298 



THE IBBIGATION AGE. 



the western slope of the main range of the Eocky Moun- 

 tains. It is entered from the east by way of Hell Gate 

 canyon, through which passes the main line of the 

 Northern Pacific route, treacling the banks of the beau- 

 tiful Missoula River, which empties into the majestic 

 Columbia. The general aspect at Missoula is most 

 striking the rock-ribbed hills, the snow-capped moun- 

 tains, the wide plains, the fertile bottom lands, the 

 mountain streams, creeks and rivulets, all contribute 

 toward making the city's environment picturesque. 

 Missoula has good orchards, natural parks, wide streets 

 and pretty driveways. The people are hospitable, and 

 the standards of culture are high. It is the home of 

 the State university, of academies and colleges; it has 

 fine clubs, social and musical organizations and 

 churches. 



from the early methods, break their large tracts into 

 small ones and convert them into crop-producing fields. 



Diversified farming has become more profitable and 

 popular with each succeeding year, but in an endeavor 

 to cultivate orchard tracts many people have overlooked 

 market gardening, and therein lies a great opportunity 

 for the industrious farmer. The city of Butte alone 

 the great mining camp will consume all of the product 

 raised within the valleys, and at prices that will make 

 the farmers' occupation most profitable. Celery is 

 raised in abundance and in paying quantities. 



In the establishment of creameries there is ample 

 scope for lucrative incomes. All of that portion of the 

 State east of Missoula supplies a ready market for more 

 than may be contributed from the productive western 

 portion. The Missoula and the Bitter Eoot valleys excel 



Part of the Canal of tin 



kane Company, near Spokane, Wash. Great Northern Railway. 



Missoula is the distributing point for all of west- 

 ern Montana the Bitter Eoot Valley to the south, the 

 great Flathead Reservation to the north, the rich min- 

 eral section of the Coeur d'Alenes west to Idaho, and 

 the tributary Big Blackfoot and Clinton districts north 

 and east. It has imposing business blocks, wholesale 

 houses and retail stores that would reflect credit upon 

 a town much larger than Missoula. The population is 

 about 10,000. 



Since irrigation has wrought such wonderful 

 changes in the State, diversified farming has gained n 

 prominent place among the various pursuits. Time was 

 when the big ranches, with thousands of head of cattle, 

 sheep and other live stock roaming upon them, were 

 considered the thing, but conditions are entirely differ- 

 ent now. There is a natural inclination upon the part 

 of the oldtimers, as well as the newcomers, to depart 



in their dairy products, and the returns from this 

 branch of the farming industry have proven it a most 

 profitable one, and there is a popular tendency to in- 

 crease the size of the herds, as it has been found that 

 there is more ready money in this than any other farm 

 department. 



It is no uncommon thing for farmers to realize 

 $575 front ten cows in twelve months, and in a number 

 of instances these figures have been surpassed. A herd 

 of Bitter Eoot cattle, twenty in number, during a year 

 showed the following results : Butter, 6,032 pounds, at 

 an average price of 29% cents per pound, bringing in 

 the munificent sum of $779.44. Besides this the owner 

 had 112,420 pounds of skimmed milk, which is valued 

 at 30 cents per hundred weight, as fed to hogs, calves 

 and chickens. This is but one of many instances. 



At present there is only one creamery at Missoula 



