144 MONTANA: INDTSTRIAL RESOURCES 



ill most parts of tlie state. The region naturally adapts itself to diversified 

 farmiug:. with dairying probably as the major operation. Timothy and clover 

 thrive, and splendid summer grazing is afforded on the national forests which 

 embrace more than two-thirds the area of the county. AVhile fruit raising has 

 not been developed to a commercial magnitude, apples, plums, cherries and bush 

 fruits do well in all parts of the county. In the western district pears and 

 peaches are grown. Vegetables and root crops are produced in abundance. 



Lumbering is the main industry, and some of the largest saw mills in the 

 state are located at Libby. Eureka. Warland and Troy. A chemical plant, the 

 only one of its kind in the world, for the manufacture of mucic and oxalic 

 acid and a number of by-products, has been built and is in operation at 

 Eureka. Butts and waste logs furnish the raw material, and the demand for 

 the product has been so much in excess of the capacity that large additions are 

 projected. 



The mining districts are in the western part of the county, on the Yaak 



river, on Callahan Creek, south of Troy, and on Libby Creek, south of Libby. 



and on Fisher River in the southern part of the county. Bul- 



Promising letin 3S4 of the U. S. Geological Survey, deals with the 

 Mining District Lincoln county district, among others, and pronounces it "a 

 promising field for the prospector. In general, the recon- 

 noissance has left a strong impression that systematic and widely -directed de- 

 velopment might considerably increase the mineral production of northern Idaho 

 and adjacent portions of Montana". The county has produced commercially gold, 

 silver, copper, lead and zinc. The existence of mica is reported. 



The undeveloped water power of the county is estimated at 31.000 horse 

 power, exclusive of many small developments. 



The main line of the Great Northern crosses the county east and west and a 

 l»ranch line runs from Rexford to the Fernie coal fields in British Columbia. The 

 Theodore Roosevelt highway parallels the railroad and serves the northern part 

 of the county. The Park-to-I'ark highway enters the county near the southwestern 

 corner and. swinging northwesterly, meets the Roosevelt highway at Libby. The 

 last stretch of the Roosevelt highway is now under construction and when com- 

 pleted late in the summer of 1924 will be one of the most scenic roads in the 

 country. The Scenic International Parks Highway, from Salt Lake to Banff and 

 the Canadian National Pf^rks. enters the county from the eastern side and at 

 Eureka swings north to Gateway into Canada. 



Libl>y. in the west central part, and Eureka, in the northeastern corner, are 

 the largest towns. Both have all modern improvements. Troy is the principal 

 mining center. At "Warland there is a large saw mill and adjacent to it are a 

 number of small developed farms. Eureka business men organized the Tobacco 

 Valley Development Association which in 1023 offered agricultural lands for sale 

 on the amortization plan, being one of the fir.st private concerns in the state to 

 adopt this method. Through its efforts a colony of former service men was 

 established in the valley. 



Magnificent .scenery, large forests, excellent fishing and big game hunting 

 are features of the county's tourist attractions. The Kootenai National Forest 

 is one of the wildest and least explored regions in the country. 



LINCOLN COUNTY — ^Ranks twenty-sixth in population (7.797): twelfth in area 

 (2.319.360 acres); fifty-third in combined 1922 crop and livestock value; tenth in 1920 

 mineral production; thirty-seventh in bank deposits. 1922: twenty-eiErhth in assessed 

 valuation, 1922. Acres public land, 6.310; acres state land, 57,265; acres national forests, 

 1,673,983. 



WEALTH PRODUCTION — Estimated 1922 crop value, S208,900: estimated livestock 

 value. .Tanuarv. 1923. S264.600; metal production, 1920. §429,624; 1921 lumber cut, 45,406 

 M feet: total bank deposits, September 15, 1922, §858,305. 



TAXATION 1922 — Total assessed valuation, $20,349,082; total taxable value, 

 $6,735,954. Total outstanding county bond indebtedness, $324,347; total outstanding 



