The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1865-02-25
From Last Chance Gulch.
HELENA. Feb. Is. 1865

HELENA, Feb. Is, 1865.
EDITOR Posi- Having never noticed in
your paper any communication from this
place or vicinity, will volunteer the SCR
Tiues of my pen TO give yourself and pat
rons few items of news. This new place,
which you mentioned in recent ed.
itoral as Sc already as large as Central
City . is growing up at such rate that it
has already outstripped the comparison
you made and has good psospect the COM
ing season, of rivalling even the metropolis.
It is located on Last Chance gulch, a short
distance below the narrows, where the hills
on either side are Of moderate elevation
and suitable for pleasant residences. Be-
low the town the gulch disaspears in awids
bottom, formed by its junction with that of
Ten Mile Greek and extending to the larger
bottom of Prickly Pear; forming together
one Of the largest, handsomest, and most
fertile valleys in the Territory, spacious
enough for thousands of farms, and equal
to the support of the laage population now
rushing into this gulch. Our mountains
and hills are covered with yellow pine, form
ing the best Of building material, and
. reaching the outskirts of the town. Be
sides, our hills are not barren OF rugged,
, but covered with an abundance of bunch
grass, upon which stock fatten, even in
winter.
E But the principal foundation of our pres
, ent prosperity rests upon the extensive and
, rich gulch diggings which have been OPEN
ed, prospected, and to some extent worked.
The discovery was first made in the gulch,
; little below the town, and gradually traced
up the main gulch and its forks, till there
are about forty miles of gulch centering
!. around this place, that are known TO pay
Z we'll. Some are very rich indeed. If our
. leading claims are not as rich us are the best
e claims on Alder creek, we believe we can
l. equal its average and exceed its gross yield.
7 Our greatest drawback is scarcity of water.
- though every guch has some water, and
:. might be made, with care, to yield a mode.
= rate sluioe-head. To meet the deficiency il
I. this respect, there is company whose works
- are completed for several miles, bringing il
. water from Ten Mile creek, where there /:
ms plenty.
"a Though We have a Last Chance, Grizzly
Orc Fino, Day and Nelson Gulch already
we do not consider this the limit. All o
these were discovered late last fall or thi
winter; we expect prospectors to open other
as soon as the weather permits. All thos
in who come here are soon convinced that on
an hopes are not visionary hence the unpre
ps cendented growth and activity Of this place
u | will hazrard my reputation as q prophe
las that tncre Will EOt Dc IlNellcr place NIlHI
ig- the Territory than Helena.
ch, Many of your old neighbors arc alread
les located here. Major Hutchinson is fnisi
to ing large hotel; Constants & Jurgen hay
i've large store and business Mr.. Peek has
but fiourishing saloon, and is building q lari
.ly, two story house adjoining, for a billiai
ted room: Oliver & Co.'S, and EgnolPs c:
no presses have Offices here, and are doing
ak large business; Charley Cannon, late
'er, Griffith & Thompson, is building u lar
cry store, to which will lie attached first ella
init bakery. could name many more of yo
far old neighbors, now with US, but / fear
J to truding on your space.
cry We are included in the new county
TALL, Eegefton, and have some officials among
teen G.: j. Word is Sheriff; o. Miles, Justice
und the Peace, and some others whose nan
that and titles do not remember. There Isl
the firm OF lawyers amongst the other deln
for ments of busines-Staickland & He'd
de- known to many of our citizens.
laid agreeable ] will Jend YOU inogc anon.
thet Yours truly, IIro