Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1906-01-02
MONTANA RAILROAD Will
EXTEND LINE TO MILES CITY
LARGE CORPS OF SURVEYORS AND ENGINEERS ARE NOW LAYING
OUR The ROUTE BND DIRT WILL FLY BY The MIDDLE OF the
PRESENT MONTM-SURMISES CONCERNING NEW Project.

The air of Fergus county and par
ticularly Lewistown is fairly alive
with news Of railroad building these
days. A new phase of the activity in
this line was injected the latter part
of the week when it was rumored that
the Montana r. r. company had sud-
denly decided to get into the game and
extend it's line from Harlow to Miles
City or Forsyth. President r. A. Har-
low is in Chicago for the purpose. it is
stated, of buying rails and making
The middle Of the week he telegraph
ed for General Manager F. T. Robert
son, who left at once for the Windy
city to join Mr.. Harlow.
The latter move is significant as it
known that Mr.. Robertson, since his
prominent connection with the Mon
tana r. R. company, has advocated
progressive policy. He understands
the country comprising Fergus and
Meagher counties as, perhaps, no 9TH
er railroad man does and the fact that
he was summoned east to confer with
the larger stockholders would indicate
that his ideas are about to be carried
into effect.
BY way of lending color to this story
number Of Montana r. r. survey
ors came up to Harlowton last We'd
nesday and are now busily engaged in
laying out the route 1t is not known
whether Miles City or Forsyth will be
the objective point but that will prob
ably be determined as soon as Mr..
Harlow returns from the east
The Democrat is informed from a
semi-authoritive source that dirt will
begin to fly on the extension not later
than the middle of the present month.
There is undoubtedly more behind
this move than the public is now ac-
quainted with. One fairly established
rumor is to the effect that regular
trains will be run from the N P. at
the eastern junction of that road and
the Montana to Lewistown and stub
sent down to Lombard, but that does
not look like a reasonable theory.
1t is freely stated among business men
of this city that the Milwaukee has an
option on the Montana road and that
this extension from Harlow to For
syth is part of the trunk line which
the Milwaukee is going to build to the
coast
The Helena Independent recently
contained lengthy article as to the
probable route of the Milwaukee in
which it is stated that the road will
probably strike the Montana road at
Martinsdale, go on through White
sulphus Springs and up to Helena and
from there to Butte via Rimini. The
route as laid out by the Independent
is good one but it will be remember
ed that when the Milwaukee filed it's
articles of Incorporation in this state
they name the counties through which
the road is to pass and that Lewis and
Clark is not one of those counties It
would appear that this leaves the cap
ital city out of it. Everybody out here
is very much "up in the air. concern
ing this project and the route will
probably not be known for some time
yet.
bunch of surveyors are now out
on bo haod ~ MoDopo11 o,,,1r WI
road they are employed by has not
been definitely learned but it is be-
lieved that they are Milwaukee peo-
pie. 1t is possible that the Milwaukee
will yet get into Lewistown.
The plans of the Great Northern to
put their branch through this county
are all matured and a dispatch from
Billings states that the contract for
the construction has been already let
to Mr.. La Toilette. This gentleman is
now in charge of the grading work of
the Burlington's new line in Wyoming
running from Frannie to Thermopolis
He has given out the information that
the outfit will be moved direct to Bill
lings when his Wyoming contract is
complete and that work will soon be
begun on the Billings-Great Falls
line. The Dispatch further says:
Supplies have arrived here from
ST. Paul for the party of surveyors Or
ganized here two weeks ago, under
the direction of Engineer w. E.
Young, formerly of the United States
reclamation service. The party is now
10 miles out and has established per-
manent camp at the head of Alkali
creek"