Fergus County Democrat., 1909-02-02
The new AMERICA
AMONG ROCKIES
WORLD TODAY HAS BOOST
FOR FERGUS COUNTY AND
INLAND EMPIRE.

The Democrat is informed by Inn
migration Agent George Hayes, OF
the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget
Sound who is travelling in charge Of
the exhibition now being taken over
the system that the exhibit from the
Judith Basin is attracting the keenest
interest everywhere.
The Milwaukee is keeping up its
advertising campaign and an immense
immigration to this section is expect
ed this year
From the World Today.
The current issue Of the World To-
day contains an extensive and very
interesting article on "The New
America Among the Rockies" treat
ing chiefly of the new country open
ed up by the Pacific extension of the
Milwaukee road. It says in part:
l have never met man who has
seen its long cuts and fills, it's steel
bridges and its heavily ballasted way,
who did not express in some way his
sense Of the same wonder. Already
one may ride in modern through
sleeping cars over new roadway,
through new country to Butte, Mont,
and l suppose, judged by the way
the work is being pushed, it will not
be long before the road will be open
ed to Seattle. Then one will be able
to make the trip to the coast with
out ever striking a grade greater than
one and one-half per cent, or an ele-
vation greater than six thousand, two
hundred feet, though still viewing the
impressive mountain scene You
have only to see, as ! have seen, the
two million dollar bridge at Mobridge,
South Dakota, or to know that, in
order to make a good road and pre-
serve a straight track, this one
crosses the Musselshell no less than
one hundred and fifteen times in one
hundred and seventeen miles, to
recognize that this means permanent,
safe business. Surely one may ex-
press such impressions and do some
justice to the faith that works such
wonders, without the thought of hold
ing any brief for this system.
If you have ever seen one home
stead turned from desert into many
waving fields OF rich grain, if you
have ever seen the long wharfs at
Seattle, or the many ships on the
sound, you will know why this road
is being built, and how certain is the
flow OF settlers over those steel rib
bons, and how fortunate those who
first enter in. And, if you have. been
through Silver Bow canyon and over
the great Cascades, you will know
why those who seek scenic sensations,
and love the sublime in nature, will
fill the fine trains that strike out this
way for the coast But one dares not
even begin on the scenery opened to
us by this new highway across the
continent.
After all, one turns from even the
marvels of such railroad making to
the greater wonders Of the new world
that this road opens up.
Without at all deviatng from the
main purpose of direct premier
route to the Pacific, this line has
somehow tapped the very regions that
many Of us long knew to be the
richest and concerning which we had
often hoped and dreamed Of the trans,
formation to be wrought by the ad-
vent Of the railroad The facts are
hard to grasp unless you know some
thing at first hand of the infinite dis
tances and great expanses of the areas
as yet undeveloped and untouched.
One fact, not solitary one but
simply indicative, one of the stations
on the new Pacific coast extension OF
the Milwaukee road is situated on
what was before its advent the ranch
OF man who had at times to go with
out his mail for four months, because
the nearest postoffice was distant one
hundred and forty miles. That at
fords room for a man to stretch him
self without apprehension of his
neighbor's toes.
Rich Fergus County.
Take another specimen: Fergus
county, in the center of Montana, one
half OF its four million, three hundred
thousand acres OF high grade agri-
cultural country, rich. rolling prairie,
with the mountains in the distance.
We Montanians used to have a deep
respect for Lewistown, the county
seat, because, until quite recently, it
, was the last of the larger towns to
BE accessible only by long stage ride.
about one hundred miles of misery. to
the nearest railroad. But the Mon
tana railroad being met by the Mil
waukee extension, all that is changed.
The old jerkies and the stage outfits