Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-02-07

ROA AoI
rigation. Other valleys branched out from
this central valley which was known as
Clark's Fork bottom. COulsOn at the
east end OF the bottom and Huntley. a
few miles further east, the head Of navi-
cation Of the Yellowstone river already
had considerable trade north to Fort
Benton and Fort Maginnis, and south
into wyoming.
Officers and contractors on the inside
made q deal with the railway to pur-
chase and lay out q townsite which was
to be a division terminal n also to
buy all the irrigable land. amounting
to about 10000 acres. which belonged
to the railway by virtue OF the land
grants, within the area OF the CLARK
Fork valley.
Frederick Billings who was retiring
from the presidency OF the railroad
which had been rescue from the finan-
cial rocks largely through his business
genius, was the principal stakeholder
in the company. which was named the
Minnesota and Montana Land and In
vestment company. Herman Clark, the
through Montana, was another heavy
stakeholder. Thomas F. Cakes, vice presi-
den Of the railway, n George V.
Simms, private secretary to Mr.. Cakes,
were among other stockholders.
Propose Irrigation Canal
hCCOIuluB TO the HRTecIIlcuU III the
purchase, the townsite company was to
build a depot for the railway at the pro-
posed town as we'll as other necessary
structures. Most important of all, they
were to construct a large irrigation n
to water the rich lands Of the bottom
n to colonize the valley with farmers.
People In the little river town OF Coul-
on, knew early in 1882 that the Northern
Pacific had picked their locality as the
site of one of the principal towns along
the route. 1t was not known exactly
where the new town was to be located
but the fall before an engineering party
had spent a month or more working on
some railroad sections to the west OF
Coulson. Coulson people at first could
hardly believe they were to be sup
planted. They did not see how a town
could thrive SO far away from the river
banks.
But to the town builders. other con-
siderations were taken into account
Coulson was too near the railroad bridge
across the river and was without suf-
ficient room for yard facilities. Further
to the west, two railroad sections, by
reason of the fact that they were located
on the base line, came together, giving
ample room for plating a large town on
the property taken over by the company
There is a tradition among old timers
that CoulsOn was passed over because the
owners of the land about the town, held
out for such a large price that the town
site company refused to pay 1T. This,
however, is not true, according to Col.
H. W.. Rowley, who was In the engineer
ing department. Of the Northern Pacific in
1880 and 1881, and afterwards had charge
Of building the irrigation cana for the
toWnsite company.
Subdivisions Are Plated
j. j.. Anderson, on whose land the town
of Coulson was built, and P. w. Meadow,
owner of the main supply store at Coul-
son, both plated subdivisions, lying be-
tween Billings and the river. believing
that the growth of the town would
eventually be in that direction. The
new town, however. grew away from
rather than toward CoulsOn and the
subdivisions, once advertised as the most
desirable Of residence places. are now