The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1950-09-14
Booklet Stresses
Need for
Road

A booklet of letters urging
completion of the 1O0-mile
missing link" highway from
Grow Agency to Broadus has
been prepared by George r.
Pierce, Billings, member of the
Billings Commercial clubs high
way committee.
The report, which includes
letters from plain citizens"
rancherS, Indian service Off
Gals, forestry men and other
officials, lists many reasons for
completing the stretch, which
passes through Lame Deer and
Ashland.
The road, Montana highway
8, would link U. S. 81 and U.
S. PIP. It would eliminate ap-
proximately &c miles between
Broadus and Billings.
The renort lists the following
reasons for paving the road,
with letters giving more de-
tailed reasons:
There are 100000 board
feet of white Ponderosa pine,
!overripe and in serious danger
of fire, which cannot be moved
p~rofitably without a hard sur
face road.
There are soft coal deposits
available for strip mining in
the area,
Ranchers can move stock only
in dry weather and usually hit
an overStocked market-and
lower prices.
/ Oil refining companies, which
have invested $50, DOC, 900 in Bill
lings, would have sc miles less
to travel, and better grades, to
serve Black Hills area, which
| consumes 20 to 40 million gal
Ions of petroleum products an
nually.
Tourists would be able to visit
the Custer National cemetery
and the route would save 100
miles between Chicago and Sc
attic.
The road would open an ag-
ricultural area where 5000 di-
versified farm family units
could be opened. The area is
large, rich and undeVeloped be-
cause there is no highWay-or
railroad.
Medical and educational sys-
TENS are handicapped. Absen-
teeism runs as high as 40 per
cent, through no fault of stu
dents or parents.
The road would pay for itself
within a few years. At least 400
families would be added to tax
payer rolls, and all taxpayers
would benefit because relief
could be virtually eliminated.
Among the letters received
were those of General Thomas
D. Campbell, known as the
worlds largest wheat farmer.
Writing as president of Camp
bell Farming corporation of
Hardin, he said, I'VE see many
good and sufficient reasons why
this missing link should be COM
pleted."
Sister M. Limana of the
Saint Labre mission at Ashland
wrote, "I have found irregular
attendance the greatest obSta-
Gle to the educational progress
(of the Cheyenne Indian stu
dents). When these children
will be able to come to school
regularly, I know they will make
excellent students"
l.. C.. Lippert, superintendent
of the Grow Indian agency, eX-
planned that the Crow hospital
is used by 1900 Crow and 1900
Northern Cheyenne Indians, who
| come from as far as Ashland,
and the, hospital handles an
average bed load of 20 patients.
He added that the Grow agency
uses 1000 tons of coal from a
tribal mine east of Lame Deer,
but that hauling costs in wet
weather may force purchase
from wyoming mines.
Roy A. Phillips, forest super
visor of the Custer National
forest, said there were 100000
feet of pine mature and ready
to cut along the road, and that
1000 head of cattle grazed on
the forest are usually marketed
in Billings.
Paul L. Fickinger. director for
the Billings area office for In
dian affairs, said that under
sustained -ield requirements
we could cut approximately
1 ,O0O,0 600 feet of timber, but
because of poor highway facili-
ties it has been difficult to in
Continued on page 81