The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-03-28
Letter from Montana.
HELENA CRY Esh 10 ,ce

like to hear from your friend J. F.. and also /
get some ideas of this wild and romantic couu
Try, will devote little time to writing {.
yop. HELENA CRY is on the direct route from
Virginia City to Fort Benton; 100 miles from
Virginia and 40 from Benton From Virgin
IL % Helena you cross some beautiful stream.
and country. All the streams abound viii
speckled trout, larger than our Wisconsin,
trost, weighing from ounces to pounds, ant
the finest you ever saw. The valleys are ali
susceptible Of cultivation, very rich and fertile
and in vegetable production equal 10 any couu
try IN the world Of the same latitude. It il
nouncommon thing in these valleys to get sixty
bushels Of wheat per acre; Tor potatoes, cab
tAge. orions, turnips, it surpasses any country
ever saw. Corn does net do we'll. Cattle
get - faith on grass as they will in north.
sra Iowa on grain; which may seen to you a
little mixed, but it is true. We have the finest
beef ever saw. but never use. it-buffale,
elk. mountain sheep, black tailed deer, aad oc.
casionally.a slice Of grizzly or brown bear, be.
ing quite good enough for your humble serv.
ant. don't mind admitting that like 70
pick my teeth occasionally with the bones Of a
! trout, but in general ! am satisfied with the
hump Of . fat buffalo COW.
l am not, however, 90 much in love with
this ccustry that l cannot sec both aspects.
should not like to spend lifetime in these
mountains. We fnd many here who have spent
halfa life among the Indians, some of them
have large families, the children little tinged
with brown-probably owing to the climate
| In most cases the mother wears . blanket
round her delicate form; perhaps that has
something to do with the tint Many Of these
men are we'll educated and appear smart, but
l can't say that admire their taste!
Helena City has three thousand Inhabitants:
Diamond City has between three and four:
the latter Is situated on the east side of the
Missouri, thirty miles from Helena. There
are many other smaller towns of from one to
Eve hundred. There have been many diseov.
cries Of placer digginss, but the majority will
not pay more than two, four, six and eight
dollars per day. Some of them are very rich
and men will take out twenty, thirty and City
thousand dollars in a working season. have
seen more poor and destitute men here than
ever saw elsewhere There are many false
reports from this country TO the states. and
thousands so wild with excitement, sacrifice
all they have to raise means 20 get to the land
of gold, but when they reach here they find it
to be the land Of disappointment, hardships,
ragged clothes, with greybacks for companions
While write have to stop occasionally and
turn one over. or pinch his tail til he will
agree to keep quiet while finish this letter
When arrived here supposed that every.
thing ! touched would turn to gold; but soon
| found my mistake. l found, also. that had
many difficulties to contend with that and
others did not dream Of before reaching here.
The country is wild AMI strange, and man
seems to partake much Of it's nature These
mountains and this country generally is just
the region to distinguish the true characters OF
men. There 10 something in the atmosphere
that operates directly on the peculiar nature
and disposition Of our teller critters Here
you fin1 old Nature in its crude state Some.
Zines men get little fast and knock a fellow
down and borrow his moaey before he can get
up again. Ia such cases the Vigilance Com
mlttee is apt to pay the offender . visit, very
much against his will. They generally make
him test the strength Of an inch rope tied to
the limb efa large pine tree standing about
lOO rods out Of town. 1t goes bv the name
Of the :'Town Tree" Many poor, unfortun.
ate fellow has said his prayers under that tree
before he went to sleep and all he had tone
was to kill six or eight men and br.ow what
little money they had!
The people here entertain great fears of an
Indian out break; the reds have already COM
menced their hellish work in the neixhborhood
Of Fl. Benton. They have killed several
men near the fort and stole oil the horses in
that section. The people At the fort have sent
runners to Helena for help, aud have called
on the Governor. He Is at Helena now, trying
to raise troops; he has called for 500 men.
but If there should be general outbreak it
would require 5000 to put it down. The
blackfeet and other tribes are already in arms !;
it is generally believed that there are at least
three thousand young warriors at or near the
Fort, headed by son Of Little Dog. Black.
foot chief Ii this be true it win be very dan.
gerous Tor parties to travel the northern route
westerly from st. Paul.
Now let me say word to those who have
gone more or less crazy over goldon dreams,
and expect to come to this country and make
their fortunes in few months. will venture
70 say, without fear Of contradiction from men
Of experience. that nine out Of every ten will
not be worth as much after two years pilgrim.
age in this country. as they we're when they
left home Everything is very high the cheap.
est man can live is . dollar day. and that
on hard fare, too; while it you board you will
have to pay from twenty to twenty Eve dol.
lars per week; mining tools are high; good
shovel is worth So to $40; picks SIS; and ev.
ery:h'ns else in proportion. Wages. during
the mining season, range from Eve to eight
dollars per day. We have about Eve aud
sometimes six months good weather for sluc !.
ing. And then everybody can't work by the
day-only small proportion get work; thon-
sands are wandering about in the mountains
prospecting, expecting every day "to strike
it," So it goes from May to October; winter
finds them without red, and many times
without coat to their backs; then comes hard.
ship. Those who work by the day can lay BY
. few dollars through the summer season, if
they keep out Of gambling hells. and dout
make too free use Of what they call "very
fine article Of the extract Of sod corn and
strychnine." Very few come out 10 the spring
with meaas-ths merchants. saloon keepers
and gamblers set It all. Ny advice 10 that
men who have families. sad are IN anything
ike comfortable Circumstances. had hsttar