The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-27
MAGNITUDE OF THE AREA IN
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION.
GREAT BELT IN THIS STATE
1t Extends Entirely Across the State
From a Northwest to a South
east Direction.

dlSA IL tAe ItOCky coal
fields is as yet scarcely appreciated.
AS described by Mr. L. S. Storrs in
part three of the twenty-second an
nual report of the United States geo
logical survey now in print, they
occupy about o per cent OF the length
Of a. belt along the eastern base of
the main range, extending southwark
from the Canadian boundary fully l.
900 mines, through Montana, Wyo-
ming, Colorado and New Mexico. An
other less extensive belt occurs along
the western base of the Rocky noun
tain range in Wyoming, Utah, Colo
RADIO and New Mexico. Between
these two belts, in the Park region,
are numerous isolated basins. In ad-
dition to these generally bituminous
fields, large areas Of the plains in
Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas
are also underlain by coal, usually
Ignite but valuable for local use. Ac-
cording to the latest estimates the ter
ritory of the Rocky mountains are,
for anthracite, bituminous and Ignite,
bituminous coal, 43,610. square miles,
and for Ignite, $500 square miles.
The history of the development of the
various coal fields of the Rocky noun
tains is essentially the history of the
general development of the region,
which has no parallel elsewhere in
the United States, and in which, as
in the case of the western interior
coal field, the great transportation
lines have been the determining
factor.
The coal fields of Montana form a
nearly continuous belt extending in a
northwest-southeast direction entire
ly across the state; but most of the
fields have not been investigated in
detail. AS in Wyoming the plains
region east of the Rocky mountains,
extending into the Dakotas is under
laid by beds of Ignite coal Of vary
ing quality. The Bull mountain dis
trict of SIS square miles in Yellow
stone county, about As miles north
east Of Billings on the Northern Pa
cific road. The bed is from ten to
sixteen feet of Ignite coal. But lit
tie coal is now mined there. The
Clarke's Fork district crosses the Vel
lowstone % miles west of Billings
and extends north to the Musselshell
river, through without known valu-
able beds. Southwark the beds are
workable in the Big Horn basin dis
trict of Wyoming. The bed worked
is from three to five feet thick and
produces a good lignitic coal, chief
ly marketed over the Northern Pa
cific at Butte city. The Rocky Fork
district three miles west of Clarke's
Fork district, has five workable beds
of coal between Ignite and bitumin-
GUS. excellent for domestic and steam
fuel. The only mine operated is at
Red Lodge, owned by the Northern
Pacific. which gets from it much of its
locomotive fuel. The Yellowstone dis
trict can be followed for $50 miles
from the eastern end on Buolder riv-
in Gallatin county, through the
Boulder, Livingston-Bozeman and Six
teen Mile and Shields river basins,
thence circling around the northern
and eastern end of the Crazy noun
tains and connecting with the western
end OF the plains field. The product
is good steam and cooking COAL The
small Trail creek basin is nine miles
south of the Northern Pacific at Noun
tain Side and only half a mile from
the Yellowstone district from whose
coal it's product differs entirely, being
semi-bituminous and yielding a large
proportion of lump coal. The CHINA
bar district extends on both sides
of the Yellowstone river northward
from the Yellowstone national park.
There are four workable coal beds,
which produce good coking coal, and
also semi-anthracite. Only n mine
is operated. The West Galatin dis
trict, along the headwaters of the
West Gallatin river, about Is miles
south of the Northern Pacific at Boze-
man is little known; it will probably
produce a good cokfng coal. The Ru-
by valley district, 30 miles vest of
the Gallatin district, 80 miles west of
known. The small Toston district,
three miles south of Toston and cross
ed by the main line of the Northern
Pacific. could probably be operated
proitably on a small scale, as the
coal is coking. The Belt district, ex-
tending westward 1875 miles from the
Judith river in Meagher county, lies
along the northern base of the Little
Belt mountins. and their westward
ov&aucion IN thu most c{do ~ tho