The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1865-12-16
TERRITORY SATURDAY DECEMBER 1s 1865
.. From our Special Correspondent
LETTER FROM BLACKF00T.
BIAcKFoor. December ID. ls

.' E1' BLACKFooT, December ID, 1865.
EDITORS Posr-Gentlemen: In commencing my letter
to you, this occasion Ifee like fashionable lady whose
rigid spouse persists in barbarousy limiting her of
transportation to six trunks and half dozen boxes
Where shall pack my things; but rejecting that
have already covered the bottom of of my literary
band boxes with what my liberal criticism
not call news commence where left off, like store clerk
whose dinner has been interrupted by customer.
| COTTONWOOD ALIAS DEER LODGE cITY-THE BALL.
After thawing outthe first duty of winter traveller
found that snugly ensconcedin Peter Martin Co.'S
Hotel an institution credabe to the proprietor and salts
factory to its numerous and liberal supporters year
ago. six log cabins, peacefully ruminating cows
stray vaquerO and lot of half breed pappooses engaged
in making mud pies were the most startling features of
the landscape The most salient point of its history
the hanging of Bill Buntou by scouting party Of the
Vigi'antes Nous change celia /" for the
Cottonwood of yore is thriving town of perhaps
hundred and twenty houses and doing large business
in the staples required by population, professional,
mechanical agricultural mining and miscellaneous appar
emily well to do and, certainly, destined to do we'll
wea ther permitting Surrounded by the Happy Valley
we have described and being the natural metropolis of
district hundred and thirty miles long by twenty
broad and being the base OF supply to the mines of
the Hell Gate country, comprising Big Bear Elk Creek
Dawes, Deep, Rock and Douglas gulches-Deer Lodge
cannot play out Its prospects not as brilliant
those of mining city; but they solid and salts
factory When rats are the only tenants of many
forishing camp, Deer Lodge will be CITY, AS there
are not more than seven dances week in COtonwoOd-
humbly pardor-n Deer Lodge Cit-he hospitable
folks got one up for my special benefit and turn about
is fair play write this for theirs Johnny Grant-the
great medicine of the mixed French Indian who
ranch round Deer LOdge-had opened a fine Hall for
dancing and entering nv ears were saluted by the
familiar music of Billiards. band which instituton-the
glory OF Nevada found starring in the provinces
On the principle of Methodist meeting al the sisters
(and the babies exceeding thirteen in numbe
the rght the lords of creation the left, with the
exception of two daring inuovators, who had
enseoneed themselves among the ladies' white brown and
red This startling proceeding evidently considered
indicative of want of breeding small pappoOse with
giitterng black eyes, looked daggers at the principal
intruder and then shaking his head opening his mouth
! to of
immense vgor and evident As excellent friend
of mine from Sligo observed of RoscommOn assize
ball. the ladies embraced" twenty individuals; twelve
either habreeds full blooded squaws and eight
white ladies' The demeanor of the aboriginal dan
correct and becoming could be in the
most polished assembly and rule they danced very
well, and some exceedingly we'll Those, who could
not speak English most courteous in gesture, and
one or two who had partners far advanced in the
study of the mother tongue of Shakespeare to be able
inform candidates for the honor of their hand for dance
that they Canaged" The old drancheros-Canadan-
French, paly--behaved as people Of their race
always do in public assemblies; that is, with aab;ty
and courtesy. The white ladies and gentlemen of
course similar to those You accustomed to meet
in Virginia Nevada One specially fine dancer had been
lately married TO the sound of music and the beat of meas
ured footballs. The quadriIe was set; the bride and
groom stepped forward-were' married. and the chain
being welded with the usual easte salute of they started
| First four right and left I"
! Near Deer Lodge City. Cottonwood Creek is Dance
& Stuarts saw-mil The ffty-four inch circular" is
driven by foryhors power portable engine, and has
capacity of fifteen Thousand feet of lumber per diem.
his threshng machine works we'll The dwelling house,
which is large aud storied by long odds the finest
in Montana IapPears If it had been lifted by the
chineys from the bank of the St Lawrence and dropped
down in Deer Lodge Valley 1t has twenty eight windows,
with painted shutters and looks pretty Here
fine barley threshed Mounted the top
rail Of log corral also witnessed the skillf of the
lasso. by the vaqu6ros, who branding lot of wild
Spanish cattle Over the horns and the hndegs flew the
nOOSes and the believing beeve thrown and branded
| "G-" by Johnny himself The agility with which the
operators cleared the fence or jumped on to the low roof
of shed, when the ''TOro" charged, highly anu
sing Iperformed little in the aerobatic liue, myself
after declining horn"
ON THE RoAD-BLACKFooT AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.
