Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1905-08-22
r. W. Calkins, General Freight Agent
For the Milwaukee So ProClaims
Fergus County.
RESOURCES ARE UNRIvALfD
MarveI0usly Fine Outlook For Ranch
ing, Stock Raising and Mining
EnthuSeS fastener.

r. NJ Calkins of Chicago, general
freight agent for the Chicago, Milwau-
kee & st. Paul Railroad company ac-
companied by p. F. Scanlan Of Butte,
commercial agent for that company,
arrived in this city last Wednesday
evening and spent two days here look
ing over the resources of Fergus coun-
ty. This was the first visit of Mr.
Calkins to Fergus county and to the
Democrat he stated that in all his trav
els, he had never seen a country which
possessed such a remarkable combina-
tion of splendid resources as does the
Judith Basin and the country adjac-
ent to the basin He was particularly
struck with Lewistown and expressed
amazement that a city of the size and
commercial Importance of this should
have grown up out here over a hum
dred miles from one Of the great COM
mercial arteries and, until recently,
unconnected by any railroad.
Thursday and Friday were spent by
Mr.. Calkins with his old friend Oscar
Stephens in looking over the mines in
Kendall and inspecting the Cumber-
land mine in the Maiden district in
which he became interested while here.
He returned to the city Friday and
left Saturday morning for the east.
my business has necessarily taken
me to all parts of the west" said Mr..
Calkins. land l have seen some very
fine country out here in the western
states, but I can say frankly that l
have yet to see a country which sur
passes or even equals what | have
seen since coming into the Judith Ba-
sin. 1 had often heard of the country
through western friends and have been
frequently importuned by Mr.. Oscar
Stephens, whom l have known for fif-
teen years, to come out and see with
my own eyes that they were not mis-
representing things, but this is the
first opportunity I have ever had to
do so.
II commenced to take notice as l
came up on the Montana railroad from
Lombard About thirty miles from
Lewistown we passed some fine fields
of grain and they appeared to become
more numerous as we came UP to-
ward the bench of which the station
of Moore is the center. l can truthful
ly say that my surprise grew into
amazement as l saw scores of fields of
grain out there on that flat, unirrigat-
ed and apparently arid stretch of land,
and they were fields that will success
fully rival the finest that can ever be
seen in the great wheat growing re-
gions of the Dakotas. When l heard
that but a few years ago that bench
would hardly furnish forage for
band of sheep I was brought to rea-
lization of the wonders which are to
be wrought when all of such land in
this vast county is brought into SIM
liar state of cultivation. The time is
not far distant, l am sure, when this
will be one of the greatest wheat grow
ing regions of the United States, and
instead of thousands, millions Of BUSH
els of wheat will be shipped to the
eastern mills or ground into flour by
local mills and sent out in the other
direction to feed the hungry millions
of the Orient.
Il expected to find in Lewistown the
ordinary little country village. built Of
wood and yet showing the efforts OF
the handicap which was upon it before
the railroad was built into the place.
But I was due for another surprise
when, instead of these things, I found
a city of stone, possessed of many of
the advantages of a city several times
it's size and manifesting all of the ten
denotes of a community which knows
nothing but prosperity and progress
every week in the year. That such
business institutions as You have here
should have been built up under the
circumstances speaks Volumns not
only for the energy and progressive
ness of the men who have made the
place but also for the character of the
surrounding country.
My trip to your mining camps was
another revelation. Your mineral
prospects are sufficient to make
country great. Kendall is a wonder,
Gilt Edge has future which few ap-
Dreciate and the Maiden district in
which I have some interes sts, looks to
me to offer as good a field for mining
investments as can be found. Eut it
is not only your gold mines which i'm
pressed me so forcibly. Right at the
door of Lewistown, l am reliably in
formed, You have coal deposits which
will some day in the near future be a
material factor in the prosperity of
your city and county. Nor is this coal
limited to this immediate area as
there are thousands of acres in the
county under which are stored mil
lions of tons of this wealth producing
commodity.
If there is another country. in the
United States in which is found with
in such comparatively limited area.