Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-02-24

trade areas in the notion. he said.
Connolly, president Of the Connolly
Machinery CO., is the only man to
serve more than two terms as presi-
dent of the Billings Commercial club.
He was president in 1919, 1920. 1923 and
1929. Before that he had served one
year as president of the chamber Of
commerce, which disappeared with the
formation Of the Commercial club
Connolly states there's a thrill" in
I looking back over the long stretch of
/ years when. as he says, every econom-
ic shock which might have retarded
/ the growth Of the city and the area
! OF which 1t is the center has been
+ met with reSourcefulneSs by the people
who have turned overwhelming liabil
tiles into great assets"
( During the last So years, since the
I original town was incorporated, %
areas adjoining the original town have
petitioned TO become part OF the city
Already in 1910 there Is evidence of
continued expansion with the annex
alton Of the Sunnyside, Clanton
Heights and Broadwater subdivisions.
Evidence Of "resourcefulness" in Bill
lings people over the years, Connolly
believes, may often be found
He listed as examples
l. When, in the eighties, the bottom
dropped out of the stockraising in
dustry largely because of the bitter
winter of 1886-1887, and the city's
population shrank from 1,5O0 to 1856.
the area, under Billings leadership,
turned to sheep and wool to maintain
its income.
2. When competing areas threatened
to outStrip the volume of business In
the Billings area, Billings turned to
a broader agriculture, built on irriga-
ton, in addition to the sheep and the
resurgent cattle industry.
g. When three large fires destroyed |.
virtually every building in town, a new I
city was begun almost on the smolder- /
ing ashes.
4. When sheep and wool and farm |
ing were not enough to maintain the !
accelerated growth of the city, the
Midland Empire with Billings as the
center, turned to the sugar beets and
built a refinery which IS one of the
largest factories of its kind in the
world
5. Billings enterprise reached out
hundreds Of miles as the city became
the great distributing center of the
Midland Empire. Now, overnight
transportation service extends from
Billings to every community within
ESQ miles.
g. When freight rates on incoming
and outgoing produce we're completely
C4b Vi p4114tJ Will tk1OoC
centerS, with the result a near-Stran-
gulation of the city'S rapidly increasing
wholesale business Today 1900 persons
are employed In whoIeSaling business
alone), many forces in the city lent
their aid in securing equitable rates.
Thus the wholesale business took its
proper place among the citys assets.
z. AS new roads have brought fast
and easy nSportation-the Broad
view road, for example, will open the
large MuSsel6heu area, long a legiti-
nate part of the Billings trading area
Billings has become one of the thriv-
ng trade centerS of the nation. BUSH
ness surveys throughout the depres-
lion pointed to that prosperity.
8. The city has been a fertile soil
or free enterprise witness the growth
If the municipal airport from a SIS 200 !
Investment in 1923 to one of $500 900 !
oday, with no employees in 1928 and :
O5 today; of no properties In 1923, :
md of nearly 300 acres of land today.
He paid tribute to w. B. George, I
ohm B. Arnold, I. d. ODonnell, John !
,. North, p B. Moss, and to Col. II. I
". ROwley, Peter and Chris Yegen, :
Austin North and George M Hays ST., :
or the large share they played In the :
development Of Billings. Each of these
men was during his lifetime or is now Z
Identified with at least one Of the % :
divisions which have been added to :
he city