CENTRAL MONTANA 



99 



I 



LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY 



\E of tlu' orijiiiiiil countit'S of the territory 



of Moiitiuia, brouiiht into Ix'ing on the 



wealth of its phicer jjold and further de- 



\k^l_ "^i • '^^^^'si^'^N velopod throuiih its (jiiartz treasures, tliere 



Ik'-jTSiUB*' J "^■6* '"*« i^ every indicalion tliat tlie mining industry 



of Lewis and Clarlc coiinty is on the verge 

 of a revival, and that Marysville, Rimini, 

 Unionville. Scratch Gravel and other old- 

 time camps will a.uain he important pro- 

 ducers of lead-silver and gold-silver ores. 

 While mining has been the most im- 

 portant industry, stock raising has also 

 heen extensively followed, and in recent 

 years agriculture has advanced. l)Ut the 

 tillable area in proportion to the county's 

 total area is small. Helena, the county 

 seat, is also the state capital. 



Situated in central Montana, the domi- 

 nant topographic feature of Lewis and 

 Clark county is the main range of the Rocky Mountains, the crest of which de- 

 fines more than half of the western boundary, which is upwards of 100 miles in 

 length. Midway, north and south, the range swings easterly toward the middle 

 of the county, placing a portion of its area on the Pacific slope side. The 

 county is about 40 miles in width, and in the southeastern quarter is flanked 

 on the east by the Big Belt Moimtains. The only considerable expanse of open 

 country is in the northeastern part, though there are some larger valleys which 

 give way to bench lands before meeting the mountains. 



The Missouri River flows northerly through the south half of the county and 

 many good-sized tributaries, whose source is in the continental divide and the 

 Big Belt range, empty into it. On the western slope of the comity the headwaters 

 of the Big Blackfoot River rise. On the Missouri River are the large power 

 plants. In developed horse power the county ranks second. 



Because the toiiogi-aphy of the county naturally fits large areas for livestock 



production, this industry is about four times as important as agricultui'e. Only 



about half the area of the county is in private ownership. 



Adapted to Sheep are run in large bands by big concerns, for the most 



Livestock part, Init the cattle are in herds seldom larger than 200 to 400 

 animals, owned by stock farmers who live in the mountain 

 valleys. The chief farming areas are in the northern part of the county around 

 Augusta and in the Prickly Pear valley at Helena. Alfalfa hay, small grains, and 

 potatoes are the principal crops. Near Helena there are specialized truck and 

 poultry farms. While the irrigated acreage is variously estimated from 33,000 to 

 4G.000 acres, the non-irrigated acreage is larger with spring wheat, oats, barley 

 and r.vo as the leading crops. The average elevation of the farming area is 4.000 

 feet. Some good yields of corn have been obtained on non-irrigated lands. That 

 part of the county lying on the western slope of the mountains is devoted almost 

 wholly to stock raising and mining. There is considerable acreage of irrigated 

 land awaiting settlement. 



Minerals are the most important undeveloped resources of the count.v, in the 

 opinion of many persons. The camp of Marysville produced $30,000,000, all above 

 a depth of 1.600 feet. Upwards of $10,000,000 were taken from the Unionville 



