The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-17


Marcus Days great Bitter Root
ranch:''
That is the question that has f:o-
cuently been put sin2e the death Of
answered on authority? Mr.. Orr, Il
veterinary surgeon, who has been en-
veterinary surgeon, who has been en-
ployed on the stock farm for several
years, but who recently resigned with
other employees, since it was decided
to sell out the thoroughbred stock,
says that Mr.. Days wishes in the
matter. cherished idea which he
entertained before he died, will be
carried out.
Mr.. Days plan for some time was
to dispose of his fancy stock and
cut his Bitter Root estate into forty
acre farms and colonize the ranch.
He was to become the landlord OF a
least to so arrange matters, that
whatever might befall, his family
would be assured of permanent in
come. Mr.. DAILY intended to colon
ize his ranch with 500 families, and
it was said, communicated his plans
to Archbishop Ireland of st. Paul,
asking him to arrange for the immi-
grafton of 500 Irish families to locate
on farms. Whether the colonization
was to be confined to families from
Ireland is not definitely known, but
this is said to have been his notion
to provide homes for struggling
families in the Emerald Isle.
1t was Mr.. Days intention to lease
the farms to the settlers on long
time and give them the privilege of
buying the land.
However, though they became the
owners of the land, they would still
be the tenants of Marcus DAILY, for
the reason that they would have to
buy water from him for irrigation.
While it may not be generally known,
it is a fact, that just prior to his I'M
timely death, Marcus Daily had COM
pleted one of the greatest irrigation
bitches in the United States, in fur
therance of his we'll devised plan of
colonizing his ranch. This irrigation
ditch is capable of watering 10000
acres of land and cutting this vast
tract into forty-acre farms would af-
ford homes for 500 families.
1t was not without a vast expendi-
ture of money that Marcus DAILY per
fected his irrigating scheme. There
were many conflicting water rights
and the only way to solve this prob
lem was to bring the conflicting in
terests under one ownership, and that
is what Mr. DAILY did. He purchased
ranch after ranch with their water
rights, until the last trace of disput-
ed ownership of water disappeared.
This stroke was the one that solved
the question and how to irrigate every
portion of those 10000 fertile acres
and more than 1855 miles of bitches
were laid out. The great irrigating
canal is an engineering triumph and
its successful completion is destined
to make the Bitter Root valley Mon
tana's garden spot.
The New Years number of the Ra.
valli Democrat (Which by the way
was highly creditable publication
OF a country newspaper, and replete
with handsome illustrations) tends tt
verify the facts stated above as to the
final disposition of the great farm
In answer to the question. What viii
be done with the Bitter Root stocl
FARM" it says:
mo one in the valley can answe,
this question for certainty although
everyone feels that some day, eithe
sooner or later the famous farm will
be cut up into many small tracts O
land and sold for homes. This is be
lieved to have been Mr.. Days ult
mate object in the establishment @
the enterprise. And that the Bite
Root valley should be through hi
agency made the home of hundred
OF happy families settled upon Ian
of unfailing fertility was the highe
goal of his splendid efforts here.
when the land east of this cit
was all brought under one OWNERSHIP,
when all the conflicting water right
should have been merged into on
right against which there could h
no dispute, land office would hay
been opened up and the fertile acre
parceled out among the sober, indu
trious, enterprising purchasers. Whe