Menu
The Sweet History of Sugar Beets
When most people think about Montana history, a wide variety of events and people come to mind. Many individuals recall the vibrant history of the copper kings in Butte, the harsh era of homesteaders settling rugged land, or the wild past of unruly cowboys. Many will also think of the rich history of Montana’s Native American tribes and their notable stories.
Photo: Sugar Beets at the "Dump" of the factory, Billings, MT
Montana’s history is diverse and continues to shape the way Montanans view the world today. However, one element of Montana’s past which often gets overlooked is the history of sugar beet farming. Sugar beet farming has and continues to be a lifeline within Montana’s economy.
Great Western Sugar Company
Photo: Feed Yards, Sugar Factory, Billings, Mont.
View of sheep that were fed the silage waste pulp to fatten them in the feed yards with the sugar factory in the background at Billings, Montana. A large smokestack rises from the building. Published by A. J. Hedrix, Billings, Montana.
It is impossible to discuss sugar beet farming in Montana without mentioning the Great Western Sugar Company, which was responsible for fostering the growth of the industry across the state. In the early 1900s, the Mountain States Beet Growers Association located in Denver, Colorado knew the cultivation of sugar beets in Montana would find future success.
So, this association urged the Great Western Sugar Company to build factories in Montana and helped offer contracts to Montana farmers to encourage them to grow sugar beets. The Great Western Sugar Company’s first and most successful factory in Montana was built in Billings.
In fact, Billings was once considered home to the largest single sugar mill in the world. In 1924, the plant produced 900,000 100lb bags of sugar in only 110 days. Whether people worked in the factory, farmed sugar beets, or hauled harvests, the company provided thousands of Montanans with a dependable source of income.
Photo: Sugar Beet Factory, Billings, Mont.
View of sugar beet factory on the south of Billings, Montana. Large smokestack rises from a large sugar beet processing facility. Published by Charles E. Morris.
Photo: Beet Sugar Factory, Billings, Mont.
View of the buildings of the beet sugar factory at Billings, Montana. A grassy field is in the foreground. A large smokestack rises from the building. Published by O. C. Ovren, Importer & Publisher, Billings, Mont. Verso has handwritten message signed by Mrs. Tate, and addressed to Mrs. E. O. Phillips, Oregon, Missouri. Mrs. Tate included her return address: 608 N. 28th St., Billings, Montana. Verso postmarked June 8, 1909, Billings, Mont., with postage stamp affixed with Benjamin Franklin for one cent.
Photo: Great Western Sugar Factory Postcard
1928 picture postcard of the Great Western Sugar Factory in Billings, Montana. The photo also shows a large herd of sheep grasing in a field close to the factory.
Photo: Great Western Sugar Company Plant, Billings, Montana
View of the Great Western Sugar Company sugar beet processing plant in Billings, Montana, taken from State Ave. looking southeast. Two smokestacks, an elevated storage structure, and a water tower rise above the facility.
A Statewide Effort
Photo: Aerial view of the sugar factory in Missoula, Montana
Aerial view of the American Crystal Sugar Factory and surrounding area, west of Missoula, Montana. The factory complex, with its tall smokestack, can be seen in the upper right portion of the photograph. The view is generally southward. Near the right edge of the photo, and closer to the camera, is the Rother lumber mill with smoke rising from its teepee burner. The street that passes on the north side of the mill is West Broadway. The Northern Pacific Railroad tracks cross the picture from left edge to right edge in the lower half of the frame. The more-or-less u-shaped driveway in the lower right corner of the frame is at the Continental Oil Company fuel depot or bulk plant. The building that the driveway leads to contains the loading rack(s). Library note: This photo likely was taken in the mid-1960s.
However, sugar beet farming was happening across the state. Newspapers in northern Montana urged local farmers to look to the Yellowstone River Valley for inspiration in planting sugar beets. Train cars hauling beets were established to get beets from the High Line, in places like Sidney, to Billings. Malta had contracts which pledged about 6,000 acres of sugar beet farming in places near Chinook, Harlem, Glasgow, and Nashua. Eventually, Blaine County became home to the Milk River Beet Sugar Factory which was built in Chinook in the early 1900s. This allowed sugar beet farmers in north-central and northeastern Montana to transport their crops to a refinery more efficiently.
Additional Benefits
The first load of sugar beets brought to the first sugar beet refinery in Missoula, Montana. A wagon load of sugar beets sits in the refinery yard. A few men and a woman look on as a man picks up sugar beets from the ground. This is a copy of a photo originally taken in 1917. The copy was made in August 1928. Library note: This is probably the Great Western Sugar Company refinery.
The byproducts produced during the refinery of sugar beets were also very appealing to communities. For instance, syrup created during the processing was used in places like Fairview for the winter feeding of sheep. Discussions about opening alcohol distilleries near refineries were also mentioned since molasses from beets was abundantly available.
