The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-02-17
PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF
THE BITTER ROOT INTER.
EsTiNGLY OUTLINED.
BIG IMPROVEMENT PLAN
w. !. Moody and r. o. Nichols Exp,air
Their Ideas for Converting a Rich
Valley Into a Wonderful Orchard
District and for Building a Bsavti.
fu' Settlement at Lake Como.

The work which has been undertak
en- in the Bitter Root valley by the
Bitter Root District Irrigation COM
pany is TO be pushed vigorously IN
a successful conclusion; the scope of
this work Is to be considerably broad
ened; one of the greatest architects of
the world Is here to take up the work
OF planning the University settlement
which is to be an associated feature
of the work. there win be $4,000, 700
spent before the work is finished and
there win be hundreds of the best
citizens OF the middle west transplant
ed to this valley. Such briefly, Is the
message which was brought to Mis-
soula yesterday morning by w. l.
Moody and F. ID. Nichols, the organic
ers of the company, who returned yes
terday morning from a two months
stay In the east, where they have been
at work on plans connected with the
completion of their great undertaking.
Never were two men more enthusiast
tic over ire prospects OF a cherished
and carefully laid plan than these two;
their interest in their work is infec-
tious and to sit and listen to their
description of their ideas for two hours
as was the pleasure of Mssoulian
reporter yesterday afternoon. is to be-
come thoroughly imbued with their
enthusiasm and to completely believe
that they are going to win. II was
like chapter out OF an artists book
to hear the narratives of their ideals
as they have formed them; but the
fact that these men are OF the busi-
ness world and weigh these matters
in the cold scale of business sense
adds conviction to the interest thar Is
felt In their plans and one realizes
that, lofty as are the ideals they have
formed, they win become verities when
the seasons work in the valley has
been completed.
Cordial Greeting.
II am glad to see you" was MI
Moody's cordial greeting, "and we are
both glad to get back to the Land of
the Mcintosh Red, away from the zero
temperatures and the wind and smoke
Of Chicago. l am deeply impressed by
the great strides that have been made
in Missoula's building development and
am told that this has extended to
the Bitter Root and it's towns. We
shall be up there tonight and can see
for ourselves. From our experience
in other places, it seems to me that
Missoula should easily reach the 10000
mark inside of five years. You folks
are getting into the right track: you
are getting together and are eradicat-
ing the knocker from your midst; keep
up this work and 1t viii not take five
years to reach the mark that / have
set. Missoula interests us because the
affairs of your city and of the Bitter
Root are identical. what helps one
will help the other; there is bat one
interest in this section, anyway, and
there should be but one sentiment-to
boost increasingly. | tell you that the
people of Chicago and of Minneapolis
know more about the Bitter Root
valley than you do yourselves, right
here in Missoula."
Messrs. Moody and Nichols have
spent the winter in the east organic
ing their eastern forces, both invest
ors and selling agents, for great
of development in the Bit
has already been done at
great expense until probably the de-
tails of the Bitter Root Valley Irriga-
ton companys project and that of the
Como Orchard Land company are al
most as well known in cities like Mil
waukee, Chicago. Minneapolis, ST.
Paul, Duluth, Philadelphia, etc, as
they are here.
Ample Evidence.
AS the original organizers of the two
great projects in the Bitter Root val
ley, and as their managers, who have
presented the Land of the Mcintosh
Red to eastern investors, Messrs.
Moody and Nichols have given ample
evidence Of their implicit confidence
In the merits of the valley and Of
Missoula.
The gist of their opinion and the
basis of their four years work and In
gestment is that the Bitter Root val
ley is bound to be, by it's remarkable
natural advantages, the greatest fruit
producing district in the whole Pa
cific northwest; and that Missoula.
as the commercial and shipping GEN.
ter, is bound to go even farther than
most people will admit. These gentle
men are boosters wherever they go.
and they have spent thousands of
dollars in impressing their belief in
our favored country upon the eastern
capitalists and homeseekers.
Messrs. Moody and Nichols began
their work some four years ago amid
some skepticism; but their faith and
efforts and investments have proved
TO be very much better than they or
anyone else hoped. They now state
hat the previous efforts on their two
big projects have been only period
,f preparation-that the development
,f these projects has scarcely begun,
rs must be seen by the fact that the
big canal is only just nearing com
pletion.
Bigger Scale.
They return in fact at this time TO