•170 MONTANA-1916 • 



• • 



The county has a great extent of arable lands and the farming industry- 

 is rapidly growing in importance. Farm lands are of two kinds, irrigated lands, 

 which are situated in the valleys, and non-irrigated lands, which are situated on 

 the benches and in the foothills. The chief irrigated districts are in the Yellow- 

 stone and Rosebud valleys where are produced great yields of alfalfa, sugar beets, 

 wheat, oats, barley, corn and vegetables. In no county in Montana does corn do 

 better, and stalks and ears of surprising size have been exhibited at state fairs. 

 The productiveness of the soil is strikingly shown by the great yields of vegetables 

 and by the size of specimens. Yields on irrigated lands are about as follows: 

 wheat, 50 to 60 bushels; oats, 70 to 90 bushels; sugar beets, 18 to 22 tons; alfalfa 

 hay — three cuttings — 2 to 6 tons an acre. 



A large part of the Crow Indian reservation was in Rosebud county previous 

 to the creation of Big Horn county, in which it is now included, together with a part 

 of the Northern Cheyenne reservation. The agency and part of the latter reservation 

 remains in Rosebud county. 



The Northern Pacific railroad follows the south bank of the Yellowstone river 

 from the eastern to the western boundary of the county. The Chicago, Mil- 

 waukee and Puget Sound railroad runs along the north bank from the eastern 

 boundary to Forsyth, at which place it turns to the northwest, passes through the 

 northwestern part of Rosebud county and enters the Musselshell valley at the 

 boundary line between Musselshell and Rosebud counties. 



The principal town is Forsyth, the county seat, which is located on both 

 railroads, and in population and business is the most important town in the large 

 extent of country between Billings and Miles City. Forsyth is a progressive 

 place, has good schools, several churches, a public reading room and gymnasium, 

 municipally owned water works, a sewer system, cement sidewalks, electric lights, 

 telephones, a newspaper, banks, hotels, business houses and attractive residences. 

 The railroads employ a considerable number of men, and from Forsyth are shipped 

 large quantities of wool and livestock. It is the trading point for an extensive and 

 developing agricultural section. 



Other towns on the Northern Pacific railroad are Rosebud, which is a thriving 

 town and trading point for a large territory on both sides of the Yellowstone river, 

 and for the country, drained by the Rosebud river, and Hysham in the western 

 part of the county, which is surrounded by a very productive country and is a 

 progressive and growing town. 



The estimated population of Rosebud county is 17,875 and the assessed valuation 

 area of the county, 1,838,617 acres are privately owned. 



CROP PRODUCTION— The following gives the estimated crop production for 

 193,419 acres of state land and 100,607 acres of national forests. Of the total 

 is $12,883,047. 



LAND AREA — Rosebud county, which is in the Lewistown an* Miles City 

 district, embraces an area of 6,067 square miles, including 947,908 acres of unre- 

 served and unappropriated public land available for entry under the homestead law, 

 1915: wheat, 350,000 bushels; oats, 525,000 bushels; barley, 42,000 bushels; con., 

 165,000 bushels; flax, 20,000 bushels; potatoes, 140,000 bushels; hay, 40,000 tons. 



In 1915, the assessor's rolls showed the following livestock: horses, 13,560 

 liead; milch cows, 1,309 head; other cattle, 29,770 head; sheep, 109,945 head; 

 swine, 3,138 head. 



SANDERS COUNTY. 



Sanders county embraces the country lying north of Missoula and south of Lincoln 

 and Flathead counties adjacent to Idaho. It was created in 1906 from a part of 

 Missoula county and named for Wilbur F. Sanders, who was a distinguished pioneer. 



