New-York tribune., 1868-07-24
MONTANA.
rposs1Ne THE ROCKY RANGE-THB hl',fscrs' hiNEor
Oi'O99Iae nI,ur CRY AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

left Helena on Saturday mOrhihs " Iod a
ro;ntment at BlaekfoOt that evening on ,rner
rleasant trip over the Rocky range 'l'' ,,r,onces
ous spurs The ascent Of the range ie'iy t city ON
at Helena. for the foot hills beo trav
three sides An old Indian uai' 'l' &c +bo western
I'D for centuries by the Indians Oh % ';o Ioe,ted
wv i' t % the buffalo OF the Plihh'' io''''O
- ,f tbe way, aud Capt Mulon
inc 80 =; til the range is crossed Inc i"P'O
i""" Io.io" 1aro Lluas over which chmDSu pre-
80, thing novel, until the p'So VI '"C -
So - reaebed when found lhouS"iOs Vi Az
A"S e,ost timber shading the mountains III 'i.0
Si INC 49, On every angle of the confused net
IA - mountains where the sun hau hoI easy
-, tl,o Growth Of timber is magnificent I"'to
H. aud white pines measuring from 'Iieo ~ iU,'
g. IN diameter. But on the slopes exposed 10 tue
.,r tbere was not so much rs Shruo 10 DO seC"'
s~ Nv, tle side of some little brook. Where the
nov lies most Of the year moisture IS supplied TO SuS
s"in \ bonntiful crop of timber but not tree can
., sunny sides Crossing the range from the
81, oost II presented the appearance of our beauti
ri AlogIenies The forest was as dense as Iellisl
,ia c9uld produce, the tenderest OF grass coVeitu
tbe earth beneath the plalntlve WHISPERS OF t%Ie We
VIZ ttr 81 lnes and herds of splendid cattle quietly
crSzcd ON lis sweet and nutritious coat OF green O
fbe snmmit the timber ends abruptly ana WIN ~
A~,,I4r line that looks II ~ had been planleu'
b;ie an the ton and down the Pacilc slope nothing
Lut fhe usual growth of paTched ana Mlthertu E,sS
20 fl.o 90
- o.her and dash OIL toward the rising anu tne
sttino sun TO the far distant seas Az ne lo9t or ne
80 left the Old trail and Mullen Road WhlCh HANKS
a. M range by the FTenchWOmans hancEe
and had TO climb another range but httle less IMAM
a. ,,oiu one The magnificent view OF the noun
tnns was greatly lessened by the dense volumes OF
smoke winch flied the atmosphere Not less thah
2 ooa oo,as of the range seemed to be enveloped IN
fre and ON far distant ranges could see iLat the
angry element was doing It's WORK or destruction on
everv side The second range coulu soaIceS pe us
t;uog1isbed from the Rocky Range IN crossing IL.
Tho same beautiful timber fresh, tender grass,
and familiar herds, were 1o4hu on tne foTSa. I,ns
hare and deSolate At the foot the mining camps
snncared Carpenters Bar, with its hundred acres
OF more, washed down DY hyuIasiVS, IIaa! auu S5od Sud
tnrned over for miles, with little town crowded
sIong tbe narrow passage on one SIDE all mdlcateu
that the main harvest of gold had been gajhtIeu'
and but few of the less fortunate reWa1heu tlelce
over another divide lies BaCkfOOt City. brisk MN
ing camp. in which much has been done, ana mUch
more remains TO be done. 1t Is the beginning OF
aeres of camps in Deer Lodge County, and for many
miles west and south the county Is dotted with
ewarns of miners who are well repaid Tor thelr
labOTs. Just now the attention oil business nTn @ Is
directed to this county Its placer mines nave beell
wOTked for several years, but lis leaQS are the newest
in the territory and the surface indications are Jhe
hest ever discovered in the mountains. lhey are
not vet proven mp as the miners say ana they
NAV not sustain the surface richness When they are
properly developed but the tOp-rock OF these hhhes
is truly wonderful. Flint Creek diStlct a9ou!ds lh
silver leads and they are unuSuaky allke IN the
width of the cTevices and the yield per tQn'
II is believed by those who nave spent !hlS
season in that district, mcludlng many scleh-
tfc and practical men, that II Will SUI
pass any silver region yet discovered SGvtrh
furpaces are in course of erection, and tins winter
will begin systematic developments Nlthln j. mlies
