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LEHIGH WILL BECOME GREAT MINING CAMP
New Town on Sage Creek is Just Now the Busiest Spot in Fergus County - Active Building
Operation Will Make it Ideal City.
People who have journeyed from Lewistown to great Falls over the Great Northern railway
have no doubt noticed, quite recently, a spur line of well ballasted track leading out toward the
hills to the southwest of Windham, and maybe have wondered where that particular piece of
track led to.
If they had investigated they would have learned that the spur line terminated at the new coal
mining town of Lehigh and if they will watch the future progress of this new town they will be
surprised before long at the proportions it has attained and the importance of its industry.
There has been an old shaft at Lehigh for a number of years but a little more than a year ago
the big Cottonwood Coal company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern railroad company, made
full investigation of the territory and the result is that there is in course of erection at Lehigh
today the largest tipple, washery and other top works of a coal mine, that is to be found in the
entire state of Montana.
The structure is being built of steel and concrete and one might imagine that he was in a large
city looking at the progress of workmen on an immense skyscraper. The same force of steel
workers are there and they look like spiders in the steel skeleton as they toss the red hot rivets
to the man who operates the clacking electric hammer.
The main structure will be over 200 feet in length and there are a number of smaller buildings,
including the immense engine rooms and the locker buildings. This latte building is already up
and it is a model monument to modern efficiency and humanitarian ideals. One-half of the long
building is filled with steel, ventilated lockers for the workmen, and connected with the locker
room is a long row of tub and shower bathes, where a hundred men may be accommodated at
one time. The building is steamheated and hot and cold water are on tap continuously.
James Pearson is the resident general manager of the company and everything is being done
under his watchful eye, and they say nothing escapes the eye of Pearson. Mr. Pearson lives in a
handsome house down the valley a short distance, which is modern in every respect, even to
electric ranges.
The coal company owns and operates a fine store building in which are housed a large general
stock and a handsomely fitted meat market. There is a good hotel, electric
lighted, hot and cold water and all other modern equipment, a large rooming house similarly
equipped, post office, ice cream parlor, pool hall, barber shop, bank, picture show an dancing
hall, etc.
Object Description
| Title | Lehigh will become great mining camp |
| Description | Develpment of the coal mining at Lehigh, Montana |
| Physical format | Newspaper article |
| Subject | Coal mines. |
| Contributed by | Lewistown Public Library, Lewistown, Montana. |
| Coverage-geography | Lehigh, Montana |
| Digital collection | SC 1.15 Lehigh will become great |
| Rights information | No copyright restrictions |
| Full text of this item | LEHIGH WILL BECOME GREAT MINING CAMP July 30, 1915 New Town on Sage Creek is Just Now the Busiest Spot in Fergus County – Active Building Operation Will make it Ideal City. People who have journeyed from Lewistown to great Falls over the Great Northern railway have no doubt noticed, quite recently, a spur line of well ballasted track leading out toward the hills to the southwest of Windham, and maybe have wondered where that particular piece of track led to. If they had investigated they would have learned that the spur line terminated at the new coal mining town of Lehigh and if they will watch the future progress of this new town they will be surprised before long at the proportions it has attained and the importance of its industry. There has been an old shaft at Lehigh for a number of years but a little more than a year ago the big Cottonwood Coal company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern railroad company, made full investigation of the territory and the result is that there is in course of erection at Lehigh today the largest tipple, washery and other top works of a coal mine, that is to be found in the entire state of Montana. The structure is being built of steel and concrete and one might imagine that he was in a large city looking at the progress of workmen on an immense skyscraper. The same force of steel workers are there and they look like spiders in the steel skeleton as they toss the red hot rivets to the man who operates the clacking electric hammer. The main structure will be over 200 feet in length and there are a number of smaller buildings, including the immense engine rooms and the locker buildings. This latte building is already up and it is a model monument to modern efficiency and humanitarian ideals. One-half of the long building is filled with steel, ventilated lockers for the workmen, and connected with the locker room is a long row of tub and shower bathes, where a hundred men may be accommodated at one time. The building is steamheated and hot and cold water are on tap continuously. James Pearson is the resident general manager of the company and everything is being done under his watchful eye, and they say nothing escapes the eye of Pearson. Mr. Pearson lives in a handsome house down the valley a short distance, which is modern in every respect, even to electric ranges. The coal company owns and operates a fine store building in