The Taney County republican., 1905-05-11
CROW INDIAN RESERVATION
Interesting facts in RECORD to Little
Known Region.
Billings, Montana, May /, 1906.


Billings, Montana, May /, 1905.
Editor Republican:-The engineers
for tie northwest division OF the l. s.
reclamation service have just opened
their Office at Billings and are making
surveys OF the seven great irrigating
projects to be directed from this point.
For the next year or 80 more than one
hundred and fifty men will be engaged
in laying out this immense work, and
several million dollars will be spent by
Uncle Sam in reclaiming land that is
now valueless except for grazing pur-
poses Three Of these great irrigation
canals vii. be dug on the Crow reser-
walton, and the contract for the first,
which i destined 10 make the Big
Horn valley one Of the most fertile
regions in the northwest, will soon be
let. Hundreds OF inquiries are pouring
in from Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri. and
other Mississippi valley states, seeking
information OF every sort pertinent 10
the region and requirements TO be OBJ
served by wOdld-be settlers. Uncle
Sam is too busy to pay much attention
to these letters, and those interested
must depend on the newspapers for
information. The land is here and
vii! 90 10 the alert.
Montana is sometimes called the
Mountain State, but the mountains
are confined to the western portion.
The state has an area Of lij, 900 square
miles, little less than the empire OF
Japan, aud can be made to support
population a. large. Considering the
size and resources Of the state, II has
the smallest population, hence the
greatest opportunities, OF any state IN
the union. II contains no more favored
locality than the Yellowstone valley
which crosses the southern and eastern
portion Of the state. Protected by
mountain ranges and enjoying the
warm winds from the japan current,
its winters are remarkably short and
mild for this latitude. the snowfall be-
ing less than for southern New York.
| Flowing 10 not aG uncommon sight 10
December. The ccded strip takes in a
wide belt Of this beautiful valley and
here the largest Of the canals Is TO he
built.
The Custer battlefield lies in about
the center Of the Grow reservation and
on the south line OF the ccded strip.
Here Sitting Bull and his savage Sioux
extcrminated Custcr's division twenty.
nine years ago. The agency Is near,
and many Of the warriors who helped
IN the bloody work follow the peaceful
pursuits Of farming. The larger por-
| ton Of the Grows are earning their
livelihood by honest toll under the
direction Of government farm experts
The ccded strip comprises about l,lJO,'
$50 acres. II lies within Yellowstone
county. and its western border is only
u few miles from Billings, the county
seat. The Burlington railway traycrg
es it diagonally, giving an outlet IL
markets, east aud west. The land j
rolling prairie, with plenty Of wooded
sections and streams that insure water
for irrigation purposes: the largest o
these, the Big Horn, gets it, watei
supply from the sDOw.cappcd mountains
Of Wyoming and the Yellowstone Park
The soiI is mostly sandy loan, with 1
black alluyiaI deposit in some sections
than which no better soil for genera
farming and horticulture exists
Wheat, Oats barley aud rye produc'
enormous yields without fertilizers
while in potatoes the largest yields o
Colorado eau he rivalcd with aTcady
market in the state at sixty-tive cent
to dollar Il hundred pounds.
The impending opening Of the rcser
walton and the rapid development o.
the Yellowstone and other valleys II
the eastern part Of the state has at
tracted the attention Of capitalists, ant
by the time the ceded strip is throw
open there will be other avenues fO
marketing products. Ground will b
broken next month at Billings for th'
erection Of million.dollar beet suga
factory that will annually distribute
$4,000 among the producers Of TIN
valley. Contracts have been signed
for 700 acres OF sugar beets for fy'
years. Experiments have proven thi
an ideal section for the sugar beet in
dustry and values are bound TO advance
/ IL. al