The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-21
MONTANA COLONIz|NG
OPENING NEW LANDS
Twenty Thousand Acres Near
Helena to Be Divided Into
Farms.
Special TO The Tribune.

Special TO The Tribune.
HELENA, Mont, Feb. 2O.-Approxi-
mately 10000 acres of land which is en-
braced III the Spokane, the Warren and
the La Chapclle ranches. a few miles cas-,
OF Helena, arc TO he colonIzcd this spring
the land TO be cut up into farm units OF
| 100 acres.
| This announcement has been made by
! Lewis Penwcll. who returned from the
east with c. B. Witter. Several land
| buyers accompanied them. The soil has
been tested, the land plated and mapped,
and all arrangements made to bring in
hundreds of substantial and successful
eastern farmers. who arc selling out their
old holdings at big prices and for a
| tenth OF what they receive back they
Will secure land which will yield on an
average lust twice as much. Mr. PEN
well Is confident that within two years a
big grain elevator Win be erected in the
valley and that the wheat crop from the
immediate vicinity Of Helena will be one
OF tne pest and largest grown anywhere
In tho state.
Mr. PenwelI said, within a radius
OF twenty miles OF Helena there are 100. =
ooV acres OF hrst-class agricultural land
We'll suited TO dry land farming. on
family, and there will be. too IL Helena
Will only bestir itself, The greater OBJ
stacle Helena has TO contend with is the
fact that it Is an old community It's
mind has never run In an agricultural
groove. II has looked to a future built
u upon manufacturing and mining, and
cehance TO double its population. settle
Its waste lands. and to grid the country
Tor miles about with electric lines. There
Is no doubt III my mind but that the
Prickley Pear valley will ultimately be
irrigated, but 1t is tremendous PROPOSE
tion. and people should make the best
OF the present and bring In the dry
ton yearly are required for dry land
farming, and the average here Is fifteen
inches. Conditions here are far better
than III many places where a big sue
cess Is being made OF the Campbell sys-
tenn of farming. and there is no place
IN the state where conditions are more
favored.
Cheapest Lands Close In
How many people are aware of the fact
that the cheapest farm lands in Montana
today are To be found right here in the
Prlckley Pear valley? II this were the
Judith basin every bit OF this land would
be selling fast at S35 per acre. This is
the price that raw, unfenced unbroken
land. and without drop of water except
from wells. is bringing in other parts of
vertisins. And the settlers are making
big money out of the land at these
prices.
Montana has the edge at the present
time on the land business. This thirst
or the American people for lands travels
In cycles. First IL was oklahoma and
then Texas and Washington. Now il is
turn. The railroads, the big
the commercial clubs and the
state has hammered Montana into the
ears of the public until It is the most
talked OF region in the country. We raise
more wheat, oats, flax, barley and po-
tatoes to the acre than any other state.
SO pronounced is the boom in Montana
land that when / was in Chicago
which had been handling Texas
lands told me that within the last ninety
days its business has dropped off 30 per
cent due TO rho excitement and desire
drawing from the Texas fields and TO
get In on the Montana lands.
This condition will not last AS the
state fills up, the boom Will wane. Helena
and to make Itself one or the best and
biggest towns in the state. Dry land
has been demonstrated a sue
cess here-on Seven Mile. in the valley |
and on the Spokane and La Chappelle |
ranches, Not one land buyer out Of |
purchased around Helena, One OF the |
biggest factors In favor OF lands in this |
vicinity is the proximity to a big mar
Set. Al the state fair every year Lewis |
and Clark county has made wonderful |
showing.
"Wo have the soil. the climate. the |
rainfall and the market. What we have |
lacked is the push 10 realize on IL. We |
have had too many irons in the fire. |
We want a demonstration farm. close |
who goes through will see what we can |
10. We want demonstration farm TO |
point the way for settlers We want |
10 get busy. This is the season OF the |
ginning 10 look about for a new loca-
lion. -.