The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-04-25
Homesteading in Montana.
!. Interesting Letter from that Western
State

,1o,nq been in Dawson county; Eastern
,,,,+ana. some six months send you a
,t notes gathered by the way. We
.r- 81 hours or the way from Boston
-, Glendive, laying off two hours in Chi
,,ro and four in St. Paul. Our land is
,a.sted in township II, about 65 miles
rom Glendive, the county seat, which is
,,atpd on the Yellowstone river and is
4r,ision point of the Northern Pacific
Railroad.
The land here is rolling plain, cut up
Vulnerable coulees and creeks. We
su the banks of the Red Water river,
.r-hatary of the Missouri, and very
-sr the divide between the Yellow
.,5r- and Missouri rivers. This land has
.s.r lsed as feeding ground by horses,
.-t, and sheep for the last forty years.
r IS been surveyed and plated and a
..-. a,cepted by government and opened
Inf a-ope to file claims on under the
stead law. But there are few
..r.ors lying hereabouts that the sur
r-.a1s never been accepted by govern
~.- so we are ''squatters" under the
.e We are allowed 800 acres of land
AM mast live here and cultivate it pretty
ss- to keep away claim jumpers. y
The time we live on the land as squat
I'm. and the improvements made, will
,a. for US when government finally
5gsrs the land for filing. We had sup
.5s-a when we came here that the time
-s i've on the land was five years and
frat re must have 50 acres under culti-
fgrgs but the law just passed has
changed the time to three years. The
soil rs 1rownish in color, with good deal
.tvllcanic ash in it. There is no need
If putting fertilizer on this soil.
The climate is the most wonderful part
g. it. The air is so dry and clear. No
,9as, no stuffy heads, and such feeling
Il EgAtness. One walks miles without
rss.z.0g WEAKNESS. The most of the
ram fall is in May, Juneiand July. There
is 30 much sunshine that l have given up
a5oyg life There are heavy snow
storms in January, February and March,
bat the chinook winds, which are very
i.g and warm, follow the storm and
carry off great part of the snow.
kinds of stock live out of doors the
eear around, as the buffalo grass cures
40 lee stem. Our horses have been out
W. range all winter and now that they
ayr caught up for blowing are found in
good condition.
The bench lands are suitable for rails
mg rye, oats, flax, wheat and barley,
The bottom lands for alfalfa and corn
sn the hills for grazing. We plan to
keep some stock, few cows, all the
horses We can afford to buy, and to raise
DIS many hogs as we can.
T lakes eight horses to pull our gang
7Iga turning two burrows at once, and
fly, acrvs IS a good days work. Then
-r are needed on the harrow, which
mus, be kept going good part of the
fa.. After every shower the growing
-rs1 must be narrowed to conserve the
n.--ure.
l'y brother, C. L. Fletcher, came here
rr lars ago and has a claim next to
H Last year with walking pillow he
.l lhty acres in flax, oats and wheat.
Ii l.,t a fine vegetable garden, too. The
ten bushels to the acre, the oats
-rels to the acre, and this on sod,
fertilizer.
lN brings about $500 per bushel,
$50 per hundred pounds, potatoes,
DER pound. In fact, everything
bought and sold by the pound.
4.." going to be great crop here,
be depended on for two cuttings
~, and yields three to four tons
Try and.
LIN to set out strawberry plants,
berry and blackberry cuttings.
DIV aI peas and new potatoes by July
.' st year, and the garden yielded
fully through July and August,
@ carly frost cut them off then.
M loages are fine here.
IWtev does we'll here, as there is
plenty Of grain for them, and when we
- a luuble handfuls of wheat thrown
10 them and remember what we were
paving tor it in Massachusetts it is an
sgeonener surely.
We have a post office, Watkins, with
10 FFo niles, and as the mail carrier fol-
'oas trail past our door our R. F. D.
09&. relic of the east, is out and he
leaves our mail. From this post office
tgy families take their mail. and
VIE. my husband rode through this
region two years ago there were but
tLfse families here, and those had just
arrived.
Lumber is very high, as there are no
Wee except few along the rivers.
Many of the houses are built of sod, but
NE New Englanders stick to the frame
tolsss.
Our fuel is bituminous coal Ignite.
mere are mines of it everywhere one
yfo section. In two days work my
husband got enough to last US three
nonths.