Old Missoula

County Adopts A Child – 5 Townships

Missoula Gets Slice of Powell When Bill Is Passed

Five Townships Included In Trade

We Pay for Permanent Improvements But Give No Territory

Missoula county has an adopted daughter this morning.

Yesterday the bill providing for a change of boundary line between this and Powell counties was passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor. For the first time since Missoula county became a county, she has gained something in territory and has not been forced to give anything of herself in exchange, except to pay for the permanent improvements which she has acquired.

The strip of territory that comes into this county from Powell, under the provisions of the bill passed yesterday, consists of five townships in the Clearwater district, as fine a piece of ground, for ranch purposes, as lies outdoors. The permanent improvements contained therein include the bridges at Sunset and the Clearwater crossing of the Blackfoot river. Missoula county already had a half interest in the Sunset bridge, it having been built jointly by the two counties a couple of years ago.

This strip of ground has always been a bugbear to the residents of this county living beyond it. Naturally they came to Missoula for their market and their supplies. Powell county has done little or nothing to keep up the roads in the district it has sold, and the farmers had a just cause of complaint because of this fact.

At the same time, Powell county was justified in a measure in neglecting the public highways through this strip of territory. In keeping them in repair that county was simply paving the way for the farmers to come to Missoula. Powell profited nothing in the way of trade from this section, the natural lay of the land preventing travel in that direction.

For this reason Powell county was perfectly agreeable to the trade and two members of the board of commissioners there joined the local board in signing resolutions that accompanied the petition of the people of the district, praying that the change be made by the legislature at this session.

The settlement for the improvements was amicably adjusted between the two boards of commissioners and is incorporated in the bill.

The change will necessitate the transcribing of such records as cover the property in these five townships; and the property there will be assessed this year by Assessor Currie and the taxes will come into Missoula’s treasury next fall.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on February 28, 1915.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/348983673/

 

A letter posted to the Daily Missoulian on 3/19/1915 featured a complaint from an Ovando resident. See link below:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/348991146