Omaha daily bee., 1911-06-17
JUDITH BASIN TRANSFORMED
Extension of Jav'bone Road Proves
Big Boon TO Lewiston.
TOWNS GROW LIKE MUSHROOMS
Prosperity Now Covers the Basin Like
MantIe-COuntry IL Become
ing Famous for Dry
Farming.

ing Famous for Dry
Farming.
HELENA, Mont, June 16.-(Special.)-
Surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges
the extensive Judith basin in Fergus
county remained for years an isolated
paradise for stoekmen. Lewistown, the
county seat, became the supply point for q
rich mining region and for a stock country
which extended for fifty miles on all sides.
1t was the busiest and most prosperous
town without railroad communication in
the northwest Stages left for many points
and the streets were crowded with passing
freight teams of ten span Of horses or
more. II one wanted to get to Lewistown
he would have to take the long stage ride
from Fort Benton or Great Falls on the
Great Northern, from Billings on the
Northern Pacific or from Harlowton on
short railroad from the west locally known
as the Jawbone. Many merchants and
others who witnessed the animated scenes
on the streets and knew OF the amount of
money that was In circulation frowned
upon the proposal to build a railroad to
come. the Judith basin with the rest of
the world. Selfish stockmen were there,
| too, who wished to keep the country iso-
late so that they might continue in un-
dist, rbed use Of the public lands a free
| range.
This condition continued until about eight
| years ago, when the Jawbone railroad was
extended to Lewistown. Farming began
on the Rock creek bench, the flourishing
town Of Moore sprang into being and the
| character OF the country as a farming
region was established. Three years ago
the Great Northern opened a line through
the Judith basin which connected at Great
! Falls and Billings with transcontinental
lines. The Jawbone was acquired by the
| Milwaukee, whose new line through the
state crossed the. southern boundary of
| Fergus county, following the Musselshell
river. The Judith basin woke up and the
| transformation of this range country into
a region of farms which then began has
proceeded In the most astonishing manner
Lewistown and Moore grew rapidly and
| new towns sprang up like mushrooms. Back
| of the towns we're the farms and the farm
ers who were making good. Grain ele-
vators became familiar and suggestive fea-
lures Of the landscape.
LGwistOwn Springs Forward.
| When released from its isolation Lewis
town sprang forward in great bounds and
| suddenly found itself a center of railroad
| activity. Both the Great Northern and the
Milwaukee have purchased rights-of-way
for entrance into the town. The latter road
is to build branch from the Musselshell
valley through Lewistown on to Great
Falls, and the former a line which will
connect Lewistown with its Billings and
Northern branch at a point twenty miles
west of the city. The long branch line of
| the Great Northern which is to be built
from Mondak Is expected to pass through
the town. 1t will open for settlement a
great farming region In the eastern part of
the state, some of which Is now 100 miles
from any railroad. This region in the
| rapidity Of its development is likely to
| rival the experience of the Judith basin
IN the last three years. Not to be outdone
| in the race to reach the fertile Judith basin
| the Northern Pacific has projected a line
| from Glendive to connect with the Great
Northern at a convenient point near the
western edge of the basin, whence a track
| to be used by both roads will be laid to
Helena, opening up new country, where
the lines OF the two roads cross The con-
| struction OF these roads win vastly in
crease the area that may be farmed with
profit, but whether he is sitting as a dele
gate in development congress- or as a
representative in secret society, religious,
political or business convention the Judith
basin man is apt to rise to remark when
| occasion offers that Fergus county Is some
| thing Of farming county right now"
1t is computed, he will point out, that
| there are to be harvested in the Judith
basin this year $4,000 acres of winter
wheat, 1900 acres Of spring wheat, 1900
Of Re NM
| total Of 100000 acres. In an ordinary good
year the average yield per acre is thirty
bushels. The wheat crop may amount to
6,0oO0oo bushels and require 5000 freight
cars to handle it. To transport the so, 900
bushels OF oats and the 1890 bushels OF
| flaxseed, the estimated yield, 1872 cars will
be required. The crop from 2OOO acres OF
potatoes will fill 600 cars. You may esti-
mate how many miles OF track would be
| filled with cars loaded with these crops II
all trains were started at once. The fig
ures furnished are astonishing, and the
| development has just begun.
However, even the old partisan of the
stage lines and the freighting outfits will
| admit that the new methods OF transporta-
ton are better than the old, and that the
Transformation OF the country is something
he never dreamed of as possible. The
stockman. too, IL reconciled to the new
conditions. He knows that much noun
tainous and rough land will always be de-
voted to grazing and that the coming of
railroads and the settlement of the country
has enhanced the value OF his decided land
500 per cent. Most OF the big ranches that
were situated near the railroad have been
cut up into farms. The former ranch
owner, become the town capitalist is using
his money in enterprises for the develop
ment Of the resources Of the country. No
longer he entertains the cOwnans and
sheepman's long cherished and freely cIrcu-
lated opinion that Montana was destined
to remain a grazing country. Some old
stockmen have turned the cowpuncher's
quirt or the sheepherder's staff into plow-
shares and are extolling the merits of the
country as dry farming region. Times
have changed and men have changed with