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About The Hardin Tribune-Herald (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973 | View This Issue
The Hardin Tribune-Herald (Hardin, Mont.), 13 Feb. 1925, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn86075229/1925-02-13/ed-1/seq-5/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
Friday, February 13, 19 , 25. TH,11: HARDLN TRIBL'INhl HERALD Page Five. Jr Sheridan County, Montana, Where Per Capita Wealth Produced In 1924, Was $1,000, or Four Times That of The United States (By WALTER F. BRITTAN) I:I W E WILL now introduce to the readers of this newspaper, Miss Plentywood, one of the wheat queens of the west. Sheridan county. of which she is the capital, has produced in new wealth in 1924 $1.000 per capita, which is more than four times the per capita wealth creation of the United States. There are people in Montana who may not know very much about Plentywood, except that she is in the extreme northeastern part of the state, and the home of perhaps 1,500 people. But they know all about Plentywood on the Chicago board of trade, Buenos Aires, and Liverpool and other great wheat capitals of the world. Theire are farmers up in this happy section of Montana, where Ceres sits en- throned, who have been paid more money for their wheat during the past season than the president of the United States drew in salary last year. The slogan of Sheridan county is \Bread for a million.\ Looking back about a generatione ago, or to be more exact, in the year Game was plentiful and large 1901, the postoffice of Plentywood herds of deer and antelope abounded was officially recorded among Uncle in this territory; the days of the Eam's mail stations, and at that time buffalo having passed and gone, 20 the postoffice of Plentywood was lo- years before. cated at a point about seven miles The Plentywooa country was form_ WHEAT IN SHOCK on the Andrew Leland Farm, near Outlook in Sheridan county. west of the present town, and was part of Billy Stewart's log ranch house How Plentywood Was Named. The old timers report that Plenty - wood postoffice was named by \Dutch\ Henry, later a notorious outlaw, but at that time foreman of the Big Diamond home outfit. It seems that \Dutch\ Henry and his cowboys camped for dinner at a spot near Billy Stewart's ranch. Fuel was scarce, and some of the hands were delegated to make a search for this very necessary material. They dis covered a very large pile of wood which had been cached by the Indians along a small creek, and as the supply was ample for future requirements, the creek came to be known as Plea_ tywood; this name later being used to designate the postoffice located on Billy Stewart's ranch. At this time the mail was carried across country by G. N. Ator and his son, J. W. Ator, on their stage which they operated from Culbertson to Plentywood—a distance of 60 miles. Two round trips were made each week, and it is noteworthy that in order to make the trip on schedule, horses were changed' four `times dur- ing the 60 -mile journey. In 1905 Billy Stewart became ill and asked the government to be re- lieved of the duties of postmaster. The postoffice department then ap- pointed Uncle Billy's dearest neigh- bor George E. Bolster, who resided seven miles away, and on the present Lite of the town of Plentywood. In The Days of the Longhorns. During this period of the country's development ranches were scattered throughout the country about every seven or eight miles. These ranches were all rather small enterprises which specialized in either cattle or sheep. If 'a ranch raised cattle, the herd ran from 100 to 300 head, and If a sheep za,neh.,_--taio_-band ranged from 2,000 to 5,000. There was little or no farming ally opened to settlement in 1908 at which time the government sur- vey was completed, and from 1908 to 1912 settler's came in here in somewhat greater numbers. The year 1910 witnessed the ar- Mr. Walter F. Brittan, in His Survey of Sheridan County, Finds, in Part- - IT A population of 10,000 people, and a total wealth created in 1914 of over $10,000.000 --in one of the youngest counties of the state, speaking in terms of intensive agriculture. Farmers who sold their individual crop for a figure in excess of the salary of the President of the United States. IT A county that is leading all other Montana counties in the pro- duction of flax. IT Increasing shipments of hogs, due to the expansion of the corn acreage throughout the county. IT An excellent town and country school organization. The metropolitan little eity of Plentywood, oliCh has in the course of a comparatively few years, risen from the bare plains of a cattle country to a business center of much importance, offer- ing practically all the advantages of the larger civic centers. IT A very happy and prosperous