The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-07-31
Railroad News
500 MAY STRIKE
into Far WEST
RuMoR OF COAST EXTENSION
FOLLOWS ANNOUNCEMENT OF
NORTH DAKOTA IMPROVEMENT
MAY START WEST FROM
PLAzA-cREWs ARE BUSY.

Minneapolis Journal: The 500 line
will build forty miles OF road west
from Plaza, N. D., and lay it's rails
to the east bank OF the Missouri river
this fall, according to report today
from Underwood, Mclean county, N.
d. With President Carl r. Gray OF
the Great Northern in New York, for
which he left hurriediy Saturday after
meeting the union station committee
in Minneapolis, and President Edmund
Pennington of the 500 back from
New York, but on-committal as to
500 line plans, 1t is the talk today
in railroad circles that the 500 is
about to strike into the new territory
that lies between the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific main lines In
Montana ,-~
While Ryder, n. D., and Max. two
stations east of Plaza, report the
passing through there OF engineering
crews bound west and Plaza reports
that they are now located at Blacks
ranch on the Missouri river, Mr.. PEN
nington, whose accidental meeting ten
days ago with President Gray Of the
Great Northern while travelling
through eastern Montana by automo1
bile, Is believed to have caused Mr..
Gray's hurried trip east to meet
James ]. Hill, declined today to make
any statement Of the plans OF the SOD
At the Minneapolis meeting Satur-
day Of the union station committee
new Lewistown line of the Great
Northern, for which Winston brothers
of Minneapolis have the contract, but
was mum on new plans. Today Mr..
Pennington laughed when told of res
ports Of prospective building and said
you cannot expect me TO tell what
we are going to do. One mans guess
is as good as another's." -
The building of forty miles Of new
road by so big and strongly financed
a system as the 500 line would ordiy
narily be a matter Of Importance only
to the territory affected and would
have little significance in the big rail-
road world. But if the 500 lays rails
this fall to Blacks ranch, It will probs
ably stop there only long enough 10
bring up material and bridge the Mis-
souri,. After that 1t would be a
seventy-mile build to the Yellowstone
river at the Montana state line. IL
the 500 pushed that far IL would make
the fourth line to cross the North
Dakota Montana boundary, the Great
Northern now going across between
Buford and Mondak, the Northern Pa.
cific between Beach and Wibaux and
the Milwaukee with it's new Puget
sound extension between Marmarth
and Dodge. "
The 500 line. to avoid the wide and
irregular ramihcations Of the Missouri
river between the point where the
Missouri flows into the Fort Berthold
Indian reservation inc Willistom,
would have to strike q southwesteriy
course for some distance after crosse
ing the river. II would probably hit
the Montana line after crossing Nc
kenzie county, N. D., at a point to
bring II across near the center Of the
eastern boundary Of Dawson county,
Montana, a great, sparsely settled
part Of the state, without railroad
facilities other than the Great North4
ern far to the north and the Northern
Pacific on the south, until recent years
when Great Northern building plans
for its penetration were developed.
Minneapolis grain firms, bankers.
lumber manufacturers and merchants
have financed many enterprises ia
eastern Montana along existing lines
of road, and the financial interest OF
this city in eastern Montana is I'm
creasing greatly every year.
Montana has the greatest crop this
year that II has ever raised, and II ib
the report in western North Dakota
that the 500 line intends hrst 10
strike into eastern Montana, and evens
tually TO build through to Spokans
where its rails will meet the rails OF
it's great affiliated company, the
Canadian Pacific. 80