FOREWORD 



W^Xl/o 



It is the primary purpose of this publication to furni|]TJ 

 the State of ?iIontana for the use and information of those who^^ar? 

 towards this commonwealth as place of residence or as a field for safe and 

 profitable investment. Infinite care has been taken to present in these 

 pages only the unvarnished truth, facts and figures that cannot be success- 

 fully disputed. The truth is good enough about Montana ; the greatest 

 service that can be rendered this State in the work of advertising its 

 marvelous resources and attractions is to put the facts in plain and truthful 

 words. This we have endeavored to do in these pages. Rather than 

 publish a mass of glittering generalities encompassed in superlatives we 

 have sought to tell the story of a small part of Montana's richness and 

 greatness in direct and simple language. With this end in view there is 

 presented herewith special articles, prepared especially for publication in 

 this volume, by men of com.manding influence in Montana's affairs and men 

 who, by reason of their ability, integrity and experience, are splendidly fitted 

 to speak for Montana, 



The legislature of 1900 increased the duties of the Commissioner of 

 the Bureau of Agriculture, Labor and Industry, by providing for a pulilicity 

 department and authorizing the commissioner to collect, publish and 

 distribute such reports upon the resources and progress of this State as 

 in his judgment were expedient and practicable. Four years later, in 1913, 

 the legislature, appreciating the success of the publicity campaign which 

 had been inaugurated, created a new department of the state government, 

 to be known as the Department of Agriculture and Publicity, and vested 

 this department with the duties of furnishing authoritative information 

 concerning this State. 



The first publication of the publicity branch of the Bureau of Agricul- 

 ture, Labor and Industry, Avas "Montana," a booklet of 216 pages, issued 

 in the fall of 1909. It was received with much favor, and was twice 

 reprinted, and in addition to those printed and distributed at the expense 

 of the State, ome of the railroad companies bought and distributed fifteen 

 hundred copies. The demand for the book was greater than the depart- 

 ment, with the small appropriation at its command, could meet, and the 

 work passed out of print Avliile the demand for it continued. The second 

 edition of "Montana" was issued by the department in 1912, and was as 

 much in dem'and as the earlier work, being likewise exhausted while the 

 demand still continued. Following the distribution of "Montana," the 

 Thirteenth Report of the Bureau of Agriculture, Labor and Industry was 

 issued, much on the same plan as the 1912 "Montana," but enlarged to 

 contain census and other statistics, together with a state and county 

 directory, and so pleased was the general public with this work that the 

 report was quickly exhausted. 



It is a pleasure to call attention to the fact that these publications have 

 come to be regarded as the standard authority of Montana; that they are 



