The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-08-16
BIG RAILWAY PLANS LINE TO
PACIFIC COAST.
LOCATE SHOPS HERE
Supplies Now Being Rushed From
Re''efourche, $. o., West-Route
Will Be Several Hundred Miles
Shorter to Coast Than Any other
Line.

That the Chicago G Northwestern
railroad will build to the Pacific coast
now seems to be an assured fact The
road will pass through Billings and
will reach this city in almost an air
line from Bellefourche, S. D., the ex-
treme western end of the main line at
present.
For the past five years the North
western has been piling up large
quantities of steel and timber at Ian
der, Wyo., for the purpose of extend
ing its road across that state. This
mighty pile of construction material,
five million dollars worth, is now be-
ing removed to Bellefourche prepara-
tory to the work Of rushing the line
across Montana by the most direct
route to the sound.
The new road will enter the south
eastern corner of the state and the
route will travel in northwesterly
direction until it strikes Billings and
Livingston, where it will follow the
Shields river route and cross the Belt
mountains at Whites pass. The road
will pass through Helena and when
completed it will be the shortest and
most economical route between the
Mississippi valley and the western
tidewater.
The road will touch Billings and
this city has already been chosen as
division point, both east and west
The shops will also be located here
and the Northwestern will parallel
the Northern Pacific from this city to
Livingston, again crossing it at a
point near Lombard.
"If Butte were the final objective
the Milwaukee may be right in having
chosen the Sixteen Mile canyon via
Lombard and the climb that follows in
reaching the big copper town. But
the Northwestern's objective is Seat.
tie by the shortest and most feasible
route from Bellefourche," said one
of the engineers in charge yesterday
while in Billings. "The Northwestern
will beat the Milwaukee into the
sound towns.
aThe Northwestern has more ma.
terial on the ground and en- route for
its work than any other railroad" said
the engineer .Its plans were made
a long time ago and it has determined
\ to outfoot every competitor. The old
plans contemplated an extension west
ward across Wyoming as the desirable
route and to that end enormous quan
titles of steel and timber are assem-
bled there.
"All of these supplies are being
rapidly transferred to Bellefourche
and the newly adopted determination
OF the road is to extend it towards
Puget sound across Montana"
The Northwestern's entrance te
Billings will result in making this city
one Of the greatest railroad points ot
the state. We already have the
Northern Pacific and the Burlington
while the Billings & Northern is
practically completed at the presen
time. With the advent of the North
western, together with the Milwaukee
this city would spread and grow as
never before.
With the completion OF the new lint
a direct air line connection would b,
made with Omaha and Chicago. ant
Il this would result in much freight AMI
Il live stock being handled by the nev
| road. Thousands OF employees OF tn
tnew road would make this city thei
! home and others would be attracte
Ito the great possibilities offered in Al
Hines Of business