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About Grass Range Review (Grass Range, Mont.) 1912-1942 | View This Issue
Grass Range Review (Grass Range, Mont.), 19 April 1917, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn86075151/1917-04-19/ed-1/seq-3/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
• THE GRASS RANGE REVIEW - • WHERE FLAX GREW TOWN FLOURISHES ONLY EivE YEARS AGO SITE; OF THE TOWN OF FAIRVIE* WAS A FARM. Now It Is Robust Town of 1,5i00 an Is Growing Rapidly; Great North- ern Will Make It Freight and Pas- senger Division Point on Rockford- Lenistown Cut Off. By C. E. HICKS. Five years ago the site of what is now the thriving little city of Fair- viewowas a flax field. Now it is the home of 1,500 people, is lighted by electricity, and contemplates the in- stallation of water works. Its peo- ple walk to up-to-date mercantile es- tablishments on cement sidewalks. Sixty thousand acres:of the finest ir- rigated soil in the lower Yellowstone valley surround it, and its people, as- sured of permanent prosperity from C. E. Hints. this productive area, look confident- ly into the future. - It is the only town in Montana that is possessed of two postoffices. However, the commercial club makes no boast of this unique situation in Its literature, because one of the postoffices is located in North Dako- ta. A ,,street marks the boundary line between the two states, and a Montana resident of Fairview, living on the west side of this thorough- fare can discuss matters with his Da- kota neighbor, living on ,the other side of the street, withont recourse to the telephone. A Division Point. The Great Northern Railroad com- pany has announced that Fairview is to be the freight and passenger di- vision point for the New Rockford - Lewistown cut off. This will mean railroad shops, sooner or later. The railroad company has constructed two immense bridges, one to 'the north of the city and one to the south, across the Yellowstone rlker. The reason for two structures is that the corepany, having two main lines to the _coast, can make up trains at this railroad center when either of the two lines is put out of commis- sion, and prevent delay in travel and In the carrying of the mails. qv The Soo line from Sanish. North Dakota has entered into an arrange- ment with the Great Northern which permits its trains to make use of 4ne of these bridges, which gives the town another railroad connection. It is also current rumor that the feder- al government will not permit of the building of any more railroad bridges across the Yellowstone for some miles on either side of the town, which means that other rail- roads will cross the river on awe ., structures. Coal Within Town Limits. A fine coal deposit within the town's boundaries, supplies an abun- dance of fuel, and the daily output is 400 tons. Representatives of sugar beet coin- paniechave been making soil tests in the vkinity of Fairview with the idea of lociting a factory here. The soil is said to be peculiarly adapted to sugar beet culture, and experi- ments in growing beets have met with success. A new industry that promises much is feeding stock. Hardy bro- thers have made their hay bring bring them $22 a ton, in normal times, by feedine it to sheep. John Thorson has made immense profits in feeding hogs and cattle. With the advent of the sugar beet and the rotation of crops this Promises to be one of the best stock feeding around in this part of the country. A number of new buildinSn will be constructed this spring. A con- tract ham been let for the bunting of a two Story bank building; a`jarge garage is under construction. af a number of residences Eli plani d. A large ntitnber of new settlers re coming in, and it is confidently ex- pected that hi , fore 1918 Fairview will have a population of 2.500. If you know anything wol . thwhIle, keep it to yourself. The fellow who doesn't is always telling R. FARMERS BUYING BETTER LIVESTOCK. There is a general diapoultion among ferments thronghoot the state to hnr from/two or three to a doy- en head of good Pattie- 00041 rattle coat no more to raise than poor ones. And are wort% a great deal more money Farmers who are oterested in haring rattle, or making any im- provement,' on their farms. and who ne•el to borrow monev .to do so. •hottlit eorrwspond with The Rank - tag Corporation. at Helena. or see their torsi agent for Information. Loans erode promptly—so red taps, —fair rates and prepayment terms. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• From Log Store to Merchant PrincelLAND LOANS IN , .. MONTANA CONT OL •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• T. C. Power Has Covered State With Commercial Enterprises in 50 Years •• •• •• 00 00 . 