people enjoyng the best of rural and city community conditions. been added and the personel of this institution now consists of sixteen teachers with over 300 pupils in the grade section and 110 scholars in the high school course, which is fully accredited. The rural school district of Plenty - wood is most amply taken care of by 35 country schools, all within a radius of 25 miles of the town. Fine Country Schools. These are all modern buildings erected according to state specifica- tions, and are furnace heated, com- plete with play grounds and all the other requisites. Rural schools are nearly all located within seven miles of each other, and where necessary, a free buss service is maintained, for the accommodation of the country pupils. The entire country school Sheridan county that are worthy of consideration. Sheridan county has a very fine system of highways and country roads. Two major railroad systems, the Great Northern and the Soo Line run through the county from east to west. Lignite coal of very fine quality is to be found in abundance throughont the county and sells at the exceptionally cheap price of $2.60 per ton delivered on wagons at the mines, or $3.50 de- livered to your cellar in town. The raising of corn and hogs is fast as- suming an industry of major propor- tions. Corn and Hogs. In 1922 Sheridan county shipped only four cars of hogs. In 1923 there were 20 carloads billed out and already during 1924, 60 car- loads of these ham and bacon pro - south of town, by his own efforts. The address of the farmers whose taised and marketed in 1924, 4,000. individual success has hereinabove bushels of wheat and 2.000 bushels been mentioned, is Plentywood. If of flax, and in addition to this, cared the reader questions the reliability for about 60 head of cattle, a carload of the narrative of these remark - of these having been shipped to the able achievements, write them. market. Mr. Munson is about 60 The Happy Hass Family. years of age. The three Hass Brothers farming James O'Toole living five miles in the northern part of Sheridan south of Plentywood, with the 88- county threshed a crop of 60,000 sistance of his two sons has raised ft bushels of wheat, averaging 30 bu- crop of 9,000 bushels of wheat and is shels to the acre. The Hass Broth - feeding 60 head of cattle, in addi- era used summer fallow methods ex- tion to operating a threshing rig elusively and farm with thorough - which has threshed nearly all of the bred horses. grain in his neighborhood. It might be well to mention here R. C. Jackson farming five miles the methods pursued in summer ml - north of town raised a field of oats low work. Adherence to this pro - Showing the SHELTER BELT on the Andrew Ueland Farm. Trees consist of Caragana, boxelder, elm, ash, pine, Candian poplar and various fruit trees. that threshed 85 bushels to the acre and tested 42 pounds to the bushel. L. C. Christensen living ten miles north of Plentywood, with the help of one man, raised 9.000 bushels of wheat on 320 acres and is feeding 35 PLENTYWOOD, seat of Sheridan county, where the per capita wealth producition in 1924 was four times the average of the United States. Wheat is king in Sheridan county, and its flax production leads the state. The Motto of Plentywood is \Bread for a Million.\ It is one of the comparatively new towns in Montana, but has arrived, and Fortune Sin flee Upon Her. rival of the railroad and for the two Years succeeding, Plentywood was the terminus of the line, and served an immense inland empire. Educational facilities were pro- vided for and-in 1901 the fir schoolhouse as built in this dis- trict. The school of one room. HARVESTING WHEAT on Haas Brothers' Farm northwest of Plenty - wood. Haas Brothers received over $50,000 for their wheat crop last fall. done in the Plentywood territory un-ihoueed one teacher and seven pupils. til about 1908 at which time a few In 1908' a grade school nI two rooms \nesters\ scatterede here and there, was erected and, two teacher's in- • were squatting on lands that had' structed about 40 children. never been surveyed. However, the During the year li413 the town farms so homesteaded, later became of Plentywood erected a large, mod - the property of these settlers upon ern brick school building, which is proof to the government of their still in use. However. Once that residence and pre-emption, time three additional buildings have Corner of SHERIDAN 'COUNTY CORN CHOW. The Corn show is an annual event in Plentywood. district is on a cash basis, a most significant fact. In 1912 Plentywood was lighted by a modern electric plant, and in 1913 and 1914 a _water .11,111LaaWage sys em was installed and five miles of concrete sidewalks were laid. During 1913 Plentywood became an incorporated city of the third class. The business district of Plen- tywood is