44 



MONTANA: INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



Biggest Coal 

 Field in 

 Country 



A carbou black plant has boeu established near Baker which utilizes part of 

 the gas, and it is also piped to Baker, where it is used for domestic and industrial 

 purposes. Fallon county is a part of a coal field that the 

 U. S. <ieoloj.'ical Survey states contains 12.000 square miles of 

 nu'rchantalile lijinite coal, the largest sinjrle coal area in the 

 country. The existence of Fuller's earth and kaolin in the 

 county is reported and it is po.ssible that a market for the 

 Fuller's earth can be found at the oil refineries now operating in the state, 

 OUie. in the uorthwe.st corner, is served by a branch line of the Northern Pacific 

 out of Beach. North Dakota. 



Besides the carbon black plant. Baker has a tile and brick yard plant, and 

 a creamery which has fostered dairyinsr. 



The Chicaso. Milwaukee & St. Paul main line is built east and west through 

 the middle of the county, and is paralleled liy the Yellowstone Trail Highway. 



Baker, the comity .seat, is the largest town and a distributing point for a 

 large area to the south of it. Westmore and Plevna are smaller railroad towns. 

 Trading points are foimd in the interior. 



FALLON COUNTY — Ranks fortieth in population (4,548); tliirty-ninth in area 

 (1,029,120 acres); thirty-seventli in combined 1922 crop and livestock value; thirty- 

 fourth in 1920 mineral production: thirty-eight in bank deposits. 1922; fortv-fourth "in 

 assessed valuation, 1922. Acres public land, 26,038; acres state land. 49,015. 



WEALTH PRODUCTION — Estimated 1922 crop value, $1,432,200; estimated live- 

 stock value. January, 1923, $1,077,800; ccal pi-oduction, 1920 $1,400; total bank de- 

 posits, September 15. 1922. $813,855. 



TAXATION 1922 — Total assessed valuation. $13,575,902; total taxable value, 

 $4,528,873. Total outstanding county bond indebtedness, $681,000; total outstanding 

 county warrant indebtedness. $9,270; total outstanding school bond indebtedness, $66,070; 

 other" school debts, $278. Total general and special county taxes, $97,954: total general 

 and district school taxes. $97,023; total municipal taxes, $38,297: total state taxes, 

 $21,606: total tax (inclusive municipal), per capita. $56.04. 



EDUCATIONAL — Xumber graded schools, 66; enrollment, 1,100. Xumber high 

 schools. 4; enrollment. 154. 



BUSINESS STATISTICS — Xumber of railroads, 2; railway mileage, exclusive spurs 

 and sidetracks. 42.79. Xumlier cf manufactures, 8; average number wage earners, 8; 

 value of prcducts, $126,132. Xumber of banks, 7. Xumber general stores. 10; confec- 

 tionery, etc., 7; groceries and meats, 5: lumber yards, 3: total number merchants, 94. 

 Total assessed valuation 1922 mercliandise, $173,971. Xumber grain elevators, 9: total 

 capacity. 240,000 bushels. Xumber creameries, 1. Xumber of lawyers, 8. Xumber of 

 physicians, 4. 



AGRICULTURE (1920 census) — Xumber farms. 758, farm acreage, 576,754; im- 

 proved farm acreage, 171.815: irrigated acreage, 400 (estimated); average value all 

 property per farm, $14,696. Livestock assessed 1922 — number cattle, 13,703; number 

 sheep, 7.362: number horses, 8,974: number swine (census). 1,363. 



CLIMATO LOGICAL DATA — At Plevna. Elevation, 2.757 feet. Average date last 

 killing frost in spring, Ma\- 23; average date first killing frost in fall, September 26. 



An- 

 Jan. Feb. Mar. April ^lay June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Xov. Dec. nual 



Ave. Prec. .59 .45 .65 1.12 2.11 2.79 1.90 1.32 

 Ave. Temp. 14.2 15.8 26.2 43.0 52.2 62.8 70.2 66.7 



County Seat, Baker. Population County Seat, 1,067. 



County Agricultural Agent — Yes. 



1.05 

 56.4 



.85 

 43.8 



.46 



32.8 



.38 

 18.9 



13.67 

 41.9 



Grinnell Mountain: McDermott Lake. 



