•130 MONTANA-1916 ; 



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BLAINE COUNTY. 



Blaine county is another of the newer counties of Montana, having been created 

 along with Hill county, by a vote of the people, in February, 1912, out of territory 

 embraced in Chouteau county. 



Milk river crosses the county near the center from west to east. North from 

 the river to the Canadian line extends a region of rolling hills, intersected by 

 numerous streams and coulees, land that is still used chiefly for grazing purposes 

 but which contains much good farming land. South of the river the country rises 

 to the Bear Paw mountains in the western, and the Little Rocky mountains in the 

 eastern part. Flowing north from these elevations are many creeks that empty 

 into Milk River. The southern slope of these hills drains into the Missouri River. 



T'.e irrigated lands in the Milk river valley are among the most productive 

 in the United States. Various small streams supply water for irrigating limited 

 are.'s. Farming without irrigation is successfully conducted on the bench lands; many 

 thousands of acres have recently been put into cultivation; and on extensive areas 

 of unoccupied public land many thousand settlers may find homes. 



The development of the agricultural resources of the Milk river valley has been 

 hindered by the delay in completing the Milk river reclamation project; but diffi- 

 culties having been overcome, there is the prospect that this great enterprise 

 will henceforth be carried on with commendable energy. Upon the completion of this 

 project it is expected that, as in the case of the Huntley project in Yellowstone 

 county, sugar beets will prove to be a most profitable crop and that a sufficient 

 acreage will be planted to cause the erection of a beet sugar factory at some con- 

 venient place. 



Blaine county has considerable mineral wealth. At Chinook are developed coal 

 mines and at many other places are coal banks that supply local demands. 



Chinook, the county seat, had a population in 1910 of 780, which has since in- 

 creased to 1,800. It is a rich and busy little city and is one of the most attrac- 

 tive places of residence in the state. It is surrounded by a rich farming country, 

 has a coal mine at its door, modern water works, business houses whose trade 

 extends over a large territory, banks, newspapers, good hotels, a creamery, elevators, 

 many churches and good schools. Chinook offers an opening for a flax fibre mill, 

 a flour mill and a beet sugar factory. 



Many thousand of fertile acres are tributary to Dodson, whose business will 

 be multiplied when the Milk river project is completed and the irrigated lands 

 settled upon. Harlem is an enterprising and growing town which owns its water 

 system and has all the conveniences of a modern city. Harlem has large business 

 houses, attractive residences, a newspaper, and is the shipping point for an extensive 

 country. 



Blaine county is in the Havre land district. The Fort Belknap Indian reserva- 

 tion is almost wholly within this county but there is no prospect that it will soon 

 be opened to settlement. 



The assessed valuation of the county is $5,587,686, and the population is estimated 

 at 10,830. 



LAND AREA — Blaine county embraces an area of 4,219 square miles, including 

 676,930 acres of unreserved and unappropriated public land available for entry under 

 the homestead law, and 16.5,479 acres of state land. Of the total area of the county, 

 378,525 acres are privately owned. 



CROP PRODUCTION— The following gives the estimated crop production for 

 1915: Wheat, 350,000 bushels; oats, 560,000 bushels; barley, 25,000 bushels; corn, 

 15,000 bushels; flax, 10,000 bushels; potatoes, 70,000 bushels; hay, 45,000 tons. 





