The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1922-09-01
DILLON. IS CENTER
OF RICH COUNTRY
FIRST IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
OF GOLD MADE IN BEAVER
HEAD COUNTY
Placer Mines at Bannack Brought
First Rush of Gold Hunters to
Montana; Town Was Founded by
Former Governor B. f. White; the
State Normal School.

No section of Montana is more
closely associated with the early his
tory of Montana than the immediate
territory surrounding Dillon. Within
the borders of Beaverhead county, on
Grasshopper creek, was the first I'M
portant discovery of gold in Montana,
and Bannack, the pioneer mining
camp, was the first territorial capital
of Montana. The discoveries LED 10
early settlement, and the wonderful
valley surrounding the present coun-
ty seat was one of the first IN the
west to come to the fore in agrlcul-
ture and stock raising, prestige that
it still maintains.
Beaverhead county covers an area
of 1892 square miles. Within It's
boundaries are such famous stock
raising valleys as the Big Hole Basin,
Horse Prairie, Centennial and Alaska
Basin. There are approximately loO,-
600 acres of irrigated land under cul-
tivation, and IT'S, 900 acres of unir-
rigated farms, the rest being grazing
land and forest reserves. Gram,
chiefly high grade wheat and oats, is
raised on the benches, but the prin-
cipal crop is hay, and any OF the
great valleys, during the summer,
presents the appearance OF a vast
meadow encircled by mountains. me
nutritive value of the products is so
high that cattle fattened in this coun-
ty command top prices in the eastern
markets in competition with the corn
fed animals of the central west.
The County Seat
Former Governor B. F. White, who
until his death was the leading citi-
zen of the community, was the foun-
der of Dillon. In 1880, he, with
Howard Sebree, purchased the 400
acre ranch of William Deacon and
plated the town which has grown
into one of the prettiest in Montana,
with streets paved and lighted by or
namental systems, and supplied with
mountain water under gravity pres
sure. The public buildings include
the fine courthouse of Beaverhead |
county, the Beaverhead county high |
school, a large city hall, Carnegie Ii
brary, and modern schools, besides
the Normal college.
1AJtlhSbAfC NhuA SAACo hOdoC bhC 'e~A
ious church denominations which are
representative of the spiritual side
of the city's life.
The Normal College
In the southern part of the city |
is the campus of the institution at
which teachers are prepared for their
life work in the schools of the state.
The buildings are we'll constructed
and arranged The main structure,
with class rooms, library, laboratories
and gymnasium and auditorium, is
but a short distance from the Resi-
dence Halls where most of the out
Of-town students live. The campus
is extensive and picturesque with its
lawns and shade trees.
The Normal college was establish
ed by legislative action in 1893 and
construction work was started the
same year. The legislature of 1897
created an executive board which
chose faculty to begin actual school
work September Z, 1897.
The State Normal college accom-
plishes its work of preparing teach
ers by educational courses which Of
fer professional training, directed OBJ
servation of expert teaching, and act