Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-01-12
A wAsHo1r IN MONTANA.

Many of our readers in Storey county
will remember A. II. Emanuel, late Of
Virginia city. We received q letter
from him yesterday, dated at M~issoula,
Montana Territory. Missouls, we be-
lieye, is away up in the northern settle
ments. His letter is quite interesting,
and occupies eight closely written pages
Of letter sheet; but we have Dom for
only a portion, extracted from different
paragraphs:
"Il left Virginia city on the I'd Of No
yember, with John Altman came by
Salt Lake and Virginia city, Montana.
Missoula is a town located OIL the west
bank Of the Hell-Gate river, IN the CEN
ter Of one Of the richest agricultural
districts in the Territory. The location
Of the town was made only last spring;
is the c~ounty-seat; and there are som
forty-odd buildings in it. There are a
grist and a saw-mill here, run by water
power, which cost the owners $4,000.
There are two stores, two saloons, two
hotels, to livery stables, a butcher-shop,
county buildings, and private residences,
but no churches.
"My business here is carrying the
mail from this place to the Cabinet
Landing on the east side Of the Pen
D'Oriell distance of $50 miles.
fJohn Altman has a mail contract from
Missoula to Walluls, Washington Terri
tory, 430 miles, twice a week. There
are FIVE riders on this end of the route.
Ny ride is seventy miles and back once
q week. Once a month I make q through
trip to Cabinet Landing.
"At this the weather is any
thing but agreeable. Snow falls along
the line of the route from three to
twelve feet deep. The cold is intense;
the mercury remains frozen for two
months in the Winter. The locality is
in 473 degrees north latitude. The
landlord of the Hotel where | rest my
weary limbs at night, on the SOFT SIDE
Of a plank, rolled up in my blankets,
told me this morning that his cook froze
his feet last Winter while he was cook
ing breakfast one morning. So he has
double-aoored his house for this Win
ter-lest he might freeze his own. The
people here tell me that the weather at
present is quite mild-although the
thermometer indicates that it is 20 de-
grees below freezing point. The eli
mate Of Nevada, so far as | experienced
it, for a number of year, is far prefera-
Bile. The winds at this season Of the
year, in this section, would make q
i'Washoe zephyr ashamed of itself.
Yet, this region is bound to be lively,
and one of some Importance in the
northern country. Much of the travel
from California ria Oregon will pass
this way, as it is the best practical route
from Walla Walla to Virginia City,
Montana. f...
"On my first trip carrying the mail, !
got lost, being overtaken by a snow
storm. Was lost from Thursday until
Saturday morning, when I was found
by some half-breed Indians. One small
loaf of bread was all | had to eat during
all that time; but fortunately l had a
good supply Of tobacco. But my poor
horse, didn't chew tobacco, and did
not fare so well. All he had was twelve
pounds Of oats which luckily l had
packed along. Poor fellow, his appear
ance forcibly reminded me Of Orpheus
G. Kerr's celebrated horse Pegasus, oil
the mackerel brigade.
"The Of this section are
principally agricultural. Large crops
Of wheat, oats and potatoes are grown.
Bitter Root Valley, is not far off, and is
quite similar. There is q good market
for all products. There are four grist-
mills within d circuit Of twenty miles.
Flour readily commands, at the mills,
ten dollars per hundred pounds. Oats,
from eight to twelve cents per pound.
Potatoes, two cents; Cabbage, one and
0 half.
"Placer mining in this section is as
yet in its infancy, although there are
some very good paying diggings on all
the rivers and creeks. But for all the
boosted wealth Of this big country,
would not give little Storey County
for the whole id region. It costs a
man all he can make in the summer
season to clothe himself in the winter.
If l can worry through this winter and
next spring, without freezing my limbs
of my body, l will git up and dust out
Of this for old Storey county, and If
have to 60 on Shank's mare. There are
some greenbacks here-but the grey
backs are far more numerous and bigger
ones than I ever saw before"