The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Missoula

MISSOULA, the N. W. county of Montana, bounded N. by British America and W. and S. by Idaho; area, 20,400 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 2,554. It lies mostly between the Bitter Root and Rocky mountains, contains the head waters of Clarke's fork of the Columbia, and is intersected in the N. W. by the Kootenay river. Flathead lake, 10 m. wide and 25 m. long, is the only important lake in the territory. Gold is found, and the census of 1870 returns 68 placer mines as in operation. The chief productions were 32,436 bushels of wheat, 15,836 of oats, 1,534 of barley, 12,152 of potatoes, 12,925 lbs. of butter, and 956 tons of hay. There were 1,045 horses, 1,134 milch cows, 1,373 other cattle, and 874 swine; 3 flour mills, and 4 saw mills. Capital, Missoula.