Cut Bank, Montana.gif)
Cut Bank, Montana, is a pretty nice little town. Cut Bank
is the county seat of Glacier County and is also the largest
city, with a population of 3100 people. The downtown area
of Cut Bank is packed full of stores of one kind of another,
the downtown area is clean and well-kept, plus, at least
during the summer, the downtown area can be a real busy place.
Cut Bank has been helped out a bit economically over the
years by the oil and gas industry.
The
oil and gas industry in the Cut Bank area dates all the
way back to the 1920’s, when the first well was
discovered north of town. Additional wells were soon discovered,
with the first commercial well going into production in 1931.
Following this, a oil boom occurred in town, leading to a
huge influx of people to explore, service and maintain the
oil and gas wells. By the time 1940 rolled around, the area
around Cut Bank had more than 500 oil wells and 78 gas wells.
Moreover, additional industries were also built to take advantage
of the nearby oil and gas resources.
The
1960’s were another boom time for Cut Bank. During
the 1960’s, advances in extraction methods allowed
older wells to pump significantly more oil. This led to the
creation of a vast network of pipe lines, with Cut Bank serving
as the hub.
Today, the area around Cut Bank is full of small oil and
gas wells, giving a much needed boost to this areas economy.
Although the oil and gas industry is in decline now due to
declining production and a lack of new discoveries, the oil
and gas industry still provides a much needed boost to the
local economy as it provides steady employment to many people
who service and maintain the wells.
Yet, despite the oil and gas development, the area around
Cut Bank is still predominantly agricultural. Wheat is the
primary crop. Dry land farming is the primary agriculture
practice here, with only a small portion of agricultural
land being irrigated. Spring wheat is planted in the Spring
and harvested in August and September. Winter wheat is planted
during the fall, following the harvest, and remains dormant
the winter months. Winter wheat is then harvested in late
July through mid-August, depending on the weather.
Next
Page : Shelby,
Montana
Top
of Page
|
