Ravalli County, Montana 1921
Ravalli County, created by separation
from Missoula County April 1, 1893, has a land area of 2,391
square miles. It lies in Western Montana and comprises the
greater portion of the Bitter Root Valley. It is bounded on the
west by the Idaho line, which follows along the jagged range of
the Bitter Root, on the east by the Granite County line, marked
out by a spur of the Rockies, and on the south by the
Continental divide. With a length north and south of
approximately seventy miles. It has a width of about eighteen
miles, and is hemmed in by mountain ranges on all sides save the
north. The Bitter Root River, a large clear mountain stream, is
fed by numerous tributaries coming down from the mountains on
both sides of the valley, and the tourist may here find
beautiful scenery with splendid hunting and fishing.
Historic Associations
Bitter Root Valley has its historic
associations. In 1805 Lewis and Clark, crossing over from the
Big Hole, passed down the valley on their route westward. Here
also, in 1841, the Jesuit fathers established the first church
in Montana, St. Mary's Mission, which still stands in what is
the town of Stevensville. They also plowed, seeded and harvested
the first acre of land in Montana. The Nez Perces in their
outbreak of 1877 swept through the valley, and the Flathead
Indians made it their home until they were removed to the
Flathead reservation in 1 89 1. It was here that Marcus Daly
established his racing stud and bred some of the most famous
winners on the American turf.
Resources of Ravalli County
Up to the present time Ravalli County
has developed no mineral resources. Its pioneers were mostly
lumbermen, who established what was for a time the dominant
industry, but which now holds a secondary position. Though they
cut over thousands of acres of land in the county, large
commercial stands of timber still remain. There are 1,129,567
acres included within the Bitter Root National Forest and 7,900
acres within the Lolo National Forest.
Many of the early settlers who came
here to cultivate the land engaged extensively in fruit growing,
which industry for a time put on the aspect of a "boom." But too
little regard was paid to location and the character of the
soil, and as a result some met with failure. Better judgment,
guided by experience, has served to stabilize the industry and
make it profitable, and there are now about 35,000 acres in the
county laid out in orchards. Many former orchard tracts have
been planted to hay and grain, for dairy herds and swine.
General farming, dairying and flour milling are also carried on
successfully. Most of the farming is done under irrigation. The
greater part of the land surface is rolling, with considerable
slope near the foothills. Here and there the slope is broken by
bench lands some of which have been placed under the ditch. The
soil varies from a gravelly light soil to a deep loam. The farm
crops in general consist of hay, both wild and tame, wheat,
oats, barley, potatoes and other vegetables, apples and
cherries. The price of irrigated land is from $100 to $200 an
acre; non-irrigated land about $30 an acre, and grazing land
from $7 to $15 an acre. The transportation facilities are
adequate to present needs. A branch line of the Northern Pacific
from Missoula runs practically the entire length of the valley,
which is also traversed by the Park-to-Park road link.
Ravalli County has made ample
provision for education. Besides the rural and graded schools
there are high schools at Hamilton, Stevensville, Corvallis and
Victor, each accredited for the four year course.
The Hamilton High School also
maintains a teachers' training department. Though having an
elevation on over 3,000 feet on the Pacific side of the divide,
the climate of Ravalli County is in general mild, extremes of
temperature being comparatively infrequent. In the development
of the tourist trade, dairying, horticulture and the raising of
blooded livestock, new settlers may find abundant opportunities
for industry with the prospect of an adequate reward.
Hamilton and
Vicinity
The largest city in Ravalli County is
Hamilton, the county seat, which is a town of modern
conveniences, substantial business blocks and handsome
residences. It has also good educational and religious
facilities. It is situated near the center of Bitter Root Valley
in the midst of a fine apple country, and with pine forests in
the vicinity. Among its industries are a large sawmill, a sash,
door and box factory and a lath mill. Adjoining the town is
Bitter Root Stock Farm, founded by the late Marcus Daly, now
owned and managed by Mrs. Marcus Daly. This estate contains
22,000 acres and is one of the finest, if not the finest, in
Montana. A picturesque locality near town is known as Forest
Hill. The City of Hamilton contains eight churches, among which
the most notable are the Methodist Episcopal and the
Presbyterian. The former was erected in 1893. Three substantial
banks provide adequate financial accommodations and three
newspapers are here published. There are two good hotels and an
active Chamber of Commerce, with J. E. Shoudy as secretary, is
going good work in inaugurating local improvements and keeping
the citizens imbued with progressive ideas. Another important
local institution is the Hamilton Public Library. Three and a
half miles from the city the County Poor Farm is located.
The other community centers of
Ravalli County are Stevensville, Corvallis, Victor and Darby.
Stevensville, with a population of 1,250, is the second city in
point of size, and has the distinction of being not only the
oldest town in the county but also in the state. It is situated
on the Bitter Root branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad,
twenty-eight miles south of Missoula and is the center of a fine
fruit country. Among its local institutions are two banks, two
newspapers, a co-operative creamery, flour mill and seven
churches. The creamery is the only cooperative institution of
the kind in the state and is one of the most successful
enterprises of that character in the United States. It markets
all kinds of dairy products, including poultry.
Montana Counties 1921
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Montana AHGP
Source: Montana its Story and Biography,
by Tom Strout, Volume 1, The American Historical Society, 1921
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