The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-08-13
CORR q! ] E|s'P'ONDENCE.

1 i T. -5 .
4 MONTANA. ts3
ProspectlnE-Emigratio tion Decline fl
Goods-Dul Tanes-l1ining 1Iatters-
Cr0ps-The lndiens-General News.
EAGLE CIrY, MONTANA, July 10. 49, =
EDITOR JoURNAL.-1t, has been !.
long time since I have written to you
for various reasons; prominent among
them, tho fact that I have been travel
ing and prospecting most Of the season,
and consequently my opportunities 70,
writing were very limited. .>>...... !. . +. .~:.
Early in the spring there was no wa
ter and no prospect of any but in May
1"the rains descended. and the foods
came, "and there has since been as much
grumbling about too much water, as
there was before on account Of its
scarcity. zs5: ....,., T.. .,.....>.... -.
There are asgreat many "pilgrims"
here this summer. Every boat brings
9 full load Or nearly SO, and there has
been a large. number If boats up. 1
am informed that there were thirty-6ve
at Benton at one time. III. >as:.1 5as
-. Goods, Of nearly every description,
arc quite cheap in Helena: Nails, for
instance, were worth Scots, per pound
in gold last spring, and are now selling
at II and l5cts sugar was worth from
Is to 80 cts, and is now worth about
2Octs. ''''. .:S.l ;>sss -s-:1'2* .;;-;1
For some cause this Territory is very
dull this season: Money, seems scarce
and hard to collect. osjIns: Confederate
Gulch they have taken out tho senor-
nous sum Of over one thousand dollars
ia 2 single pan Of dirt, but after; all the,
carp is perfectly dead op:acceunt Of be-
ing oyeraowed.4 = Their drain; bitches
are filed up, and work for this season
has ,! !''played:" )" To Thompson's Gulch,
the campswhere I am at present, the
has .been.nearly lost in; bring:
ing in water bitches, and for want of
lumber for fumes and boxes. j This
gulch prospects well, and the claims
that are being worked are paying we'll.
One company Of three men has been
working for about six weeks and their
poorest :"clean up" was twenty-aix
ounces ($46s) in one week. Yester-
day a company on the bar just below
here, struck an old channel quite dis
tance back from the gulch and cleaned
up forty-eight ounces, ($864.) j. They
use a hydraulic and work six or eight
men. A number Of new gulches have
been "struck" this season, which, 1t is
thought will pay well. But alter all,
while the few are making. "big money"
there are hundreds who are ehard up
for grub" Hundreds are out of en-
ployment and can not get work. Those
who can get work have from S. to Sc
per day in. gold. Board is about $40
per week in most Of the camps. where
am acquainted. -sss22 nj ..v.Erey su j..
s. The crops throughout the Territory
are looking splendidly, with the ex:
,eption Of a few places that have been
injured BY. hail storms. I measur-
ID one piece of ice that fell in this
camp that was two and one-eighth
inches in diameter. There is plenty
If snow on the mountains, only few
niles from this camp, and from present
prospects will remain there the bal
ance of the season. Less. than a week
,go there was quite fall of snow, so
that the mountains we're as white as in
January.
The nights are remarkably short in
this section. Twilight fades between
10 O'Clock and IL o'clock P. NJ, and
day dawn is plainly visible before. 2
3 clock, A. NJ. The altitude Of this
camp, l suppose is one cause for it. I
campcd on the top Of the Belt range
Dne night in June, and it hardly got
dark at oil, as there was light streak
10 the north all night. There is broad
daylight about eighteen or nineteen
hours Of the day at this season of the
year.
The Indians are frequent if not wei
come visitors in the different settle
ments, this season, and invariably take
donations from their "pale
faccd'' brethren, in the shape Of horse
lesh. I presume they have stolen at
least one thousand head Of horses from
The Missouri and Prickly Pear valleys
this spring, They came to this camp
once, but ere their plans were consum7
mated the boys turned out, hunted
them up and "went through" them, kill
ing one and ,wounding others. One
white man was wounded. They have
not deemed it best to "put in their ap-
pearapce" here since. 1t is thought that
they don't fancy Thompson guleh
stock. " y
Freighte,s are "down in the mouth"
as freighting is only one and halt cts.
from Benton to Helena and not enough
z - >. - 4 - it, III >,o :. 49, oh,,n@