William
Warner raised Il turnip which measured
80 inches around and weighed 33 pounds,
HcGts weighing - pounds each, potatoes
weighing three to four pounds each, cab
hbEes Hs large aR buehbl basket and
weighing 40 POUNDS have been exhibited
here 1T the local county fairs and AT
other places OF course these figures
ure not given d. representing ordinary
conditlone, bot to give an idea Of the
wonderful capabilities Of the soil under
the most favorable conditions in the way
OF growing vegetables,
While Cascade equity prenenta every
inducement in tie way Of euii and eli
mate tO the aAriCulturist. in another re.
apcCt, just Us important 10 the practical,
farmer, 1t stands unsurpassed 10y any
county in the northwest, and that is IN
the matter Of furnishing market for
the products Of the farm. Great Falls,
with Il population of over 600 souls and
Bet and Sand Coulee, Two great coal
minlng camps, with u combined poyula-
ton of 1000 or more, offer 4 market for
everything the FARMER produces and an
nually send away many thousands of
dollars 10 supply tie deficit. Wht at, last
year, found ready cash market ut
higher prices than the same grade was
quoted at in the elevators of Mlnneapo-
lie, and sold for from 10 too cents Il
bushLi more than the North Dakota
farmer got for his wheat III the local
markets there. All sorts of vege ables,
butter, eggs, cheese, poultry, pork and
fam produce generally sell in this
county for prices higher by far than the
average price in the northwestern states
Two extensive bre~eries, and mating
plant to be erected at once, will furnish
a good cash market for barley.
The p, ,rmanency OF this market for
agricultural products is secured by tho
character OF the other resources of the
county. Tho location here of the i'm
nense copper smelling and refining
plant OF the Boston and Montana com
pany has demonstrated that in no por-
| ton of the United States can copper re-
duction be effected 30 cheapIy as at
Great Falle, and it is but question of
time until other copper works of oven
greater magnitude, with their thousands
of employees, will be located here. The
water power Of the Missouri river now
drveloped at Grcat Falls ig with tho OK