Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1905-02-21
Hard Work and Perseverance Are
Gradually Retaining the Arid
Bench of Rock Creek:
MOORE IS A PROSPEROUS TOWN
New and Thriving Village Is Pushing
Steadily to the Front and Has
a BRIGHT Future.

Dotted with comfortable home
steads and intersected by many we'll
built fences, the Rock creek bench
now represents a prosperous and fer
tile appearance. Ten years ago this
plateau, which embraces a district
twenty miles in length by six in
width, was desolate, waterless and
uninhabited. Bunches Of horses and
cattle grazed there and returned to
. Rock creek to water. Anybody who
entertained the idea of settling there
with the notion Of making living by
raising grain would have incurred the
ridicule of his friends and the sym
pathy Of his enemies
But a few years ago company of
hardy settlers from Nebraska, Iowa
and other overcrowded farming CEN
ters, broke the virgin soil of the
Rock creek bench land and since that
time many homeseekers have settled
there with benefit to themselves and
profit to the community. Some sea-
sons the crop was heavy, others it
was hard struggle to make both
ends meet, until by brave endeavor
and practical cultivation the land has
been made to yield generous return
for the arduous labor of the first few
seasons.
Last year in the neighborhocd of
100000 bushels of grain was hauled
Oft the Rock creek bench, besidee
small crops that were not marketed
being used for home consumption and
sold in small quantities. Not much
diversified farming has been accomp-
lished: the almost entire attention of
the community has been turned to
the raising of winter wheat, to which
the land is particularly adapted. Oats
and potatoes make good crop and
garden truck can be raised with sue
cess.
The average yeald of wheat to the
acre is from 40 to 60 bushels and is
graded No. 2 hard. A large quantity
of it was purchased last fall by the
Bozeman Milling Co., and used in the
manufacture of high grade flour. A
percentage of this wheat is bought by
the Judith Milling Co., of Lewistown,
and converted into White Satin, a
flour which is universally used
throughout the Judith Basin.
The price of wheat per bushel last
fall was from S1.25 to $1.75. The
market price of grain has raised ma
terially since the advent of the Mont
ana Railroad, owing to the fact that
this means Of transportation enables
outside milling companies to enter
the home market. The Rock creek
bench proper, as shown by the gov
ernmental surveys, embraces thirty
two townships, which represents 30
square miles or 12S entries of 100 acres
each. The larger portion of this
land is already occupied and i'm
proved. A number of patents have
been issued and several choice farm
ing properties are now in the market.
Practical farmers with capital,
recognizing the possibilities of the
district, have bought out some of the
smaller owners and with the aid of
up-to-date machinery are raising
heavy and valuable crops of grain.
Some of the crops raised on this land
under the most primitive methods
are simply wonderful, and farmers
who started in with absolutly MOTH
ing and in debt few years since are
now in fair way to become owners of
valuable properties which are entirely
paid for.
What is commonly known as the
Rock creek bench land comprises an
area of seventy-fye square miles :
which is bounded on the north by the |
Judith river, on the south by the |
Belt mountains and east and west by
Ross Fork and the Snowy mountains.
This entire region, which few years
ago was used only for the purpose of |
raising stock, is rapidly becoming
settled by the small farmer and |
bought up by the larger operator who |!
is engaged in the raising of grain.
Some stock is raised in this section
yet, and though the quantity is linn
tied, yet the quality is becoming |
better as the years pass by, and last |