R0SE1SUD COUNTY. 



Rosebud county is one of the largest in the state, embracing an area of 6,067 

 square miles. It is one of the counties in the Yellowstone valley, in the south- 

 eastern part of the state. It is bounded on the north by Dawson county, on the 

 east by Custer, on the south by Big Horn, and on the west by Big Horn, Yellow- 

 stone and Musselshell counties. 



Rosebud county was created in 1001 from a part of Custer county; and in 

 January, 1913, a large area in the western and southern parts was taken by the 

 new county of Big Horn. Rosebud is one of the counties which has been developing 

 very rapidly in recent years tut is still sparsely settled and offers excellent oppor- 

 tunities to homeseekers. Stock growing was almost the only industry when the 

 county was organized and is still a very important one. Large quantities of wool 

 and large numbers of beef cattle are annually shipped. 



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 Yellowstone 

 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 the state fairs. The 

 productiveness of the soil is strikingly shown by the great yield of vegetables and 

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

 60 to 60 bushels; oats, 70 to 90 bushels; sugar beets, IS 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, Milwaukee 

 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 north- 

 western 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, telephone, 

 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 couutry and is a pro- 

 gressive and growing town. 



The estimated population of Rosebud county in 1918 is about 15,000, based upon 

 the latest school census. 



The total area of the county is G.0C7 square miles. There are 261,647 acres of 

 unreserved and unappropriated public land subject to entry under the home- 

 stead laws. There are 194,956 acres of state land. 



The assessed valuation of the county in 1918 is $16,556,818. 



