The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-07
PROTESTING PLAINS
SEEKS JUSTICE
THE THRIVING WESTERN TOWN
DEMANDS PROPER TRAIN
SERVICE.
STAFF CORRESPONDENCE.

Staff Correspondence.
Plains. Nov. ito write of the
town of Plains and of what is going
on there is to repeat. necessarily,
what has been often written upon the
same subject; for the story of Plains
in recent years is the story of steady
progress and Of broad-gauge develop
ment. From a little farming hamlet.
Plains has developed into modern.
well-equipped town with fine build
inrS. good stores. q prosperous bank,
an excellent water supply and con
stantiy improving tributary region.
Much has been told of the produc-
tivity Of the Plains valley and the
figures are astounding. The Plains
valley is probably the most-farmed
basin in Montana; Ii is all farm:
there are no Vacant stretches between
the ranches: one place is contiguous
to another; the whole valley is a
farm. And from these farms there
have been some great crops harvest
ed. crops that have been record
makers. But the growth of the com
munity has forced the farmers up to
the bench lands and here. as has been
the case in other districts there is
new farm history being written. The
crop records for the bench lands this
year are astounding. The thresh
ing crews are the men who decide in
this valley and their figures are ac-
cepted as correct. these figures show
that the best wheat yield this season
was a little better than IS bushels to
the acre. That explains why Plains
Is prosperous now and all the time:
To- t..,
farmers who know how to handle II.
The town itself is keeping pace
with its surrounding country: it re-
quires earnest effort and eternal Wig
lance but. up to date. the town mas
held its own. To visit Plains this
fall Is to see a town that is broad
ening in all directions: the improve
ment Is general. There is u new
school house nearing completion I'm
Plains that is better than any ward
school house in Missouia: II Is well
designed and II Is being well built;
big, well arranged and handsome in
appearance. the building would be an
ornament to any city much larger
than Plains. There are extensive
building operations i'm the business
district. as Well The already large
establishment of the MCGOWAN Com
mercial company Is being doubled in
size and improved In equipment to
meet the growing demands of its
business. To accommodate the ex-
pansion. the McGowan hotel has been
moved couple of blocks along the
street and upon its site Is being con-
structed a handsome mercantile build
ing to connect with the other build
ings OF the store. There are pretty
cottages being erected I'm all parts OF
the town and. back against the hill
which forms the background Of this
prosperous community rises the big
building that Is soon To housc the
power plant or the new electric COM
pany. This Is the way Plains is
growing these days. II is healthy,
substantial and enduring growth.
But Plains is unhappy and with
cause. There are II passenger trains
whizZing east and west over the line
of the Northern Pacific each day and
Plains has poorer service than she
had in the days when there We're but !
two trains each way. The town has
enjoyed excellent railwa. service IN /
Ill the new schedule went into effect;
now she feels that the service Is
and wholly inadequate to
the Importance and the needs of the \
town. OF the overland trains there 4
Is but one-No. {. west and No. :, I
cast that stops at Plains. And this 4
train does not stop at Thompson. the
county seat, where much of the travel I
from Plains goes. There Is the Spo- .
kane Paradise local that stops mt \
both places. but this affords no serv
ice east of Paradise. There Is but 1
onc train n day upon which Plains
man can so to Missoula and there Is
but one train a day upon which IA
Missoula man can go To Plains and
these are not the trains which afford /
communication between Missaula and
Thompson. IL is mess the people I
say here and il looks rs If they We're
right. They laid their grievances be-
fore the railroad commission and they \
have. presented n statement of their 4
troubles to the division superintcn-
dent of the Northern Pacific. Now
they are prayerfully and hopefully 4
for returns. As IL is, Olive I
and Dixon and Rasilli have better
train service than Plains and the peo-
pie are not to be blamed Ii they
feel they are getting the worst of IL.
The chances are that they will find
Improvement. They have asked that
No. Al and No. Il. which now stop
at Thompson and Missoula. also stop
at Plains. And they want No, ; and
No. as well. tn pause in their mad
flight long enough To give people II
chance to get off at Plains and 10