The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-12
opened to settlement to the American
home huildar

opened to settlement to the American
home builder.
Many More Acres Invite the PIow.
While the people in this particular
part of eastern Montana have been
resolving themselves into commit
tee of ways and means to bring about
the opening of a portion of the Grow
Indian reservation during the past six
or eight years, private capital has
been brought to the city of Billings
to reclaim small empire lying at
the city's door-yard. Beginning at the
J east line of the city limits and ex.
tending along the north bank of the
Yellowstone river for a distance b.
70 miles is section OF bench
land approximating 10000 acres.
The state under the Carey land law
secured one-half of this land some
years ago and made an unsuccessful
attempt to bring it under agriculture
The state having failed, no one here
abouts would attempt to reclaim these
lands. It was shown, however, quite
recently that failure on the part of the
state would not deter practical irri.
gationists from taking up the work
after the state had pronounced the
scheme to redeem these lands a fail
ure.
Over in the state of Washington.
were located few men who knew
something about ditch building and re-
claiming arid lands. They had been
in that kind of business for years
and were about to retire simply be-
cause they had run out of land in
sufficiently large bodies to make 1t
worth their while to give it their at
tention. One of their friends called
their attention to the tract lying east
of this city and an investigation fol-
lowed. The state was glad to let
go it's interest as was also the North
ern Pacific Railway company, which
controlled every other section through
it's land grant.
Title having been perfected, the Bill
ings Land and Irrigation company
was organized and capitalized with
sufficient funds to construct an irri-
eating canal so miles long and with
sufficient capacity to irrigate every
foot of the 10000 acres which has
passed into control of the newly form
ed irrigation company
Not Founded on Hot Air.
Unlike most companies of the char
acter. the Billings Land and Irriga-
tion company has something behind it |
besides hot air. No sooner was the |
company organized and officers elect
ed than symptoms were shown on all
sides that for some time at least it |
would be the very life of the city. I
Contracts were let and work begun
and the indications now are that near
ly one-haf of the company's acres
will be covered by an irrigation ditch
in time for crops next season and
that the whole ditch constructions,
costing upwards of 100000, will be
completed early next fall.
The Billings Land and Irrigation
company not only proposes to con-
struct its canal as fast as money and
men can do the work, but the same
push that marks the purchase of the
lands and construction of the big
irrigation canal will be employed in
bringing about settlement of the
country which it is preparing forl
ZONES. In a businesslike way the
company is already inviting indus
rious eastern farmers to this sec
Ion and placing before them the
most reliable information as to what
IN acre of land will produce in this
'art of Montana if properly titled.
Fhe proposition is one that is certain1
o appeal to any intelligent eastern
armer and The Gazette believes that
within the next two years every foot
# the country covered by the canal