00 •• Fifty years ago this spring Thomas C. Power, a young civil engineer who had been for two or three years in the emplor of the government, step- ped off a river steamboat at Fort Benton and began unloading a small stock 'of merchandise for trading purposes, having determined to make his fortune in commercial enterprises In the great northwest. He placed his stock of goods in a log cabin and began to barter them for * gold dust and furs, his customers being In- dians, soldiers, trappers, prospectors, miners from the placer camps and the rest of the picturesque frontier population which was sparsely scat.: tered here and there over the plains and in the mountain gulches, and found their way now and again to the head of navigation on the Mis- souri to buy provisions and equip- ment with which to wrest riches from the wilderness, also seeking what re- creation and entertainment the little river settlement afforded. From that log cabin store in the course of half a century has devel- oped a chain of commercial institu- tions covering a considerable portion of the state, which this year will rec- ord sales of upward of $6,000,000, and which cover floor space of more thhn two miles square. That log cabin store was a crude affair, but it served its purpose, and form it have sprung scores of modern mercantile institutions, and it is Mr. Power's boast today that 70 per cent of the Power stores and other com- mercial enterprises a - e housed in modern, fireproof buildings,, each erected to fill its particular needs. . Kept Pace With Times. Not only in the meter of buildings have the Power concerns kept pace with the advance lit \improved facil- ities. The ox team of the early days has,been superceded by spanking teanis of horses and where efficien- cy can be increesed the big teams are giving way toWgh powered motor trucks. The shining feature of 50 years of progress has been that the house of Power has at all times been in the front rankNf the state's ad- vancement. To record the story of commercial actiVities of Mr. Power and his as- sociates would be to review the his- tory of Montana in all that has to do with commerce and agriculture. Coming into the territory at a primi- tive, stage, the needs of the oncom- ing stockman, sheepgrower, miner, homesteader and modern farmer have been catered to in each step of transformation of this wonderful Treasure state, by the ever increasing stores and supply stations which have sprouted from that little log hut on the edge of the \Old Missou- ri\ at the Fort Benton trading post. A Bit of History. Thomas C. Power, pioneer trader, merchant, tranpportation genius, pol- itician and financier, was born in Du- buque Iowa, May 22, 1839. His fa- ther, Michael Power, was a native of Ireland, and his mother, who was Catherine McLeer before her mar- riage, was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. Michael Power came to America when a boy and settled in Iowa, that time.one of the fronti cts, and in 1836 to Miss Mc - Leer in the village of Peru, a suburb of Dubuque. By occupation the eld- er Power was a farmer and also was engaged in the mercantile business as well as lead alining. tHe was the true type of industri- ns and enterprising emigrant from the Emerald Isle and did his full share of introducing civilization into the middle west. He died in his fiftieth year. being survived by Mrs. Power, who reached the ripe age of 76. Boyhood on Firm. The childhood of T. C. Power was passed on the parental farm in Iowa, he being the eldest of the children, and his services were early required for work about the place. His early education was much the same as that of the average farmer boy of those days, attending the country schools. where he received the rudiments of education but being a natural lover of books, supplemented his early learning by devotion to studies of his own choosing. He was interested inecivil engi- neering and and when e opportu- nity presented itself, completed a three-year course in the Sissinawa Mound college in Wisconsin. After leaving college he taught school for some time before engaging in Jila profession as in engineer. In 1660 he joined a surveying par- ty to work in the Dakotas. Tile free life of the plains appealed to hffil and he 1 1 ,Ati1ight In the pursuit of ex- plorititts of new land. After follow- ing thinlite of the government sur- veyor for a number of years, he joined a private party in the ascen- sion of the Missouri as far as Fort Benton. Makes Cirip to Benton. It was during the trip to Benton as a member of the engineering ex- pedition that the instinct of the trad- er, the merchant and the far:eight- edness of the financier matilfeeted itself, for thereupon Mr. Power fore- saw the future, of the then gent ex- Panee of apparently sterile land and decided to cast his lot in the great unexplored region. The following year. -'67, he brought he first stock of merchandise up the river by steamboat and devoted his initial enterprise to the trade of the posts across the border of Canada into the country around the present site of Lethbridge