Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-04-30
Boom Experienced as Work
on Upper MusselsheM River
Irrigation Project Is Started

Meagher and WheatIand coun-
5 ties, noted for livestock, grain and
] hay, are well on the way toward q
boom. More than $1,000. 900 Of out
side money Is coming into that area
within the next ii months. This
explains the prospective boom. The
money VIII be used TO build two
storage basins on the upper Mus
selSheii river and various Irrigation
and diversion canals.
An area approximately 40 miles long
and IA miles wide in MeaRher and
Wheatland counties viii be benefited
by the supplementary irrigation sys-
tenn TO be built between now and June
80, 1889.
Contractor on Job
Peter Kiewit Sons Co, OF Omaha,
Neb., the contractors, is already on the
job.
"A reservoir on North Fork storing
/ 7,O32-acre feet of water, Is to be con-
structed near Delphine ir Meagher
county. Another reservoir, storing
/ "a, 000-acre feet Of water Is to be con-
/ structed astraddle the Meagher- Wheat
] land county line, near MartinSdale Ap-
! proximately 1000 acres Of new land will
/ be irrigated from the two reservoirs.
/ MartinSdale, the headquarters for
/ the state water conservation board op-
eratives and Kiewit contractors, has
already experienced a noticeable BOOM
CONSTRUCTION work officially began
March %.
Two Lots Sold
w. W. Coates, oldest resident Of the
town, sold two lots on the east side of
Main street to Gay Murry Of Harlow
ton. Within "a hours hurry had the
floor laid for new building, where he
viii open a grocery store. Coates sold
other lots on Main street south Of the
Shepley Mercantile building, where an
other grocery store Is to be opened. The
Bair company sold two lots to Albert ]
Berg, who win put up three cabins for
rent.
The StoclEman, a beer parIor. will
open at the old Lafferty building. L. /
L. McGibboney, proprietor Of the Bun I
galow cafe in Roundup. viii open the |
Dam cafe opposite Frank Sheehey's /
The New Deal. Sheehey's building has /
been remodeled throughout. The Mid
way bar has installed large front win
ooWs and neon sign. The Heath cafe
has enlarged its seating accommoda-
tons TO take care of carpenters en-
sployed in town, and crews Of Peter
Kiewit g. Sons.
The open-air warehouse south Of
Brammeris store is piled with lumber,
and the state water conservation
board Is putting in a pay office and
bunk houses between the store and the
states liquor store. The Selkirk school
house, advertised for sale for months
with no buyer. now has seven bidders.
r. L. Shepley is remodeling the Shepley
Mercantile building, and making sub
stantial changes In goods and manage
ment. The store remains open for bust
ness.
The project Is financed by PWA;
loan (55 percent), $427, 900; grant (45
percent), $349, 1854; total allotment,
SITS 1854. Water is not appurtenant to
the land, but sold like any other public
utility commodity such as gas, cleo
tricity, city water, etc. The farmer pays
his yearly assessment in advance or he
gets no water. If he becomes delinquent,
his water is sold to some other pros
DecttVe user.
$1,000 Bonds
Bonds Of 81 900 each are dated Jan.
|, 1887, 4 percent interest amortized
n equal annual payments OF s1.1O per
acre foot per year. First repayment of /
1Onds begins Jan. /, 1871, last payment
fan. /, 1867. Water purchase contractors