which are housed a large general stock and a handsomely fitted meat market. There is a good hotel, electric lighted, hot and cold water and all other modern equipment, a large rooming house similarly equipped, post office, ice cream parlor, pool hall, barber shop, bank, picture show an dancing hall, etc. The coal company occupies a spacious office building which is altogether modern, the second story of which is fitted up with well furnished apartments for the officers and office men, with bath rooms and all modern accessories. The offices are occupied by A. C. Hazen, paymaster, E. R. Bowles, material man and stenographer, formerly of Lewistown: J. A. Roberts, local engineer and Carl Christenson, chief electrician. Some of the general officers from the Stockett mines are coming over at once and the Montana headquarters of the company will soon be established at Lehigh. Wm. Navin is local superintendent of mining operations and in spite of the building operations he is taking out daily from 150 to 200 tons of coal. When the mine is further developed below and the new top works are finished it will have a capacity for lifting 2,500 tons daily. A Busy Builder. H. C. Thompson, president and manager of the H. C. Thompson Contracting company is about the busiest man in Lehigh at the present time. He had built the entire town as it now stands and he has only just started in the work. In addition to the buildings already enumerated Mr. Thompson has erected a big school house in Lehigh and not less than 40 dwelling houses, and this week he is starting on the erection of an even 40 additional houses for miners’ homes. This is the first unit of 140 which he expects to build within the next year. The houses are built on ground owned by the coal company and the miners are given the privilege of buying the houses on easy monthly payments. The company retains ownership of the lots but pays all taxes and street improvements and other special assessments that may come up in the future and changes only a very nominal sum for the ground rental. Mr. Thompson recently purchased the Montana Lumber company’s yard at Lehigh, which includes a large stock of lumber and hardware and he and his office manager, Mr. Glasser, are working about 20 hours out of the 24 on their numerous contract schedules. In addition to the work at Lehigh the Thompson Company is building a school house in Windham and an elevator at Benchland. In a year from this time it is estimated that Lehigh will have a population of over 1,000 people and, as planned by the coal company, it will be a model and very bustling little city. The camp is located on Sage creek only five miles from Windham and automobile stages are running between the two towns at all hours. In time the Great Northern will have a regular service into the new camp. |
Description
| Title | Lehigh will become great mining camp 1 |
| Full text of this item | LEHIGH WILL BECOME GREAT MINING CAMP New Town on Sage Creek is Just Now the Busiest Spot in Fergus County - Active Building Operation Will Make it Ideal City. People who have journeyed from Lewistown to great Falls over the Great Northern railway have no doubt noticed, quite recently, a spur line of well ballasted track leading out toward the hills to the southwest of Windham, and maybe have wondered where that particular piece of track led to. If they had investigated they would have learned that the spur line terminated at the new coal mining town of Lehigh and if they will watch the future progress of this new town they will be surprised before long at the proportions it has attained and the importance of its industry. There has been an old shaft at Lehigh for a number of years but a little more than a year ago the big Cottonwood Coal company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern railroad company, made full investigation of the territory and the result is that there is in course of erection at Lehigh today the largest tipple, washery and other top works of a coal mine, that is to be found in the entire state of Montana. The structure is being built of steel and concrete and one might imagine that he was in a large city looking at the progress of workmen on an immense skyscraper. The same force of steel workers are there and they look like spiders in the steel skeleton as they toss the red hot rivets to the man who operates the clacking electric hammer. The main structure will be over 200 feet in length and there are a number of smaller buildings, including the immense engine rooms and the locker buildings. This latte building is already up and it is a model monument to modern efficiency and humanitarian ideals. One-half of the long building is filled with steel, ventilated lockers for the workmen, and connected with the locker room is a long row of tub and shower bathes, where a hundred men may be accommodated at one time. The building is steamheated and hot and cold water are on tap continuously. James Pearson is the resident general manager of the company and everything is being done under his watchful eye, and they say nothing escapes the eye of Pearson. Mr. Pearson lives in a handsome house down the valley a short distance, which is modern in every respect, even to electric ranges. The coal company owns and operates a fine store building in which are housed a large general stock and a handsomely fitted meat market. There is a good hotel, electric lighted, hot and cold water and all other modern equipment, a large rooming house similarly equipped, post office, ice cream parlor, pool hall, barber shop, bank, picture show an dancing hall, etc. |