complete and well repre- sented in all lines of trade. The town has three grain elevators, four churches, flour mill, creamery, thea- tre, hospital and in fact everything to be found in cities many times the size of this fast growing community. heridan county Is proud of Plen- tywood, her county seat, and in re- turn Plentywood is glad to be con- tained in the glorious county of Sheridan. Some startling facts have very recently been published about Sheridan county showing a produce lion in 1924 equal to $1,000 for every man, woman and child resid- ing within its confines. The figures ket. The corn acreage in 1922 was 6,000 acres, in 1923, 14,000 acres, and in 1924 30,000 acres. Corn has proven an absolute certainty -In -this country. The production of sweet clover is Increasing by leaps and bounds and shows an increase of over 1,000 per cent in the last two years. Poultry raising is being fostered and is due for a large further in- crease. Turkeys are fattening the pocketbooks of many farmcrs. Some Successes Cited. There is so much success among the farmers of Sheridan county, that pages could be written about their achievements, but as pace will not permit, a few instances only will be mentioned. • Archie Mann, farming ten miles south of Plentywood, raised last sea- son 9,000 bushels of wheat, the yield running from 33 to 62 bushels per acre. In 1923 from the same land Mr. Mann marketed 4,000 bu- SHEEP ON WILLIAM ATOR'S FARM, four miles south of Plentywood. which go to show this wonderful condition toabe a fact, are well worth re -printing and are as follows: Wheat ______-_-__1110,250,000 Flax 1,000,000 720,000 200,000 Barley ______ 54,000 250,000 320,000 108,000 180,04)4) 100.000 100,000 130,000 100,44440 Corn Tame Hay U'ild Hay Beef Cattle Horses Sheep (lambs) ....___ Poultry ----- Eggs TAr 50.04H flogs _— Coal _____ .180,000 $10,724,500 There are several outstanding of flax. facts In regard to Plentywood and George Munson farming five shels of flax. In addition to his grain crop, he has grass fed and shipped one carload of cattle to the market, the top steer of the consign- ment bringing $136 net. Henry Bain, who is a renter, farm- ing five miles south of Plentywood, raised a 400 -acre crop of wheat, and took o k as his0 is share a check for $6.00 of the Plentywood eleva- tors, August Golterman also on rented land, using summer fallow methods. averaged 40 bushels per acre of wheat from 176 acres, in 1923, and l l a a n st d. yesr duplicated this on the same . • , • . _John Uwe* . • who owns laird ten miles west of Plentywood, employ- ing one man produced in 1924, 8.000 bushels of wheat and 2,000 bushel's lies ducers have gone forward to mar- I head of cattle for market. James York, who rents land ten miles southwest of Plentywood, had in a crop of flax on old land that yielded an average of 26 bushels per acre, for a total of 1,000 bushels. Mr. York also produced a wheat crop of 3,000 bushels. gram not only absolutely insures a crop, but produces a yield that is generally equivalent to more than two years' crops raised under the ordinary methods. As soon as the shocks can be moved in the fall the farmer imme- diately thoroughly discs the field which is then let lie until spring. During the following May, the land Is again disced, which operation is followed by harrowing. In the latter part of June the field is again disced and harrowed. Sometime during July the land is again turned over by the plow and this is followed by the use of duck -foot cultivators, which are worked over the field once a month during the months of July, August and September. The land is seeded the following spring. These methods may not appeal to the lazy farmer, but if financial in- dependence is desired, this is the sure road to success. While on this subject, it will be of interest to know that from the time Sheridan county was first farmed, back in 1908, •there has only been one crop failure, and in that year, 1919, wheat averaged from three to saven bushels per acre, with old style production methods. Leads in Flax. Sheridan county leads the state in the production of flax, in fact, she raises over twice the quantity pro- duced in any other Montana county. M. P. Ostby, county agent of Sher- idan county, whose office is at Plea- tywood, has contributed greatly to- ward the adoption of improved ag- ricultural methods, and the greater success of this district. Dairying is fast coming Into mayor, and this fact is evidenced by a local creamery recently opening at Plen- tywood. Receipts for the first six months of operation show the mar- keting of 7.420_ gallons of cream, the prices paid the farmer averaging $1.00 per gallon. The creamery, 4 'ontinurd 4+14 Attnetirtnrat Page) ENTRANC1,40 RIBA FARM, one mile northeast of Plentywood. 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