NORTH CENTRAL :\IONTANA 



129 



CHOUTEAU COUNTY 



H 





EADQUARTERS for the fur trade of the 

 Upper Missouri in early days, after 1860 

 the head of river navigation and an im- 

 portant supply point in territorial times, 

 later still a stockman's paradise in the 

 open range era, Chouteau county at present 

 is treadiiii; along diverse paths — livestock 

 and mixed farming in some districts, big 

 scale farming in other districts, and in still 

 others the development of big natural gas 

 wells and energetic drilling for oil. Farm- 

 ing and stoelc raising, at present, are the 

 chief industries. 



Chouteau comity lies in north central 



Montana, with an extreme width east and 



west of 87 miles and a maximum length of 



GO miles. The northeast coi'ner extends 



into the Bearpaw mountains and the High- 



Avood mountains form the south central 



border. The Missouri River enters at the southwest, and after being joined by 



the Teton and Marias Rivers, near the center of the coimty, makes a big bend 



to the southeast. 



Stock raising was first undertaken in what Is now Montana between 1832-3-1 

 at Fort McKenzie, situated on the left bank of the jNIissouri River six miles 

 above the mouth of the Marias. Alexander Culbertson, in 

 charge of the post, writes they had 30 to 40 horses, 10 or 12 

 cattle, a number of hogs, ''and one of the most splendid Durham 

 bulls that can be found in the United States*'. Culbertson was 

 a generation ahead of the times, and it was not until the early seventies that 

 the range industry became established, flourishing until the settlers came in 

 between 1900 and 1910. It is found today only in the mountainous districts. 

 Little attention is as yet being given by the farmers on non-irrigated lands to 

 livestock. Soil types vary, but in the main are fertile and suitable for farming. 

 Some soil blowing occurs on the lighter soils when improperly handled. The 

 topography is favorable to large scale farming, consisting mostl.v of broad bench- 

 lands with little rou,gh or broken lands. Moisture is a limiting factor in crop 

 production, necessitating, for successful farming, special methods of intensive 

 moisture conservation. Successful farmers are replacin.g the one-crop system com- 

 mon to all new countries with diversified methods, the handling of maximum acre- 

 ages at a minimum of cost and outside labor, and the growing of feed for live- 

 stock. Corn is rapidly becoming one of the main crops. 



There is a small acreage along the three rivers that is being irrigated 

 through the use of water wheels and electricall.v actuated pumps. It is asserted 

 the costs are considerably lower than on most irrigation pr().iects. Additional large 

 acreages are su.sceptible of irrigation by this method. In the western part of 

 the county a large tract of land is included in a propo.sed extension of the 

 Sim River project of the U. S. Reclamation Service. There has been some 

 slight utilization by individual farmers of floodwaters now going to waste. Thou- 

 sands of acres in this county could be given one soaking floodwater irrigation 

 which oftentimes woidd be sufficient ot insui-e a crop. An irrigation district for 

 the reclamation of 50,000 acres in the northern part of the county and 200,000 

 acres in Hill county is projected. 



Early Day 

 Stock Raising 



