WEST CENTRAL MONTANA 



115 



CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA — At Hamilton. Elevation, 3,583 feet. Average date last 

 killing frost in spring. May 17; average date first killing frost in fall, September 23 



Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June July Aug. 

 Aver. Prec. .87 .67 .72 .97 1.68 1.66 .68 .64 

 Ave. Temp. 27.9 29.2 38.2 46.9 53.3 60.6 66.7 65.2 



County Seat. Hamilton. Population County Seat, 1,700. 



County Agricultural Agent — Yes. 



MINERAL COUNTY 



Sept. 



1.11 



56.6 



Oct. 



.93 



46.8 



Xov. 



.87 



36.5 



An- 



Dec. nual 



.49 11.29 



26.5 46.2 



W 



IIILE Mineral county has the fewest farms 

 and the smallest farm acreage of any 

 Montana county, within its borders is the 

 largest nursery for growing forest trees in 

 the United States. The annual capacity 

 of the nursery is three million seedlings. 

 There ai'e areas of cut-over land, which, 



I "fniiTi ^ .-«=■ -.,.. j,i^^^^^^^Lmm ^"^'^^^^ cleared, wlil be adapted to agricul- 



BH^^lBiK'Si^^^j^Bfl^^HHI tural piu-poses. Three-fourths of the 

 PJ^H^^^KJy^aPVHpJII^^^HI county is included within national forests 



which provide excellent summer grazing 

 for sheep. Until the past year or two this 

 was not utilized. Init since then sheepmen 



I"'fefi-„|Jt |- --^^^^^^i fi'oiii the state of Washington have obtained 



■^iJB^., ^^^^1 permits. In 1923 about 60.(X)0 head of 



-^^KH^KBf \ * 2 western sheep were grazed here. 



The county lies in west central Mon- 

 tana, the crests of the Bitter Root range 

 on the Idaho-Montana boundary marlving its 

 southern and western borders, while the crest of the Coeur d'Alene mountains de- 

 fines the western half of its northern liorder. It is about 60 miles in length from 

 the southeast to the northwest, with a maximum width of about 30 miles. The 

 Clark's Fork of the Columbia runs lengthwise through the middle of the western 

 half of the county, and at St. Regis, where it swings north, receives the waters 

 of the St. Regis River, whose course is easterly from the Idaho line through the 

 center of the western part. The river affords opportunity for power development 

 at several sites. It is estimated about 14,000 acres of land are susceptible of 

 irrigation. 



The agricultural lands consist of narrow strips, in many places of bench lands 

 200 feet above the river. Livestock growing is more important than farming. 

 The principal crops are clover and timothy, grain, vegetables and small fruits and 

 berries. 



The timber resources of Mineral county are of considerable importance. A 

 modern two-band saw mill is operated at Henderson by the Mann Lumber Com- 

 pany, and there ai-e several portable mills which operate in 

 Logging the county, largely from National Forest timber. Active logging 



and Milling operations are maintained by the Anaconda Copper Mining 

 Company, the logs being shipped to the Bonner mill. The na- 

 tional forest timber in Mineral county is estimated at nearly 1.200.000 M. feet. 



Lead and zinc have been produced commercially within the comity. Large 

 amounts of placer gold have been taken from streams emptying into the Clark's 

 Fork from the south. There are man.v indications of copper. 

 Gold, Silver, but development work has been limited. 



Copper The main line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul trav- 



erses the county east and west, and a main line of the 

 Nortlu'rn I'iicific runs through the eastern half of the county as far west as St. 



