Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1905-11-21
THE RESOURCES
OF OUR COUNTY
Comprehensive Account of ferrous
County's Varied Possibilities in
Helena Independent.
IS ROOM FOR HALF A MILLION
Proper Development Will Enable
Population of County to Be In
creased 400 Fold.


The Helena Independent Of last
Wednesday contained the following
f1attering news item descriptive of
Fergus county and her wonderful re-
sources:
No county in Montana has in the
last five years shown more marvellous
growth than Fergus. From the ban
ner stockgrowing county in the state
it has taken the first place as the larg-
est producer Of gold, and its agricul-
tural growth is keeping pace with its
mineral development.
s. S. Hobson of Lewistown, who was
a recent visitor in Helena, and who
knows the country as well If not bet
ter than any other man in Montana,
talked Interestingly of it's resources
and possibilities. There is but one
railroad in the county, and that has
been completed to Lewistown only
about two years, and it has proved
how railroad develops a country.
Mr.. Hobson is Of the opinion that
what Fergus county needs is another
railroad, running east and west, and
he also believes the business will JUS
tify better transportation facilities.
"The total area of Fergus county,"
said Mr.. Hobson, sis 8,371,OOO acres;
there has been appropriated out of
this 100000 acres, and there still re-
mains unappropriated 100000 acres.
From two to three million acres of
this is good agricultural land, and
will grow twice as much grain to the
acre without irrigation as Dakota or
Minnesota.
II think there are two million acres
between Lewistown and Great Falls
that will grow grain without irriga-
tion, and it is all tributary to line
of railroad between Lewistown and
Great Falls. The latter town would
be the marketing place for this grain,
where it could be manufactured into
flour by water power. Flax makes an
excellent crop all over Fergus county,
as it grows wild, and in several places
where it has been cultivated it pro-
duces over 20 bushels to the acre. The
acreage of land plowed this year will
be fully double what it was last year,
and if we had transportation it would
increase rapidly In the near future
a large business will be done in Fer
gus in the fattening of cattle and
sheep for the eastern and western
markets.
"There is no general system of irri-
cation in Fergus county, but there is
a large amount of land under cultiva-
tion by irrigation from bitches owned
by private parties; this land Is used
largely for growing spring grain. al
falfa and other hay crops. I have so
acres of alfalfa which has produced
two good crops each year for the past
seven years, which has never been ir-
rigated. I have one field of irrigated
alfalfa which has grown from two
to three crops each year for % years
without reseeding.
1.-The gold mines in the county are
improving and increasing in their out
put every month; new mines are be-
ing opened up, and those that have
been equipped are dividend payers
and are producing over 100000 every
month in gold. There are large de-
posits in silver-lead and iron ores
that cannot be worked at present for
want of transportation.
There is a large area of country
that is underlaid with a good Ignite
coal. This coal is found in almost ev-
cry section of the county, and a suffi-
cient quantity is being mined for do
mestic purposes.
What Fergus needs is a road from
the east passing throught the county
from east to west We have the hest
and cheapest lands in the whole
Rocky mountain region and they only
have to be seen to attract the settler.
Fergus would easily support 100000
people and give them good homes and
business, and all it needs is good
class of farmers and transportation
facilities for the crops, and when that
is assured all the other business and
capital will come.
1.-The population of the county is ap-
proximately $4,000 people. The prop
erty in Fergus is assessed at $S,000,-
900 and it is not assessed for over so
per cent of it's value. Equally divid-
ed, that would give every man, wo-
man and child in the county $500.
There are few people in the county
who took into it any capital they
have made it all in the county,"
Some figures recently compiled of
the business of Fergus county go to
support the view of Mr.. Hobson, that
there is good business in the county
for an east and west railroad. Lewis
town. with population of 5000, has
80 business houses; Gilt Edge, 16 miles
east of Lewistown, has $50 population