The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1940-06-06
Travellers Find
Much Evidence
Of Prosperity

Terminating a two weeks trip to
the Middle West, Mr.. and Mrs.
Chas D.. Rowe arrived home Sat-
urday afternoon driving back from
the factory at Lansing, Mich, new
Olds automobile.
Mr.. and Mrs. Rowe first drove
from Lansing to Iowa City, Ia,
where they visited their daughter
and son-in-law, Mr.. and Mrs. A.
E. Fry, Mr.. Fry being student in
the dental college at the Iowa state
university and from which institu
ton he was graduated this week.
From Iowa City they drove into
northern Iowa and southern Min
nesota for short stops with num-
Der of relatives, later swinging north
to st. Paul to meet other relatives.
Then turning westward, they spent
a night with a niece and her. family
in western Minnesota. Leaving
Minnesota they drove through South
Dakota from Sioux Falls to Rapid
City, passing enroute through the
Bad Lands, which formation pro-
vides a strange and beautiful sight
From Rapid City they took one of
the trips through the beautiful
Black Hills, viewing that remarkable
memorial to four of Americas fam
! Gus men-the heads of Washington,
Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore
Roosevelt carved in the face of a
towering granite cliff The first
three faces are finished, while work
is now going forward on that Of
Roosevelt. Their route then carried
them across Wyoming through
Sheridan, Greybull and Cody into
Yellowstone park through the east
entrance. They left the park via
the west entrance, and came home
through Deer Lodge, Bozeman,
Butte and Missoula
1t was a delightful time of the
year to travel and fine spring
weather was encountered through
out. Everywhere old Mother Earth
gave promise of prolific harvest
this fall The entire Middle West
was a beautiful picture of prosper
ity-abundant crops pushing up
ward from marvelously rich soil,
thousands of head of purebred cat
tie and hogs grazing in the fields,
magnificent farm homes consisting
of large white houses surrounded
with beautiful lawns and flowers
and backed by huge red barns and
silos; prosperous and enterprising
towns and cities all along the way.
This same prosperous condition ex-
listed throughout most of the terri
tory covered.
In Rapid City it was learned. in
conversation with young woman
in a restaurant, that prospects for
a crop there were the best in years.
One total crop failure had followed
another for seven long years, she
said, but a rather abundant rain
fall this spring held out hopes for
harvest this fall. During the dry
years lack of grass and water had
forced the shooting Of most of the
stock The government had bought
thousands of head as a relief meas
ure. The result was the almost
complete destruction of the stock in
dustry in that once prosperous area.
After driving through Iowa and
southern Minnesota and witnessing
the magnificent farm homes and
evidence of prosperity on every
hand, we asked prominent bust
ness man in one city, Are all these
farmers around here on the verge
of financial bankruptcy, are all
these magnificent farms plastered
with mortgages, and is it necessary
for Uncle Sam to subsidize them
with AAA and similar payments?"
Whereupon the prominent business
man replied, Certainly not. Most
of the farmers around here are very
prosperous. OF course, there are
some that are hard up; one will al
ways find some such individuals
everywhere But the majority OF
farmers here are making money,
buying automobiles and farm ma
chinery, building better homes.
While this statement was undoubt-
eddy true, it should be observed
that the Middle West is one Of the
great garden spots of the world and
if prosperity and comfort are to
be found anywhere, it ought to ap-
pear there.
Some magnificent scenery was
enjoyed along the way but nowhere
was 1t more beautiful than what is
found right here in the Libby dis
trict. Which brings forth the COM
ment that if the tide of tourist
travel could be induced to swing this
way, it would mean another fine
business for this section In this
connection, we will again quote the
young woman at Rapid City. We
remarked to her that there must
be a large tourist travel through
that district Last year there were
$40 tourist cabins here; there are
more now" she said. .On last
Fourth of July every one of those
cabins was filled, the hotels were
all filled to overlooking, num-
Der of private homes took in the
travellers and still it was necessary
to quarter some Of the visitors in
the hospital"