Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-12-02

CONSTRUCTION of a branch line
of the Great Northern railway
~ from Saco in Phillips county to
Turner in Blaine county, which is pro-
iected for next year, will be in keep
ing with the policy of James j. Hill,
the Great Northern's founder, which
was to extend feeder lines into new
territory as quickly as it became APP
parent that the feeder lines could
produce enough traffic to Justify
their cost.
The Great Northern's development
aimee 1883. when it was known as the st.
Paul. Minneapolis & Manitoba, has been
predicted on building new lines, potn
main and branch, into areas that needea
transportation of the sort that Mr. Hill
could give.
By 1886 he had extended his lines from
st. Paul to Minot, N. D., a distance OF
$50 miles. Montana already had at
tracted public interest and was increas-
ting rapidly in population. 1t was a
spacious territory, where fortunes were
made from range cattle. where immense
mineral wealth was known to be stored
In the mountains, where river valleys in
great number and fertility promised well
to agriculture. Sufficient were
in sight to appeal to enterprise ana cap
ital. The great copper deposits In the
vicinity of Butte were beginning to
estonish the world. The area and high
quality OF the territory's coal deposits
were beginning to be appreciated; no
eight resource after a thousand miles OF
plain, where nothing better than Ignite
could be found. Here was an original
source of much tonnage; a country short
OF which no railway once headed Tor IT
would be likely to stop.
Strategically Valuable Ground
1t was also regarded as strategically
valuable ground. From the Mississippi
river westward to the mountains all i'm
portant railway construction was on
east and west lines. Some feeders, and
occasionally a little connecting link ran
narth and south between the zones OF
influence" of the transcontinentals,
There was nc north and south trunk
LINE, for it would have no terminals at
either end, and therefore no excuse Tor
being. Up and down the Missouri valley
there was as yet no reason why a line
should run.
When the great mountain ranges were
reached. conditions changed. Here was
the place for lateral connections. All the
big systems within reach were at least
planning an invasion OF Montana. The
Northern Pacific nad the OF
crossing the territory with its main line
which passed through Helena. The Un-
ion Pacific had not been idle. hi Utah
81 Northern. under its control, was In
operation from Ogden, Utah, to Butte
and Garrison in Montana. The people OF
Helena, already FESTIVE under non-com-
petitive railroad conditions, had invited
the Canadian Pacific to send an engi-
neer to look into the possibility of build
ing to that city.
Hill Reached Decision in 1884
If there were room ror another rail-
road through Montana. no time should
be lost In securing suitable rights OF
way, Mr.. Hill decided, according to his
biographer, Joseph G.. Pyle. For here was
no stretch of prairie where a dozen roads
might build. If they cared to, without in
terfering geographically with one an
other, but a country Of mountain ranges
with only a limited number OF routes
available for construction at a reason
able cost. These once occupied, railroad