and Calgary. While the place at Bentdn con- tinued for years as a forwarding sta- tion, the mercantile -activities of t h r. Power were directed toward sputh, and Helena was selected as the location for the first branch store in 1867. The following year Mr. Power was joined by his brother J. W., with whom, in company with John M. Sweeney, the business under the name of T. C. Power & Co. riiias formed, occupying a store on Main street just below Sixth avenue in Helena. First Branch in Helena._ The following year the Helena headquarters were Moved to the lo- cation where the barber shop of the Placer hotel now stands and the yards of the concern were extended to include the ground occupied by A. P. Curtin's big store between Grand and Breckenridge. In 1868 the development of the fa- , mous Gallatin valley had become an assured fact and a branch store was established at Bozemah, where it has been maintained ever since. From this point stores at Belgrade, Man - Hon. T. C. Power. hattan and Willow Creek were sub- sequently installed to meet the re- quirements of the repidly developing country. There was no rumors of railroad strikes in the early days but the question of transportation was a most vital one to the pioneer miners and settlers. The country was at- tracting many settlers and the mer- chants, found difficulty in securing *applies. Opens Transportation. Mr. Powet's solution of the prob- lem not only overcome the question for his own establishments, but opened a way for supplies to other dealers of that early period of mer- cantile endeavor. In order to be as- sured of the required stocks he es- tablished in 1869 a steamboat route employing nine river steamers, each of which could complete three or four trips to Fort Benton during the open season, whi0\generally closed about July. To supplement the steamboat traf- fic It was necessary for Mr. Power to put o hid' own bull and mule team ins to carry his stock of goo into the interior and in this y regular travel was bontinued to Last Chance, Virginia Cit) and other thriving communities. During the bull team days Mr. Power was perppnally in charge of the work and feequently put in 20 hourss. a day as head of operating crews at the landing docks and on the road. Until the advent of the railroad in 1883, trains of not less than 60 teams, some drawn by oxen and some by mules, were constantly employed and thus, not, only the Power institutions, but other pioneer merchants were kept in supplies. Coming of Itoilroad. Wifh the coming of the Vorthern Pacific, the bull team traffic ails con- tinued in forivarding operations with Helena as a base and for a number of ysars that form of frontier transpor- iation was maintained. Throughout the early settling of the territory the name of T. C. Power was linked with the advance of civ- ilization. Whereve'r there was any movement of pioneers there was the trading post of the Power inter- ests. In this cohesion of settlers and supply merchants the store of the present Power Mercantile company of Lewistown, now one of the lead- ing commercial concerns of the state, was started under the name of T. C. Power & Bro. In 1887 the Benton Hardware com- pany was formed, followed by the establishment of the Power -Morgan company in 1892. the Bogy Mercan- tile company in 1900. the C scade Mercantile company in 1906 and the •• •• • • •• •• Power -Wilson company in 1914. The three later concerns each operate a number of storesein. The Belgrade company, Ltd., established in 1890 and the Townsend Hardware & Im- plement company formed in 1911, are controlled by the Power lilies. eats. Headquarters at Helena. • , When all of the above concerns are under the immediate direction of and are affiliated with the T. C. Pow- er company, with home offices at Helena, the various companies are in- dividually incorporated and conduct- ed by the partners of Mr. Power, who ha4e been instrumental in the up - building of the wonderful business as a whole. • Mr. Power acknowledges the part that each company manager has played in the success of the individ- ual enterprises and attributes his marvelous, accomplishments to the selection of his associates. here it may be stated that company managers are of stockholders all Right the FEDERAL LAND WAN BANK IS IN HANDS . OF SENATORS •• 'Imp se _ ear '4` • O'SIVEA AND HOGAN. —parViers in the business, which they ai:e building. Furthermore, em- O'Shea Is President and Hogan Has ployes of these institutions have been encouraged to become stock Been Appointed Appraiser; Hogan holders and many of them have tak- en advantage of the oportunity to 'pecure an interest in the concern by which they are empi t oyed. Employes Share Profits. Was Miner in Butte, When Elected Secretary of State; Came Out of Office a Lawyer. . State Senator Thomas, S. Hogan of To the personal devotion of the individual employe, clerk, account - Yellowstone county, has been