Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-29
WITH MORE THAN ,ooo,o 900

WITH MORE THAN 100000
w bushels of wheat harvested in
Judith Basin county this year and
with more farmers in that territory
engaging in diversified agriculture, the
young county that neighbors Cascade
on the east is rapidly becoming estab-
;ished as one of the best in Montana.
The county was created in August,
1920, after efforts to that end had been
expended for a period of seven years.
Stanford is the county seat. but the
legality of the election in which the
county seat contest between Stanford
and Hobson was decided is still before
the courts, a ruling being expected some
time this fall.
The first movement for the creation
of Judith Basin county began in 1913.
1T was the intention then to take all
the territory from Fergus county alone.
This attempt was unsuccessful From
then on various like movements were
launched only to meet with defeat. I'M
til the spring of 1920, when the reward
for seven long, tedious years of work
and fight was won.
The second attempt was like the
first and like it died a swift and I'M
ceremonious death. The third time in
1918 petitions were filed including land
from both Fergus and Cascade coun-
ties. These petitions likewise failed.
In the same year, in the face of these
dIscouragements, petitions were again
circulated and filed and a hearing was
Held before the commissioners at Lew
istown in December. After a long
drawn out session these were also
denied.
The matter was then appealed to the
supreme court by. Attorneys Odel w.
Mcconnell of Helena, Earl Wineman
of Stanford and J. J. Jewell of Hobson,
n a reversal of the findings of the
Fergus county commissioners was Sc
cured.
On April %. 1920. the commission
ers at Lewistown, in obedience to a
writ of mandate issued by the supreme
court, called an election for the crea-
ton of Judith Basin county to be held
on August "a. 1920. At this election
the new county was formed. with less
than 10 per cent of the voters opposed
to division.
Railroad Facilities
Judith Basin county embraces an
area of approximately 1894 square
miles taken from the western portion
of Fergus and the eastern portion of
Cascade counties. and has q valuation |
as shown by the 1919 assessments ex-
ceeding S11 10000 and is a county
or the nth class.
The county. is traversed from north
to south by the Great Northern rail
road. there being approximately so
miles of main line track and % miles
Of branch lines, including a branch line
from Windham to Lehigh and one from
Moccasin to Lewistown. In addition
TO these lines approximately u miles
of the Great alls-Harlowton branch
of the Milwaukee railroad are includ-
ed in the county. the station of Arrow
Creek being located on this branch.
The main line Of the Great Northern ,
is served by passenger trains Nos. As
and A.. through trains to the coast.
The main line from Raynesford to
Moccasin is served by passenger trains
No. 237 and No. 23S between Lewis
from Moccasin to Ross Fork is also
served by passenger trains No. 237
and No. 23S. In addition, the towns
of Ross Fork and Kolin are served
by a combination passenger n freight
train which connects with trains NO.
43 and No. A at Moccasin.
The territory of the new county
embraces the richest portion of what
is known as the Judith Basin, and in
addition includes one of the best stock
raising countries in Montana. About
one-fifth of the area Of he county is
included within national forests.
Besides it's agricultural resources,
Judith Basin county has the largest
bituminous coal mines in the state,
situated at Lehigh. owned and operat-
ed by the Cottonwood Coal company, a
corporation affiliated with the Great
Northern Railway company.
Stanford Has Rapid Growth
The towns of Judith Basin county
are Stanford, the county seat; Lehigh,
Windham, Benchland, Moccasin, Utica,
Hobson, Kolin, Arrow Greek, Dover,
Merino, Geyser, Spjonkop, Raynes-
ford and Kihby.
Since the coming of the railroad to
Stanford in 1908 and the removal of
the following year, the town has grown
steadily and substantially. From a
little handful of people and business
firms. it has increased its numbers and
enlarged them until it is 10Y recog-
nized as the best little town on the
line between Billings and Great Falls.
The townsite of Stanford is a gently
rolling bench, falling about IS inches to
the north, giving ideal drainage con-
ditions. It is underlaid with a limestone
gravel that becomes a natural concrete,
giving solid foundation for any build
ings and protecting the deeper layers
Of soil from contamination.
Beneath this concrete at a practi-
caliy uniform depth of about 30 feet, is
found a water bearing gravel of purest
quality that has never failed whenever
n well has been sunk, and in the dry
season of 1919 not one of these wells
failed to supply NIL the water needed.
WIFI, these conditions so naturally