The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-11-25
FROM MONTANA.
How Our St. Paul Emigrants are
Flourishing.
MINING AND AGRICULTURAL
PROSPECTS OF THE
TERRITORY.

Thomas Connor, Esq, who arrived last
week from Virginia City, brings gratifying in
telligence from many of our st. Paul boys who
went out in 1862 and '63.
G. w. Iddings is mining in Alder Gulch
Charley S. Clair is doing well, mining in the
Highland District. anu butchering occasion.
ally-a very profitable business K. G. Knox
IS sheriff of Madison county, of which the
capital ia Virginia CT y, at which point he re-
sides. John B. Spencer is in the building bus
mess yet. Mike D0bbins is in the same place.
as cheerful and contented as ever. Amos w.
Hall is at Baanock, minitg. From the way
he sticks TO his claim, it IS presumable be has
q good one. Mr.. Curtis, the wagon maker is
also minir g at the same place Mr.. COBB, for
merly resident of Upper Town, is te,uming
and ranchiug at Virginia City. He Is highly
respected and Of course successful. John NJ.
Cashier Is keeping a sort Of hotel and doing a
thriving business.
The rema nder of the 81. Paul boys are do
ing well. They are known every where as pros
porous and enterprising citizens.
Virginia City, and the gllch in which it is
situated, is now in Montana Territory, the west
line of which has cut it off from Idaho. The
gulch Is twenty miles long, and mas five settle
ments. There are about IL, 900 people 10 it
mostly miners. The population is very shift.
ing. Virginia City is growing quite fast, how
ever. number of solid and even fine stone
buildings have been put up recently, and an
air of permanency and prosperity is springing
up:
The miners are generally doing we'll Mr..
Connor has number of fine nuggets, proba-
bly, of average size and value. These are taken
from the drift mines or poor mans mines
shovel, pick aud pan is about all the capital
needed to open these. Sometimes they are
que profitable, but the average yield is not
great. q
as yet scarcely touched or exp ored. They are
known to be very extensive and rich, but they
require capital, skill, and expensive machinery
to work them. T0cv are considered inexhaus-
tible, however, and will pay and yield richly.
when the drift veins are played out. IL will
thus be seen that the rich mineral resources of
Montana have not yet begun to be developed
Future generations will draw fortunes from
them, in all probability, when the present race
of miners are under the sod.
The agricultural resOurces-scarcely vet
thought Of, promise well. Mr.. Common brought
back with him head of wheat grown by
Thomas H. Clarke, whom many of our cti-
zens knOw-which is one Of three hundred and
fee heads raised from a single kernel! The
kernels are fine and plump. Indeed. the far
mers there make more money than the min
ers. The agricultural capacity and extent of
the Territory cannot be estimated yet becauSe
is 80 little explored. 1t eau be made self
sustaining at least. Beef, flour. vegetables,
butter, SC. can all be raised cheaply when
once fairly under way. Potatoes are from
thirty to fifty cents per pound in Virginia
City.
Montana will doubtless speedily settle up.
and like Nevada, California &c. soon become
State. Its population is now estimated at
from 100 600 to 10000 Among the noun
tains, and along its rivers, settlements will
epring up, and grow pOpulous and wealthy
Thus civilization grows towards Us from the
West. We should reach towards it from our
State, and thus create a line of commerce from
Lake Superior and the Mississippi River, along
our railroads and wagon roads to the settle
ments of the future State of Montana