Wheatland County, Montana 1921
Wheatland County is situated in the
central part of Montana and is almost square in shape, measuring
thirty-six miles north and south by forty miles east and west.
Its land area is 1,411 square miles. It was created April I,
1917, from parts of Meagher and Sweet Grass counties, and in
1920 its population was 5,619. Its northern boundary follows for
some distance the crest of the Little Belt range of mountains
and the Big Snowy Mountains jut over on the remainder of the
boundary. The land surface of that part of the county,
therefore, is rough and broken, a condition which is also
present in the western part. These mountainous districts are
devoted chiefly to cattle and sheep raising. The soil in the
farming districts is for the most part a chocolate loam.
Wheatland County is one of the best
in the state for non-irrigated farming, the lands for that
purpose selling from $20 to $70 an acre when improved. Wheat,
both winter and spring, is the chief crop raised, though barley,
oats and flax are also produced in considerable quantities. The
irrigated districts are located chiefly in the valley of the
Musselshell River, which flows through the county from west to
east and is fed by numerous tributaries from the mountains.
These districts produce considerable hay, both native and
alfalfa. The irrigated lands fetch from $75 to $125 an acre.
There are 6,809 acres of the Absarokee National Forest included
within Wheatland County and 57,040 of the Jefferson National
Forest. As to mineral resources, lignite has been found and
prospecting for oil is now under way.
The main line of the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway passes through Wheatland County
east and west, and has a branch running northward from Harlowton
to Lewistown and Great Falls. The main line is paralleled by the
Electric Highway. The northeastern part of the county is
traversed by the Great Northern line from Billings to Great
Falls that is used by the Burlington to the coast.
Harlowton, above referred to, is both
the county seat and the principal town. It is a division point
on the Milwaukee road and the terminus on the east of the
electrified portion of the road. Large flour mills are located
here which gives the town rank among the three largest milling
centers in the state. It is well provided with modern
conveniences, including electric lights, sewage and water
systems. Its high school, accredited for the four-year course,
also provides a course in agriculture under the provisions of
the Smith-Hughes Act. It has also good graded schools.
Other towns on the main line of the
Milwaukee are Two Dot, Valencia, Winnecook, Shawmut and Pontiac;
on the Milwaukee branch northward, Oka and Wright, and on the
Great Northern, Judith Gap, Oxford, Nihill and Hedgesville. The
last mentioned place has a high school accredited for the
two-year course. Good rural schools are found throughout the
county.
Montana Counties 1921
Return to
Montana AHGP

Source: Montana its Story and Biography,
by Tom Strout, Volume 1, The American Historical Society, 1921
|