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LINCOLN COUNTY. 



Lincoln county is considered one of the garden spots of the state, being rich 

 in scenery, in fertility of the soil, in forests and in water power. It boasts of the 

 heaviest rainfall of any county of the state, which makes it a very desirable 

 locality for dairying and farming. 



The county occupies the northwest corner of the state and comprises a large 

 area. It was created frcm Flathead county in 19C9. The greater part of the 

 county is mountainous and heavily timbered. Streams and lakes are numerous. 

 The great river of this part of Montana is the Kootenai, which is said to have a 

 larger flow of water than either the Missouri or the Yellowstone. Tobacco, Fisher 

 and Yakt rivers are important tributaries draining large regions. These rivers are 

 capable of power development because of the swift flowing current, and cataracts. 



The county is visited annually by thousands of tourists. It is a favorite resort 

 for the hunters of big game. Fishing is excellent in the streams and lakes. 



The industries are lumbering, mining, farming and fruit growing. Lumbering is 

 the leading industry and large lumber mills are operated at Libby, Eureka and 

 Warland. It is estimated that there are twenty billion feet of merchantable timber 

 standing in Lincoln county. Large numbers of men are employed at good wages 

 in the lumber industry whose permanence is assured. The lumber camps furnish a 

 local market for farm products and the wages of the workmen contribute largely to 

 the business of the town. 



The mineralized area is extensive and rich. In the southwestern part is the 

 Libby silver-lead mining district whose rocks are said to be a counterpart of those 

 of the rich Coeur d'Alene district of Idaho. The Snowshoe mine, in this district, 

 has produced about $1,000,000. About 40 miles southeast from Libby are the "West 

 Fisher gold fields where many discoveries of rich ores have been made and much 

 development work done. As soon as a railroad is built into this district, it will 

 begin to produce large quantities of gold. In the northern part near Eureka, are 

 also promising mineral claims; and the Yakt district, in which is Sylvanite, contains 

 much mineral wealth. The quartz mines present many opportunities for the suc- 

 cessful investment of capital to aid in their development. The Libby placers were 

 among the lirst discovered in Montana and have been producing gold since the 

 early sixties. Hydraulic mining followed the ground sluicing and gold dredges may 

 be used where the ground is favorable. 



The average rainfall is about 24 inches and irrigation is not necessary. The 

 growing season is long, and the altitude away from the mountain peaks, is low, 

 being 2,308 feet at Eureka, 2,113 at Jennings, 2,055 feet at Libby, and 1,881 feet at 

 Troy. Tobacco Plains is the largest area without a growth of timber; smaller tracts 

 of the same kind exist in many sections, and the area of farm lands is annually 

 added to by the clearing of cutover timberlands. Throughout the county the 

 conditions of soil, rain'all and climate are such as to insure prolific growths of all 

 grains, grasses, vegetables and fruits. 



As a fruit country, Lincoln county has exceptional advantages. The Tobacco 

 Plains district has a number of excellent orchards. Apples, plums, pears, cherries, 

 and berries of all kinds produce large crops of excellent quality. The same is true 

 of the whole Kootenai valley, which has the lowest altitude of any part of the 

 state. Many thriving orchards exist near Libby and every year a number of acres 

 of newly cleared land are planted to orchard trees. Troy is at an even lower altitude; 

 and the whole Kootenai valley has the advantages to make it one of the greatest 

 fruit districts in the country. 



The main line of the Great Northern runs through the county and a branch line 

 through Eureka and north to tap the coal lields of Canada. 



Libby, the county seat, Eureka, a big lumbering center and Troy, a railroad 

 town are the principal towns of the county. Libby, on the Kootenai river, has a 

 population of about 2,000, is modern with electric lights, newspapers, cement 

 sidew r alks, miles of graded streets, beautiful homes, substantial business houses, 

 water works and a huge sawmill. Eureka is the chief trading point for the 

 Tobacco Plains country, has electric light, waterworks, creamery, banks, newspaper 

 and a large sawmill. 



Lincoln county's area is 3,660 square miles, including 4,640 acres of un- 

 reserved and unappropriated public land. The county also has 56,925 acres of 

 state land. 



The estimated population of Lincoln county in 1918 is about 8,000. The assessed 

 valuation in 1918 is $6,951,277 including the railroad property. 



