NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA 



131 



TETON COUNTY 



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OR iiiaiiy yciirs one of the loadiii!,' livestock 

 reiiions of Montana, stock raising still con- 

 tinues tlu> (louiinant industry in Teton coun- 

 ty, tliouiih a.iii-iculture is not far behind. 

 When the agricultural areas are developed 

 and the Irrigated and irrigable lands come 

 into production, agriculture will easily be 

 in the lead. The western part, however, 

 will proliably always continue to be de- 

 \()ted to stock raising. 



Teton county lies in north central ilon- 

 tana. extending eastward from the crest of 

 the continental divide a distance of 70 

 miles, and from the North Fork of the 

 Sun Ri\er which defines its southern 

 boundary northward about 40 miles. The 

 eastern two-thirds of the county is com- 

 posed of broad valleys and rolling bench 

 lands, of an average elevation of 3,500 to 

 4.000 feet. Steep rugged mountains occupy most of the area of the western third. 

 The Teton and Sun Rivers and Willow and Muddy Creeks are the principal 

 .streams, whose waters are gathered from numerous mountain tributaries. 



Both irrigated and non-in-igated farming is followed, with spring wheat as 

 the chief crop in acreage and value, followed liy wild hay, oats, tame hay and 

 flax. Much land in the county is irrigated, but some is not being used. Projects 

 under construction and contemplated will reclaim an additional 70,0(X) to 170.000 

 acres. When all the irrigable land is reclaimed, it will be one of the best 

 watered comities in the state. While the acreage in wild hay greatly exceeds that 

 of tame hay. more areas are being seeded on the irrigation projects each year 

 to alfalfa. In some of the non-irrigated districts there are opportunities for 

 flood-water irrigation by diversion from coulees and spring freshets over the land. 

 The best known non-irrigated district is the Porter bench which has never had an 

 entire crop failure. Other non-irrigated districts are the Teton Ridge, East 

 Button, Power and Bole. Some lands lying along the foothills of the Rockies, 

 rocky and rolling in character, were farmed during the height of the land set- 

 tlement movement in Montana, but are gradually going back to range purposes. 

 Agriculturally, this county is just getting under way. The main reliance has been 

 wheat, on both the irrigated and the non-irrigated lands, but a trend toward 

 diversification is noticeable. Though on a small scale, commercial potato pro- 

 duction has been successful, and dairy cattle and hogs are beginning to appear 

 in the irrigated districts where alfalfa is expanding. 



Coal is found at a few places in the coiuity, and drilling for oil is actively 

 under way (1})2.'V) at a numlier of plac(>s. Some good-sized flows of natural gas 

 were struck, but cased off so drilling for oil could be continued. 



The central and eastern portions of the county enjoy excellent railway fa- 

 cilities. The Shelby-Creat Falls line of the Great Northern, which is used by the 

 coast trains of the Burlington, and the (ireat Northern trains to Sweet Grass, on the 

 International border, traverse tlie eastern third of the county. A branch line from 

 Power, ruiniing east and iiortli, serves the central district. A branch line of the 

 Chicago, Milwaukee & St. I'aul, out of (Jreat Falls, also taps the central part. 



Founded during the days of. the range herds and the Indian tnider, Choteau, 

 the count.v seat, near the geographical center of the (•ount,v. is the largest town 