Having completed my business. in which 1 mate
rally assisted by Jerry Nolan your old OwnSman took
the stage for BackfOOt and had very pleasant journey
Near Johnny Grants Sawmill Dog creek of the
most beautifully romantic spots ever saw The ealon al
the back of Jem Browns rancho. through which Dog
creek with its abruptly preclptOus rocky walls
picturesque Surroundings and wooded slopes is treat tC
the eye of the lover of nature not often 10 be enjoyed
On quitting the hills through the valley of the
BackfOOt, a place euvironed by snOw-cad and wooded
mountains and crossing the stream arrived by eircutOu
route at BackfoOt in Ophr Gucha place favored by
nature that nothing short Of the cOuvusicn of geo
logical could affect its future prosperity materially
injurious extent The town lies at the base Of abrup
wooded mountain level tableand, admirably caleu
lated for large and permanent city with every aclt!
for fuel and pure water abundance. East of the town
about two miles, the ground commences to rise and
nearly continuous of eny five miles has t.
the stands the Divide Of th
main Range and looks down upon Greenhorn Gulch. thu
of the road TO Helena. Blackoo is not high il
my Judgment Virginia but its vicinity to long range
and spurs of snow clad mountains makes it cold,
summer.
NoUNTAINEERs' NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Though am a strictly temperate and have alway
been yet does sometimes happen that taste dro
of something warm of a cold night and find tha
neither tea nor punch has the raw taste in Black
foot that IT has in Virginia This in mountain country
is excellent barometer for the temperature of boiling
becomes higher the elevation decreases till
lasat The level of the seat is 2l2o Fahrenheit Will
in Virginia and more especially at Summit the heat
fluids at the point Of ebution is not SO great by seyera
degrees, which makes what eastern folks would ca
sclding water instead of the boiling fluid to which
= were accustomed at home.
+ The of Blackfoot consists of long and wild
main and another range of buildings the wes
not yet continuous. Cross streets connect the two
calculated for the permanent residence of abou
fifteen hundred inhabitants great deal of business
done considering the age Of the place In two years
will be of large dimensions.
The very richness of the surroundings has prevented
growth No sooner party of miners settled to wor
than midnight stampede swept them off pots kettles an
n blankets to some discovery; but in the coming sea
- son, it must be a great commercial center.
ERRONEOUS IDEAS OF THE BLACKFooTERs
OF the people of Blaekfoo many ctions have been eli
cuated better ordered town. with little law and equi
peace, never The fights and robberes have bee
e few and far between The only shooting case occurre
between two business Roughs and villains WEI
x there in the summer but they behaved themselves an
that all that asked any In travelling
the Western slope diggngs marked moral superort
is observable. The Western men do not swear one oa'
for every en heard this side which is credit to then
LIST OF GULcHEs IN THE DISTRICT.
As text for my homily the mines of the Blackfo
District here insert list of the guches within twenty
five miles of the nearly all of them much
and the majority within short walk ride. With
distance of the town, Ophr Tiger and Eurel
guches, (cose to the buildngs). Farther off, but still
the immediate neighborhood Snow Shoe, $50 calle
from being discovered by party of prospectors war
on snow-shoes) Deadwood, (named from the groves
ifeless pine and fir which surround m Carpenters Bar
the given to very rich and shallow portion of
rolling prairie, twelve miles long by three to fo
WIDE which will all pay wash. Prairie Ohio Buckley
Illinois and New Hampshire gulches are within two
three miles; and then California Jefferson Neva'
(or Williamss) Mcclellan, Crevice, Lincoln Keep Coo
and the Helena side Greenhorn st. Louis, Parks
Skellys gulches; with stick full" as the typos have
of names, which you will receive during next season,
places discovered but not much known
t''t oPHIR GULCH-SP0rTED DIGGINGS.
Before closing my letter, must say few words abo
r. Ophir Gulch. Vast amounts of gold have been taken
of these dggings; butin mining phrase-hey are bad
spotted" Now, as a general rule, do not believe
spotted gulches see man taking out fortune aboy