The Washington herald., 1910-06-12
White Sulphur Springs.
Mont, Joins Civilization.
CATTLE RANCHES CONCEAL IT
Agriculture I'm Valley Attracts At
tention OF Hallway Men and Rival
Lines Will Tap Professionalism
Proposed and Corner Lots Begin
Immediately to Rise In Value.


which viii pass through White sulphur
Springs, Mont. that town has suddenly
awakened from long sleep. The ar
rival of railways after q wait OF more
than twenty-five years means the open
ing up OF more than 10000 acres Of some
OF the richest farming country in Mon
tana, and as White Sulphur Springs
will be the trading quarters for this
territory. merchants and property owners
have begun making extensive building
plans and other Improvements TO care
for the expected influx
II present plans carry. more than $780,
600 viii be spent in building improvements
during the next year. in addition to the
erection of a resort hotel on the springs
grounds. which will cost in the neighbour
hood Of 100000.
Founded in the Sixties.
It was early In the sixties that White
Sulphur Springs was founded as a trad
ing point for the big cattle ranchers who
had located in Smith River Valley. When
the rich placer grounds in Thompson
Gluch and Confederate Gulch had been
worked out. many of the miners moved
their families into the town. It rapidly
grew and soon become known as one of
the most prosperous inland towns IN the
West.
Several efforts were made to obtain a
railroad but the fact that practically all
the land surrounding Il was In big hold
! ings, ranging from $500 TO 1900 acres
| homes of rich and prosperous cattle
barons-discourage the railway men and
the town failed 10 obtain the railroad.
| Although the buffalo grass and the blue
! Joint becomes green here earlier IN the
spring, according 10 old cattle men, than
| In almost any other part OF the State
and although the valley has a wealth Of
water for irrigation purposes little or
/ no agriculture was attempted until IN
/ recent years and the cattle king was
/ supreme.
HOmesteaders Enter valley.
/ Five years ago few homesteaders took
up land in the valley and Immediately
began putting some ground under cult
walton. The crops they obtained by r.
rigation and by dry farming methods
/ were a surprise to the old timers. Other
! homesteaders followed and to-day prac-
tically all the government lands in the
/ valley have been settled upon, taking
away from the cattle and sheep kings a
vast PIT OF their grazing grounds.
! The cops in the valley began 10 ate
1 tract the attention OF railroad men. A
/ little more than month ago, Montana
| and Eastern capitalists announced that
a branch would be built from Dorsey. on
( the Chicago. Milwaukee and Puget
/ Sound Railway into White Sulphur
Springs. a distance OF twenty miles.
| Then came the announcement by James
1 J. Hi and President Howard Elliott that
| the Giendiye-Helena cutoff Of the North
/ ern Pacific would 90 through the Springs.
/ Gangs Of surveyors are at work to-day
/ driving stakes IN three directions from
the Springs for these proposed lines OF
railways. Construction of the Dorsey
/ White Sulphur Springs road Will begin
with a month, and is expected TO be in
| operation by November.
Sleeping Town ANakes.
The announcement Of the coming OF the
railroads gave White Sulphur Springs a
Jar that awakened It from end 10 end.
| The old timers rubbed their eyes and
! poudered. Then came a verihcation OF
! the report that a handsome new hotel
and sauatorium would be built, and fol-
lowing this, the town began to Gil up
with capitalist and investors.
While White Sulphur Springs has been
known as a health resort for centuries
| among the Indians, who held annual
pOwWOWs here. and by the white men
! who followed them, and will continue TO
be known as such, 1t is as the center
| of a rich farming community that 1t viii
/ gain more fame While one Of the last
valleys in the State to be turned over
to agriculture, according to present indi-
cations and an Investigation made by
Prof. Linield. head of the State Ex-
perinental Farm at Bozeman. it promises
to become one Of the richest.
Big Ranches Divided.
AS in other parts of the state. the
big ranchers have had TO recognize the
Inevitable and have placed their prop
critics on the market Land in the Smith
River Valley in large tracts can still be
bought at low figures. and as a larger
part OF it Is pillow land, the majority of
the big ranches are expected to pass
/ quickly into the hands Of colonization
companies.
After a careful investigation. Prof
Linfield announces that the average rain
fall for the past four years in the Smith
River Valley has been more than nineteen
inches. This record classes the Smith
River Valley as one of the particularly
favorable section of the State for dry
farming. provided the soil IS of the proper
kind and depth which in most parts OF
the valley it undoubtedly is. says Prof.
|, Linfield in his report.
mo other part OF the State, except IN
the northwest corner. IN Lincoln County,
reports as great rainfall. This rainfall
Is greater than the average for the Gal
latin Valley and also exceeds the average
for the Judith Basin. The records show
on an average good winter preciplta-
, ton which means snowfall and thus pro-
lection for winter crops
THE altitude of the Smith River Valley
IS from 5000 to $500 feet above sea level
This is an average of about 1000 feet
higher than the Judith Basin and about
400 feet higher than the Gallatn Valley
at Bozeman. It is less than the average
elevation of the Beaverhead Valley. one
, OF the rich farming valleys Of the state
With proper methods of cultivation there
is no reason why the Smith River Valley
may not become one of the rich and
| populous farming districts Of the State.
/ -------
Texas City Catching Up.
! Claiming that the co-edueational sys-
tenn In the San Antonio. Tex. high school
has not been a success. School Superin-
tendent Charles J. Lukin has started q
movement for It's adjustment. HIS
> principal objection is based on tbs
difficulty of enforcing strict discipline il
! classes where boys and girls are mixed
: Rubber Grows Wild in Brazil.
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