78 



MONTANA : INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



DAWSON COUNTY 



I 



4'i -. 



'^I^Cv'*^'-*;;?^, 



^gJ^'B^- 



/ 



N EAST Central Montana, one county west of 

 the Dakota boundary. Dawson county two 

 ik'cades a£:o was noted for its bands of 

 sheep and herds of cattle. Stock-raising 

 still continues but has been supplanted in 

 importance by farming. Olendive. the county 

 si'Mt. is the largest town of the region and 

 a division point on the Northern Pacific 

 which maintains thei'e shops, a hospital, 

 and the only suppl.v station for dining 

 cars between St. Paul and the coast. 

 The Yellowstone river runs in a north- 

 easterly direction through the soiUheastern 

 part of the count.v. The land adjacent to 

 many small streams that empty into the 

 Yellowstone is rough and broken, but the 

 uplands between the valleys offer good 

 _^^_^^^^^^_^^_^^^^__^_^ ^ areas of fertile soils for non-irrigated farm- 

 ing. It is estimated that about 60 per 

 cent of the land of the county is tillable. 



Development of the irrigation possibilities along the Y'ellowstone has been 

 undertaken. In 1023 water was furnished to 1.100 acres under a pumping project 

 with a 40-foot lift, and the reclamation of an additional 2..">(X) acres under a 7.j- 

 foot lift is planned. The lands under the 40-foot lift wen* colonized in 1J)23 

 and planted to beans, but the settlers contemplate specializing on sugar beets. 



Spring wheat is the chief crop in the county. Winter wheat does not 



generally survive the winters imless seeded with some kind of stubble to protect it. 



Other small grains are also grown and corn is an important 



Corn an crop, doing well in practically all districts and returning good 



Important Crop yields of both fodder and grain. Latterly farmers have been 



turning more to diversified farming with corn an important 



feature in the program. The rough and broken lands are good grazing areas. 



Both cattle and sheep are carried. There is a farmers' shipping association at 



Glendive. 



There are large fields of lignite coal in the county which furnish cheap and 

 abundant fuel for both urban and rural homes and is also utilized as a source of 

 electrical enercry. Natiu-al gas is foiuid on the Cedar Creek anti-cline in the south- 

 eastern part of the county and is utilized in Glendive for domestic and industrial 

 purposes. Moss agates are found along the Yellowstone river. 



Railway shop and repair work at Glendive is the largest and most important 

 industrial activity in the county. Extractive industries at the same point include 

 a creamery and a floiu- mill. 



Transportation facilities are good except in the west central part. The 

 main line of the Northern Pacific ti'aAerses the southeastern quarter, and a 

 l)ranch runs northeasterly from Glendive down the Yellowstone River through the 

 irrigated district in Richland comity. Richey. near the northern county boundary, 

 is the terminus of a Great Northern branch. Surveys have been completed and 

 much construction done to carry this branch westerly to Lewistown. making an 

 alternate main line. The war interfered with the completion of this railway, 

 but it is thought work may be resumed in 1024. The Yellowstone Trail Highway 

 goes through the county. 



