96 MONTANA: INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES 



altitude of the county — 3.400 feet — which makes it possible to produce corn 

 both for forage and grain. In six years the land in corn grew from eleven acres to 

 five thousand acres. There is considerable truck gardening near Great Falls. 



Coal has been the chief mineral product of the county. In the number of 

 coal mines operated, it ranks first. It is also an important producer of silver, 

 lead and zinc and has commercially produced gold and copper. 

 Wide Variety There has been some development of its brick clay, fire clay 

 of Minerals and uypsuni resourci-s and of limestone and sandstone for 

 l)uildiug purposes. It also has iron, mica and manganese de- 

 posits. The iron deposits are extensive, and, because of the proximity of 

 process materials and of power, are perhaps the most valuable undeveloped re- 

 source. Drilling for oil is inider way at several places in the county. 



Great Falls is one of the important distributing and commercial districts of 

 the state and the financial center of northern Montana. It is headquarters for 

 most of the oil companies operating in the northern Montana oil fields. In the 

 variety and magnitude of its manufacturing enterprises it is the most important 

 city in the state. Approximately 100,000 horse power has been developed on the 

 Missouri at Great Falls with additional imdeveloped sites in reserve. The in- 

 dustries include copper and zinc refineries, oil refineries, a copper rod, wire and 

 cable mill, a ferro-manganese plant, flour milling, brick and clay products, a pack- 

 ing plant, four creameries, the largest railroad shops on the Great Northern be- 

 tween St. Paul and Hillyard, "Washington, and metal and wood working plants. 



No county has better rail transportation facilities. It is served by the Great 

 Northern, the Chicago. Mihvaukee & St. Paul and the Burlington. Nine branch 

 lines tap the agricultural and mineral regions. Great Falls is on the Montana link 

 of the National Park-to-Park highway, the Grand Canyon to Banff highway, 

 the Cutser Battlefield and the Buffalo Trail highways. Large sums have been 

 expended on gravel-surfaced trunk line roads. 



Great Falls, the principal city of northern Montana, is noted for its civic 



pride. It has 30 miles of street and alley pavements, 20 miles of boulevard, 725 



acres of parks and pla.vgrounds. a half million dollar munici- 



A Modern pally-owned water system, a public natatorium and a city 

 Community market. It has two daily newspapers, 40 factories, three 

 large hotels, six banks, a country club and golf course. Cascade, 

 in the western part of the county, is a .good town in a rich agricultural district. 

 Sand Coulee and Stockett are coal mining camps. Neihart and Monarch metal 

 mining camps. Belt and Armington are trading centers in the non-irrigated dis- 

 tricts in the northeastern part of the county. 



Great Falls takes its name from the cascades of the Missouri at that place 

 that were so designated by Lewis and Clark on their exploration of the Louisiana 

 purchase. Giant springs, near the falls, one of the largest fresh water springs 

 in the world, was also discovered by the explorers. Excellent fishing and hunting 

 is to be found in the mountains in the western and southern parts of the county. 



CASCADE COUNTY — Ranks second in population (37.145); twentieth in area 

 (1,758,720 acres); tenth in combined 1922 crop and livestock value; third in 1920 mineral 

 production: third in bank deposits, 1922; second in assessed valuation, 1922. Acres 

 public land, 19,834: acres national forests, 185.667. 



WEALTH PRODUCTION — Estimated 1922 crop value, |1, 582, 500; estimated live- 

 stock value. .January. 192.", $2,832,000: metal production. 1920, $825,515: coal production, 

 1920, $2,679,000; 1921 lumber cut, 45 M feet; total bank deposits, September 15, 1922, 

 $11,616,865. 



TAXATION 1922 — Total assessed valuation, $107,713,498; total taxable value, 

 $33,057,441. Total outstanding county bond indebtedness, $1,781,000; total outstanding 

 county warrant indebtedness, $18,819; total outstanding school bond indebtedness, 

 $552,050: total general and special county taxes. $622,174; total general and district 

 school taxes, $529,749; total municipal taxes, $317,523; total state taxes, $153,416; total 

 tax (inclusiyc municipal), per capita, $43.69, 



EDUCATIONAL — Number graded schools, 102; enrollment, 6,473. Number high 

 schools, 6; enrollment, 1,471, 



