HILL COUNTY. 



Hill county is another of the northern tier of counties, touching the Canadian 

 line. It was created by a vote of the people March G, 1911, being carved out of a 

 portion of old Chouteau county. It is bounded on the north by Canada, on the east 

 by Blaine county, on the south by Chouteau and on the west by Toole. It is just 

 at the center of the state, east and west, being practically the same distance from 

 North Dakota and from Idaho. 



This county is strikingly typical of eastern Montana in its rapid development, 

 of its agricultural resources and the things that make for advancement in other 

 ways. Formerly regarded as lit only for grazing, it has furnished homes for 

 thousands of new settlers who have filed upon the public land and have made good 

 as settlers and farmers. Many in the early days took up one hundred sixty acres, 

 when they had the pick of the land while the later comers have been able to get 

 three hundred twenty. From these homesteads they have acquired enough of the 

 world's goods to now be regarded in most cases as independent for the rest of their 

 lives. An exceptionally large percentage of the land of the county is tillable and 

 the county is rapidly taking its place as one of the most productive counties of 

 the state, with sufficient rainfall. 



Most of the tillable land is farmed by the dry farming method and the crops 

 produced have been satis'. actory and in some cases large. Although grain raising 

 is considered the principal occupation, the raising of livestock lias by no means 

 been neglected. Formerly a ranching country, it has continued to be a natural home 

 for livestock, although the animals are taken care of now by the small farmer in 

 small herds. Many of these are now well graded stock, which is typical of the 

 change in Montana stockraising. Dairying is gaining favor in the county and cream- 

 cries are beginning to be quite common. Hog raising has received much encourage- 

 ment in this county and is rapidly becoming a source of the farmer's prosperity. 



The chief crops grown are, wheat, oats, flax and barley. Some corn is raised 

 and on this the hogs are fed, principally. The numerous elevators which are to be 

 seen at every small town bear testimony to the fertility of the soil and the amount 

 of grain raised in the county. 



The Milk river enters Hill county and flows on east into Blaine and Phillips. 

 It is along here that the principal part of the Milk River Reclamation Project is 

 located. The project has only been completed enough in Hill county so far to supply 

 limited areas. Besides Milk river there are numerous small creeks which water all 

 parts of the county. 



Discovery of natural gas within two miles of Havre — gas in such quantities 

 that it heats the city, adds much to the attraction which the county holds out to 

 settlers. There is much prospecting for oil, and geologists are authority for the 

 statement that both gas and oil underlie a portion of the county. The utilization 

 of the large deposits of natural gas in the vicinity of Havre make it probable that 

 that city will shortly become a manufacturing center of considerable importance. 



Havre, the principal city and county seat, has undergone great development 



and growth within the past few years. It has an estimated population of more 



: than 5,000 and an assessed valuation of more than $2,000,000. It has three banks, 



j three wholesale houses, two daily and three weekly newspapers and many fine 



business blocks and hands.ome residences. Its schools are considered among the 



> best in the state. It has city water and an electric lighting system and is thoroughly 



modern in every respect. The Great Northern transcontinental line passes through 



it and here is located a division point. The payroll from the railroad shops is a 



■ goodly sum and adds to the prosperity of the community. 



Hingham, Kremlin, Iverness and Gildford are other growing towns along the 

 Great Northern railway. 



While the influx of homesteaders has been large, there is still some good land 

 to be had by filing. There are more than 82,000 acres of unreserved and unappro- 

 priated public land available for entry under the homestead laws. There are also 

 204,183 acres of state land that can be purchased at a low price. 



The population of the county is estimated at about 25,000 people. The assessed 

 valuation in 1918 is $17,084,718 including the railroad property. 



