The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1922-10-06
500 Will Build Line
West Out of Whitehall
Survey Is Now Being Made Accord
ing to Story in Great
Falls Leader.

The Minneapolis. st. Paul & Sault
Ste. IIarie railroad, better known as
''The 500 Line" is coming to the ke-
vim unburst oil field and its engineers
are now making geenral survey of
the orthern part of the state between
Sweetgrass and Whitehall, in Daniels
county, the present terminus of the
road. The final setting of stakes and
grading will be started early in the
spring, and the road will be into the
fields to connect with the Canadian
Pacific at Coutts next fall.
This is the information which comes
from the north through several sour
ces, one of them so close to the road
as to make it semi-official announce
ment It intimates that the building
of the road has been expected for
some time, and would have come some
time ago but for the war and financial
stringency. The 500 is one of the
Canadian Pacific lines, and decade
ago began paralleling the Great
Northern along the Canadian border,
running from 40 to so miles north of
the latte rroad, and within from to
10 miles of the Canadian border, the
idea being to head the latter road off
from the Canadian trade and at the
same time cut in on state trade of the
Great Northern. The road was built
through the northern part of Sheridan
county and part way across Daniels
county, about sixty miles inside the
state line, six years ago, the terminus
being at Whitehall.
From Whitehall to Sweetgrass is
about 300 miles, and all scarifier work
and cheap construction. Across the
Canadian line there is much oil acti-
witty, along the border and north, and
a dozen wells are being drilled with
in a few miles of Sweetgrass on the
Dominion side.
Another feature which looks to the
building, is that the Imperial Oil
company, generally understood to be
the Canadian representative of the
Standard group, has just completed
plans for the building of a S2,500,000
oil refinery in Calgary; 108 acres hav-
ing been secured and work already
started. The construction will en-
ploy 500 men for from to months.
The construction of this plant is the
stronges evidence of the confidence of
the Imperial in the future of the oil
fields tributary, which means the
Kelvin Sunburst and the continuation
of the same field across the line
The deal with Calgary was negoti-
ated between President C. O. Still
man and Vice President Mcqueen of
the Imperial Oil company and the
mayor and city council of Calgary
agreed upon and approved by the
board of directors of the Imperial Oil
two weeks ago and work ordered to
go ahead at once.
It is understood that the building
of the refinery and the showing OF
the Kevin-Sunburst and it's extern
sion to the north across the line, has
much to Go with inducing the 500 to
plan the coming construction, as the
combination is one Of interlocking in
terests and the Canadian Pacific is
reaching out fol the business added by
| oil production. it being admitted or
every hand that the Sweetgrass struc-
ture is the largest in the United
| States.
With the building of the 500 to the
oil fields that road will probably buile
to Great Falls at the same time, as
such has always been the intention Of
the 500 when the work of construc.
ton should be started again. A sur.
vey to this city has already been run
and at the time of the building t.
/ Whitehall it was intended to run here
but the war coming on, and fnancia
coalitions deferred the action. The
Clifford Tribune, published near thu
border, has the following to say upor
the same subject:
/ "The Canadian Pacific railway 9th
erwise known as the 500 Line is nov
making a general geological suve.
Iof the northern country, beginning a
SWeetgrass and going east as far a
Whitehall. It is understood that tn
work Of setting stakes and grading
will commence next spring. Grea
! Falls, Montana, Leader.