The producers news., 1927-04-08
THE NEW TOWNSHIP or
PLENTYWOOD
CONTINUED from last Week.

new. The first building to be moved
in the spring Of 1910 was that of
Fishbeck e. Jarvis store building.
This is the building now occupied by
Mr.. Joe Redmond as q tire-repairing
shop, and Mr.. Acklestads shoe re-
pair shop, on south Main street. The
second building to be moved was Mr..
j. A. Ford S store building, which is
now occupied by the Golden Rule
Store. The third to move was a part
of the writer's law office.
1t may be interesting to know
where some of the old buildings are
located. The building now occupied
by the Johnson Abstract Company
was formerly the building used by
Mr.. Riba as a bank on the old town
site. The building just north of
Donaldson's garage was formerly the
hardware store used by Mr.. Riba and
M. M. Johnson on the old site. The
building now used by Mr.. Stewart as
q confectionery and cigar store was
the post office on the old site. and
Tor while on the new townsite. Mr..
Z. 5. Nelson's original print shop is
still standing on the rear end of his
present lot. The part of the court
house now used as a court room was
the school house building on the old
site. Mr.. Kranzer's old blacksmith
shop is now standing on the lot west
OF Mr.. Lang's Ford automobile store.
During the spring and summer
months of 1910, hardly q day passed
but that some new building was be-
ing started The railroads rail lay
ing crew entered the town on the
goth day of July 1910. Business
was good and everyone was busy.
Elevators began to pierce the sky
Farmers bringing wheat to town i'm
the fall were obliged to sleep under
meath their wagons because there
was not sufficient hotel accomoda-
tions. Plentywood was the terminus
OF the Bainville branch Farmers
logged wheat to Plentywood for
more than fifty miles. All roads led
to Plentywood. Plentywood was
then and is today the metropolis of
northeastern Montana
THE COUNTY SEAT FIGHT
Prior to the creation of Sheridan
County, with Plentywood as its seat
Of government. the territory now
embraced within what is now known
as Sheridan county was q part of old
Valley County with Glasgow MS the
county seat. Valley county also en-
braced at that time all of what is
now Daniels and Roosevelt Counties.
Old Valley County at that time
was more than 65 miles north and
south on an average, and more than
100 miles from east to west. It's
territory consisted of approximately
$4,000 square miles. If my figures
are not incorrect, old Valley county
was larger than any of the states
OF Connecticut, Delaware. MARYLAND.
Massachusetts, New HAMPSHIRE.
New Jersey, Rhode Island or Yer
mont; and rs large or larger than
the combined areas of the states of
Rhode Island, Delaware and Connec-
tlcut, with the greater part of Mass
achusetts thrown in for good meas
ure.
With the influx of thousands of
new settlers into this vast territory
1t soon became evident that the coun-
ty administration affairs could not
be well handled with one set Of coun-
ty officials. The result was that the
eastern half Of the old countv's
settlers clamored for division of
the county. The Board of County
commissioners Of Valley County
passed q resolution, as the result of
2 petition for division signed by more
than 81 per cent Of the qualified
electors residing in the territory pro
posed to be isolated from the parent
county, as the law required. calling
FOR an election upon the question of
division or no division. The election
was held on the 18th day of March.
1913, and resulted in more than 65
per cent of the electors declaring
themselves in favor Of division. This
resulted in the Board of County
commissioners of Valley County i'm
iuly declaring by way of usual proc
amation entered upon its minutes
hat q new county had been added to
-he sisterhood of Montana counties
Dy the name of Sheridan.
The creation of the new county
naturally called for the selection of
= county seat. This was provided for
n the law wherein the voter in vot-
ng for division or non-division could