Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-08-30

A'h tue 49, state rAir with the prem
lum list offered at the first territorial
fair held the week Of September %,
1870. Among other home Industries TO
which the first territorial fair desired
to lend encouragement was brewing,
For the best key of lagar beer II Of
Tered a prize of 81. and the same was
offered FOR the best dozen bottles of
lager. Whose duty Il was to pass up
ON the merits of this product the Of
fetal announcement does not state, but
there would undoubtedly be no lack
of volunteer judges today. Entries in
the feld crop classes were limited to
winter and spring wheat. barley and
oats that yielded o less than 40 bush
els 10 the acre, to rye and buckwheat
that produced not less than 30 bushels
10 the acre, and to potatoes harvesting
not less than 200 bushels TO the acre.
The tae3 variety OF chicken obviously
was unheard Of In 1870. when the pop
ular strains were the Cochin China,
Brahma. Dorking and Poland. whereas
today those famous old breeds are re-
placed by Leghorns. Rocks, Anconas
and the like. Then. no less than now.
effort was made to persuade the Mon.
tana farmer to take up d~airying. The
largest premium at that early day
fair was $50 for the best milch cow.
They We're not particular In 1870 over
livestock breeds, for prizes We're offer
ed simply for draft horses, breeding
cattle. swine and sheep without par
ticularization as to breed or ancestry.
The march OF progress has made the
class for "work oxen" obsolete. The
printed premium list of 1870 took only
eight pages, where the list for 1923
takes more than one hundred pages.
Premiums then tetaled around $500
compared with $30.0O offered by this
years fair committee. Another inter
esting announcement of the 1870 list
is that all stage lines traversing the
territory offered excursion tickets at
greatly reduced prices.
Mrs. Anna W. SmaIIey, of Roundup,
was elected Grand Matron OF the East
ern Star at the close of the state
meeting of that order IN Billings. 9th
or officers elected were: Henry &.
Smith. of Miles City. grand patron
Mrs. Margaret II. Klrton, of Malta, as
sociate grand matron II. NJ. Hawn, of
Missoula. associate grand patron Mrs.
Mary III. Brown, of Bozeman. grand
conductress and Mrs. Vera Faxon, OF
Billings, associate grand conductress.
Mrs. Mary s. Hugo. OF Butte. was ell
ected grand secretary TO flI the vacan-
cy caused hy the death OF Mrs. Elva
Boardmean, OF Butte. who bad held the
office for 81 years. Mrs. Cynthia Plum
4iter.of SteseHsxiue4 WAS reelected
grand treasurer. Charters were grant
ed for chapters Of the order ut Broad
us, Thompson Falls. Geraldine. Belt
and Joplin. The meeting was one OF
the largest ever held In the state =
There were more marriages and d.
vorces In Montana In 1916 than In 1922,
by 5000 marriages and 200 divorces,
preliminary figures OF the bureau OF
tift ttiNuN NnVNs III iV-< ,th'ft Ntf'
5.22s marriages compared with S,108 In
1916. the last previous year for which
figures are obtaInable. The number
Of divorces decreased from 1.4S4 In 10
16 to 1,207 In 1922. The number OF
marriages In Silver Bow county have
decreased one-half In the last six ears
the figures show. Yellowstone county
rnnks second highest with 81 F1nfriag-
es and I21 divorces In 1922. and Gas.
cade third with 475 marriages and Ill
divorces the same year. Treasure and
wibaux counties were 'dlvorceless"
last year although Al marriages were
sOlemnized In the latter county.
Mining properties In the Mineral Hill
country. near Hamilton. are rapidly be-
n center of interest. n with
the completion Of a road into the
Horse Greek district next year II Is
believed that mining IN that section
viii be resumed in earnest. a route
into this mining section has been com
as far as the Salmond river
Fl follows the south fork of
the West Fork Of the Bitter Root,
starting ut q point some five miles
south or Ajax.
William Henry Harmlnson. Montana
pioneer. who assisted Jim Bridger 10
a ferry boat with which Bridg-
ar's cavalcadc coming out through Kan
sas crossed the Yellowstone river at
he present site of Livingston. July 3.
1864. and subsequently, was Identified
With the movement for irrigation and
diversified farming, died at his home
line miles west Of Billings recently at
he age Of IS years.
According to recent forest figures
he timber resources Of Montana and
are estimated at l5s,0O0,OD thous
md board feet. Each thousand board
'eet has an estimated value Of $50 to
he community In which it grows. prac-
ically every Industry IN the region be-
ng more or less connected with the
directly or indirectly.