named ant, manager haa been added the as land appraiser for the federal landy- 4 - - guiding influence of the niaster mind district in which Alkntana is lOtated: • and cool, calculating judgment of There are two appraisers for each Mr. Power himself, witil the com- bined efforts of the organization district. The second appraisership a. centered on one goal—to keep the Power associated stores in the van of commercial activities in the State of Montana. In the conduct of the affairs of the parent company as well as the multi- tudinous enterpr4ses with which he Is connected, Mr. Power has' been t ably assisted by his son, Charles B. Power, who is assuming mkny of the administrative duties of hi father. GERMAN MADE TO SALUTE THE FLAG MALTA CITIZENS TEACH GER- MAN SYMPATHIZER A LES- SON IN PATRIOTISM. Friend of the Kaiser Fined' $100 for Treasonable Utterances and Is Compelled to Kneel and Pay Hom- age to Old Glory: Greetings Sent to President Wilson. Salute the good people of Malta. They have set the residents of many larger towns and cities an example in the matter of punitive patriotism. A German farmer, residing near the town, on a homestead which Uncle Sam had provided him with,, has been giving vent to traitorous utterances. He was tried, adjudged guilty and fined $100 and costs. Out of the proceeds of the good harvest he had grown under the stars and stripes he paid his fine. Lonesome Friend of Kaiser. But this did not satisfy the patri- otic men of Malta. At the conclu- sion of the trial they marched this lonesome friend of the kaiser to a band stand on the principal street of the town. In front of the band stand is a liberty pole. As the stare and stripes were run up to the top of the pole, the German, at the sug- gestion of his fellow citizens, got down on his knees, took off his hat. and sainted the banner of liberty. He was then allowed to depart in peace. Tbe incident was witnessed by hun- dreds of approvin t g:flectators. h Message to President. On the evening following this oc- currence, on the call of Mayor Henry Coisner, a patriotic meeting as held. Several hundred of the best people of the town attended the meeting. Ad- dresses were made by Frank B. Lin- fderman o Helena, Attorney C. H. Stevens: Rev. Shenefelt, and George T. Chambers, the latter a civil - was, veteran. A telegram was sent to President Wilson, assuring him that Malta and Phillips county were with him to a man in the present crisis. HAVRE WOMEN LEARNING SOME POLITICAL TRICKS At the election for two members of the board of education, the wo- men of Havre und,ertook to slip over some sly politics on the men and came very near succeeding. James Holland. Sr., and Warren Smith had been nominated to succeed them- selves as members of the school board and there being no other nom- inations file' a little public interest was taken in the contest. Two hours before the polls closel women voters Came in numbers and by pre - concerted action cast their votes for Mrs. Frank Nelson ari-d Mrs. 0. Whit- lock. They lacked only 13 and 15 votes of succeeding. A pvson *ho claims to be an au- thority claims that women's legs are growing larger and more muscular. Well, it isn't the weight of the clothes they are wearing that is caus- ing the development. Gophers Are Pro-Gerynans Gophers are enemieS . of -the United ,States' government and of the people of the United States. In some sections they rob our nation ot50 per cent of the crop Montana has tot) many of these pests, which, by destroying 'a portion of our food- supply, are offering aid and comfort to our enemies. _ We cannot arrest these enemies, line them up against a wall and shoot them, but there are other ways to put them out of business, and every farmer in Montana who fails to ta e some action against them is allowing himself to be robbed of portion of his profit. / Go to your dealer and buy a supply of gopher poison, and with this ammunition get busy. Boys can do this work. There is a reliable gopher poison that is guaranteed to give results at\ a cost of one cent per aste. ItAltE THE WEEK FROM APRIL 30 TO MAY 5 GOPHER WEEK AND SEE HOW MANY YOU CAN MAKE GOOD GOPHERS. LIFE POSITIONS FOR POSTMASTERS MANY MONTANA OFFICIALS ARE ADVANTAGEOUSLY AFFECTED BY SWEEPING ORDER. Tenure of Office for Presidential Postmasters Made Permanent Dur- ing Good Behavior; 1,29 Postmas- ters in Montana „Removed From Hazard of Politics; One hundrk , and twenty-nine Montana postmasters have been re- 'filoved from the zone of political dis- turbance and given ,life positions, subject to removal by the postmas- ter general when the efficiency of the service demands that a change be made. . 