Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-12-27
new TOWNS TO
Be LINKED With
OUTSIDE World
Three Railroads are Survey,
ing Lines Through New
Montana Country

BIG TIMBER, Mont, Dee. :l;-..allf
surveys count for aught, Sweet ass
county will receive it's share of the
railroad construction work new plan
ned for Montana, there beingFno less
thaa four parties at work in the nor,
thern section. One OF these is Nil;
waukee crew, another Is in the EN-,
ploy of the Great Northern and two
are representatives Of the Northern
Pacific.
Melville and Glasston are the obs
jectives Of the several surveys, as
the Lake Basin district, or that part
thereof lying about fourteen miles
east of Glasston The Milwaukee
survey from Harlowton to Melville
has been completed and found per-
fectly feasible from an engineering
Viewpoint, and in addition the right.
of-way has been secured except for
only one large ranch, the owners Of
which object to having their property
divided by steel rails. 1t was thought
at first the Milwaukee would make
this a Yellowstone Park branch line,
but the route from Three Forks has
been found better suited, and there
fore it will be Melville spur simply.
Great Northern Surveyors Out.
The Great Northern started survey
ors from Acton, in the Lake Basin
district, toward Melville and they are
now on the Sweet Grass, five or six
miles from Glasston. The Northern
Pacific crew (originaD started at
Melville and worked toward the main
line at Grey Cliff, following the old
survey made by the Glass Lindsay
company, save that Grey Cliff instead
of Big Timber is made the point of di.
gression. The second Northern Paci-
fic party started from this place Wed.
nesday and headed directly for the
lakes utilized for watering the Glass
Lindsay irrigation project. Presum.
ably it will run line from the Sweet
Grass to Big Timber, following Otter
creek and tapping Glasston.
Thus, it seems practically certain
that Melville and Glasston will have
railroad transportation next year. A
right.o1.way from Glasston' to Big
Timber has been offered the Northern
Pacific gratis, while an official Of that
road told stockmen that they would
never again be called to drive their
animals to Big Timber for shipment
east, but that instead they would be
entrained at Melville.
Good Farming Country.
Naturally this activity in railroad
circles has created intense interest
among residents of the districts at
fected, which are rapidly developing
into first-class farming districts. The
mountainous sections, of course, will
never be utilized in that tnanner, but
will afford permanent grazing facili-
ties, thus assuring Sweet Grass coun-
ty of maintenance to degree at
least Of its reputation as one rf the
banner sheep and cattle districts OF
the state. Melville has long been re-
garded as one of the banner inlan1
towns of Montana, its volume of busi-
ness being tremendous, population
considered 1t supplies a large terri
tory between the Crazy mountains
and the Lake Basin country, and it is
to capture. this immense traffic that
the carriers are now racing.
At a meeting of farmers at Glass
ton it was virtually decided to estab-
lish a creamery, to be followed later
with cheese factory.