Missoula Joins the Game
Photo: Great Western Sugar Company
Western Sugar Company building construction, likely in Missoula, Montana.
In addition, Missoula built a prominent sugar beet processing plant, as well. Seeing the success of the Billings facility, the Great Western Sugar Company sought to expand into western Montana. Farmers in the Bitterroot Valley were encouraged to plant sugar beets since this cash crop was profitable and more clean than other crops. Missoula created a sense of urgency to local farmers explaining how important it is for them to begin cultivating sugar beets since this industry could significantly boost the economy throughout the area.
Economic Impact
Farmer holding a large sugar beet during the 1908 harvest of sugar beets on the Huntley Irrigation Project, Montana.
Despite all of the benefits of farming sugar beets, the cultivation is not for the faint of heart. In fact, farmers need to dedicate a lot of time and energy in order to yield successful harvests. Sugar beets are a demanding crop that require extensive labor and care. By the early 1900s, sugar beets became a substantial cash crop making these farmers some of the most successful businesspeople in the state. Within decades, sugar beet farming was Montana’s third largest industry.
Photo: Horse-drawn Beet Puller
Farmer on the Huntley Irrigation Project in 1917 with the new innovative horse-drawn beet puller.
However, sugar beet farming was a communal effort. Many farmers shared farming equipment, horses, and trucks and/or wagons to haul beets.
Photo: Everett Chesterman Hauling Beets
Everett Chesterman driving a side-dumping wagon with a load of beets to the beet dump in Huntley, Montana in 1914.
Immigrants: The Backbone of Sugar Beet Farming
Crow Indian Strong Hole using a dumping scraper on the Huntley Irrigation Project on June 20, 1906.
The success of sugar beet farming cannot be described without mentioning the labors of immigrant workers. Since farming sugar beets was strenuous work, farmers would enlist the help of immigrants. Russian German immigrants arrived throughout Montana to work sugar beet fields, especially in the Yellowstone River Valley. In the 1920s, Great Western Sugar Company recruited many Russian German immigrants to work in factories and/or haul beets. Mexican immigrants who were trying to find a new life away from the Mexican Revolution also found work in sugar beet fields across the state. Native Americans, such as the Crow tribal members, also worked in the cultivation of sugar beets to earn a living.
Modern Times
A homesteader surveys his sugar beet field on the Huntley Irrigation Project, Montana in 1908.
Today, sugar beet farming looks much different than it did in the early 1900s. Despite being one of Montana’s most prominent industries in the late twentieth century, sugar beet farming no longer has the same impact on the economy as it used to in the state. In fact, sugar beet production only accounts for less than 5% of Montana’s crop production in recent years. The reason for this decline can be attributed to many factors, mainly including the time and effort sugar beets require compared to other cash crops. Despite this decline, Great Western Sugar Company in Billings still produces a little over a million pounds of sugar every day. Although this type of farming might not be as prevalent today, it still shapes the lives of many Montanans.
The Legacy
Sugar beet farming in Montana has played a crucial role in the development of Montana’s economy. Despite being separated by distance and time, farmers across the Treasure State have reaped the benefits of cultivating this cash crop. Companies like the Great Western Sugar Company encouraged farmers to plant sugar beets and helped them profit. The efforts of immigrant workers and local communities contributed greatly to the success of sugar beet farming. Despite farming looking much different today, the determination and grit of farmers persists today just as it did when people first cultivated Montana’s fields. The sugar beet farmers of the early 1900s built a legacy Montanans today still appreciate and will cherish for generations to come.
Author: Shelby Osborne
References
“Crops.” Montana Outdoors, Working Lands Operations, May–June 2024, 11.
“Factory Here Positively Assured: Great Western Sugar Company Agrees to Build a Plant Here.” The Daily Missoulian (Missoula, MT), June 25, 1916.
“Factory’s Manager Gives Fine Talk: F.A. Wilson, Local Head of Sugar Company Addresses Commercial Club.” The Daily Missoulian (Missoula, MT), November 11, 1916.
Gilbertz, Susan J., Cristi Horton, and Damon Hall. Yellowstone River Cultural Inventory—2006, Part II: Powder River to Big Horn River. Page 21.
“Great Western Co. To Continue Prices of 1928.” Billings Gazette (Billings, MT), February 8, 1929, 2.
Kohl, Martha. Montana: A History of Our Home. May 2022. Chapter 4, “Montana in the Twentieth Century,” 42–43.
Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division. Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (MPDES): Fact Sheet. July 2019.
Montana Historical Society. Coming to Montana: Immigrants from Around the World. 2014. 66.
“Montana Industrial Weekly Review.” Ranger Review (Glendive, MT), October 2, 1924, 7.
Spaeth, Gary. “Minutes of the Meeting Agriculture, Livestock, & Irrigation Montana State Capitol.” March 2, 1983.
“Sugar Beet Farming.” The River Press (Fort Benton, MT), April 3, 1907.