4 This sweeping order, which was approved by President Wilson thy; week, affects all of the presidentiil postmasters in Montana, including. the postmaster of Butte. There tR'e In the state seven postmasters of the first class, 17 of the second C1888 and 105 of the third class, all of whom receive a civil service status by this executive order. Have Life Jobs. Under the application of the order residential postmapters automatic- lly come into possession of life jobs, subject only to removal for cause. When the commissions under which they hold office for their present terms expire they will not be obliged -to take civil service examinations in order to hold their riesitions. Civil service examinations are to be or- dered only to fill vacancies caused by death, resignation or removal. Transfers Are Possible. It 18 intended that postmasters shall be put in much the same status (- as consuls, wh -tn4Se the consular service their fe pro ession and who are subject t trans er from one post mkt nother. Under a further develop- ment of the plan the postmaster at Columbus, O., for instance, might be sent to reorganize the postal service at Spokane,- Wash, and transfers from one city to another may become common. . It is said that some members of congress are inclined to rebel at the new condition, because of the fact that it takes from them the distribu- tion of patronage. But the order has been signed and is in effect and it will require a hard fight to change it. VACANCIES IN ,FIRST MONTANA ARE FILLED Promotions to fill va'cancies in the official staff of the Second Moniana have been made, whereby four lieutenants become captains; four second lieutenants first lieutenants and five sergeants were made.second lieutenants. Adjutant General Greenan made the following announcements after Govern dii Stewart hadauthorized the appointnients: First Lieutepints promoted to cap- tains: William 0. Whipps, Orville L. An - (Jenson, John R. Sternhager and James Gleason. Second Lieutenants promoted to first lieutenants: Henry N. Johnson. Alexander G. Swaney, Henry L. eiter and John E. McCarthy. Sergeants promoted to second lieutenants: Charles Thompson. Winter') J. Masten, Chester Rude, °rain°. F. Newkirk and William M Swartout. went to J. M. Anderson of Medford, Oregon. Hogan Is Well Known. ' Senator Hogadris very well known all' over the state. As a young man 44 . 4. he worked in the mines of Butte. He Senator Thomas F. Hogan. was elected secretary of state on the Populist ticket, when that political organization captured the state about 20 years ago. The young min- er improved his opportunity. He studied law and by the time his term of office had expired was admitted to the bar. A few years later he lo- cated in Billings. He has extensive farm interests in Yellowstone coun- ty. Montana Men Control. Montana did not get the federal land loan bank for this district. It went to Spokane. But with Senator O'Shea of Red Lodge in charge of the bank and Senator Hogan of Billings . as the Bank's land appraiser, it would seem, niter all, that Montana is in control or/WS - institution. Spo- kane may have the bank. but Mon- tana men are directing its affairs. , Good Example. Once a very youtbful chicken -fan- cier had in his possession a couple of bantam hens that laid very small eggs. Ile finally hit upon a plan to remedy this. When the lad's father went she next morning to the chicken house he was surprised to find an ostrIch egg tied to one of the beams and above it a card with this notice: \Keep your eye on this and do your best.\—New York Times. Service and Strength Great Fallss is geographi cally situated to give better service to country banks than any other city within the state. The Finn Na- tional is the big- gest bank. In north Montana and is fully equipped to render prompt efficient service. Your patronage is solicited. FIRST NATIONAL BANK Great Falls :4:oaten*. Established 1886. WHY PAY MORE THAN 60c PER ACRE FOR YOUR HAIL INSURANCE? This Company wrote a larger line of HAII. IN/ItHANCE fast year than any other Cotnpany operating In Homeric We wrote over 12.(W111.- 001),Mso for osore than 2.0110 farmer. They are satisfied. WHY NIT MORA?. Write for full InformatInn. MONTANA EQUITY . MUTUAL HAIL & FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY 27 214-20 AO 11 Tod Block. OMIRAT FALLS' MONTANA. '\Wmor 'WNW 70*Er likar 111 1 %. 'Nur ar- They'll Steal You Blind! Every,pair coats you a bushel of grain per year counting what 'they vat and the grqwfng grain plants they destroy. Can you aRced to let • them live? You can kill them all for I cent an saw Kill.,Em..Quicic 0 0 P HAD AND SQUIRREL POISON Get it—it gets the gopher. Its odor attracts. its sweet taste pies it always kills—maw back if it fails. Safe, easy to a j simply mni> air into moistened oats or ground feed and drop to burrows. Cimino. I cent an acre. 1(10 -acre sire $1.00. 40. Sire 30c. Get it from your local dealer. If he can't supply rog, we morals $I 00 sue prepaid upon receipt of price. Send for IPP•• (Sootier Honk, • Leo filiapiliso as Cs.. Lis. 1st Ave. N., Iffliespolis, Whet. ... ANL , 4114. 1 .1111.. 1 1114.m. Iiildino , iffigran. C - a 4 • 4