Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-24
af Million Bushels of Wheat From Dry Land Farms
Puts Capital e' i'm Prosperity for Town Of Pendroy

IL town of not more than $50 persons which is the market
ing point for a dry land farming area that extends 10 miles to
the east, 6 miles to the south, Is miles to the west and IL miles
to the north. From this comparatively small area nearly one
half million bushels of premium wheat will be marketed during
the coming fall and winter. On the day this article is written,
farmers are receiving SO cents a bushel after the premium for
Fancy Dark Northern No. 1 is added and the freight to the
terminal market deducted. If this price prevails during the
period the crop is going to the elevators, close to S5OO,O0O will
be added to the cash resources of that little community.
Pendroy is located in the northern part of Teton county
on the Porter bench, one of the best dry land sections of Mon
tana. For many years before 1909, it was a stock country, its
native grasses and accessibility to good water making 1t fine
for cattle and sheep. In 1909 homesteaders began taking up
locations there and within a short time the range of the big
stockmen was gone. By 1916, the section was well settled.
The nearest railroad point in the early days was Conrad, nearly
40 miles away.
To Build Churches This Fall
The village of Pendroy was started in 1917, the year the
Great Northern railway extended it's branch line from RVnum,
II miles south. The terminus of the branch is still at Pendroy.
In the five years since, a fine brick school building has been
erected and a number of other substantial business buildings
constructed, among them being a bank, a hotel, two general
stores, several garages, and three grain elevators. It is ex-
pected that two churches will be built there this fall, a Catholic
and a Protestant.
nancial condition than the farmers in any other part of Mon
tana-even without considering their present fall crop: This
community in the last few years and diversified farming got a
foothold there from the first. Holstein cows are favored and
shipped to creameries in Great Falls, Butte and Spokane and
the cream checks furnish a steady income that in some cases
pay the living expenses of the farmer.
The wheat raised around Pendroy is mostly spring wheat
and some of the biggest yields were on summer fallowed ground.
It grades Fancy Dark Northern No. l on which millers are
paying a premium because of the high gluten test. The Rocky
Mountain and the Montana Elevator companies of Great Falls
and the Imperial Elevator company of Minneapolis are among
the principal bidders for the product, though several farmers
are receiving ~flattering offers for their crops from other milling
companies in the middle west. The wheat is desired for mixing
with lower grades for flour milling purposes.
WaIIenstein Crop, 10000 Bushels
J. M. Ryan of Great Falls is president of the Pendroy
Farmers State bank and John A. Swanson is cashier. The two
general stores are owned by Genevieve Friend and the Eckels
Mercantile company, the latter being a branch of the Eckers
store in Shelby.
One of the largest wheat crops to be harvested in the COM
munity this fall is that of Wallenstein brothers. More than
90 600 bushels Fancy Dark Northern No. / will be drawn from
their farm this fall and winter. Their farm which is two miles
northwest of Pendroy is about 1000 acres in size. More than
half of this was in crop, but another large portion OF 1t was
More than $4,000 bushels will be harvested from Garrett
MacDonalds two farms. He has 400 acres laying one-half
mile west of Pendroy and 800 acres seven miles east of the town.
He does most of his farming by power machinery.
Pendroy farm which is located one mile north OF Pendroy. Mr..
Pendroy uses power machinery in his operations almost ex-
Many Have Started Diaries
Seven thousand five hundred bushels will be Joe Roses
harvest. His farm is three miles northeast of Pendroy. Mr.,
Rose has made his start in dversification and has a number
of COWS, pigs and chickens on his place:
of Pendroy is another thrifty farmer who is building up a dairy.
He already has eight or ten COWS and some pigs. His dry land
wheat harvest will total about 5000 bushels.
Mike Campbell had 400 acres of his 600 acre farm, which
is located four miles northeast of Pendroy, in dry land wheat.
He will harvest a little better than 1000 bushels. He has quite
a dairy, there being 25 milk cows on his farm.
Henry Getchall, whose farm is six miles northwest of
Pendroy, will harvest about 5000 bushels of wheat. He has
Is cows on his place and also has harvested large crops OF
barley, oats and hay this year.
Eight thousand bushels of wheat has been cut on the
D. R. Jones farm, one and a half miles west of Pendroy. There
are COWS, pigs and chickens on the Jones farm, too.
2O25 Bushel Average
w. H. Mansfields wheat crop totals better than 1000
bushels. He has 20 milk cows, a large number of hogs and
chickens on his farm, which is a mile south of Pendroy.
Five thousand bushels is Paul Rices wheat harvest. He,
too, is a diversified farmer and owns GAO acres five miles east
of Pendroy.
George Porter, after whom the bench on which Pendroy
community is situated is named, will market about 5000
bushels of wheat. Mr.. Porter put in only about 200 acres to
wheat, the balance of his 1000 acre farm being used for his
large herd of cattle for pasture and forage crops.
The list could be extended to include every farmer in the
community, but it would continue to be the same story-wheat
yields on dry land farms averaging 20 to 25 bushels to the
acre and other CROPS in nrOnOrtiOn. with virtually every farmer