of the silver mines, monster gold lead mas Deen ds
cevered-the widest, believe, found IN the ItiIl-
tory, and it prospects very handsomely silver BOW
east Of this city, has produced very large Igtn OF
geld and Butte City, Highland, and many other DIS
tricts have discovered what seem to be most yai-
uabe leads. Some of them range rom hVe 20 - leeI
in width and from the decayed surface rock good
wages have been made by pannlng out the gold, IN
Butte City valuable copper mines are FOUND yleIu-
ing as high as 90 per cent Of copper and some silver
and gold beside. OF these leads can express no
opinion, beyond saying that they are well worthy
that these leads are TO continue indefinitely fruit
ful as their surface Indicate, ana IL WouQ pe
folly to purchase ao erect uls o oll ' nv
before they are fully proven but they are ven
worth the most thorough development, ana most oi
them could be secured by capitalists for little ontay
t5Sy S5eyOnS noSOnePpSRiP CPsRiips with I the miners learn
t15 tnaC 20 a middle man at S19OOGOO.
81 il i ,rohablv now in the Eastern market with
the bonds TO show the price at Whlch III Is LcId' IL
NAV be worth sl3 600 0O0nstead OF $o0duO, bnJ one
twentieth the bonded price would bay any OF thcSe
undeyelOped mines, aud then 1t would be unwse
10 erect machinery on them until they nave been
Opeued to well-dCtincd and permanent ledus tNciE
indication favorable about these leads, ana IW0uu
urge capitalists to possess them and develop them
iudiciOlV, but let not the Stupend0Us AlOlulhtht3
of folly which now make Colorado deS0dte ana
6lckeulug. 4
mining n Montana as the safest and most profitable
investment men can make IN any enterprise Dut
have stryen faithfully, through your columns 10
capitalists and Montana from common ms
tune An association that Will devote year TO inc
development Of these new mines, winch promise so
handsomely could devote the second year 70 the
erection of machinery that would return colossal Tor
tunes, while une out of ten OF the hal-alain COM
panies which ship mills and then hunt tOr lnIhe5
wOud fail in the same districts. nave now Oeeh
through the leadngmining districts Of the Territory
and have found no failure IN quartz INNING JhaC
could not trace disaster 10 the stuLdy OF owners or
directors. have not tOund an lule OF ulsucCtsalu III
mill that has not an abundance OF hTst-class quartz
somewhere about it. few mills have been sent here
TO run ores from single undeYclOpeu lead' anu
with its failure the company fails ana but few WILL
after disaster, invest III new leads lest they
double their loss Let me here repeat a rule from
which there be no departure with safety that DO
mine wants mill for year after lts sYsteinatc de-
yelOpment is commenced. few thousand dollars
will answer TO open lead, and II 1t bllks, the loss
Is not serious. and others can DC secured ana proven
Deer Lodge City Is little village OF probably 200
Inhabitants situated the TlYeT OF the same name,
and nearly central in the most picturesque and beau
fiful valley have seen in Montana. There are no
mining camps within ten miles OF the town, and II
wears the quiet, sober air Of agricultural people.
The valley is the largest IN the Territory, and is very
well watered. Numerous clear mountain streams
sweep into IL from the west, and thousands OF cattle
Rraze its bouniful growth Of grass. On the west,
The Bitter Root range walls the valley IN from Idaho,
and It's spurs thrown out like huge steps 10 the
edge Of the prairie. On the east, the Rocky Range
divides II from the Jefferson, and between them the
valley extends from five to twenty miles IN width,
and fully fifty miles in leEgth. AS yet it is not eXten
sively cultivated, but occasional fields prove that
II rs capable OF growing grain and vegetables IN vast
crops StOck-mowing seems to he the principal
effort of the Ianchmen but il is destined 10 be great
agricultural valley. Its name is derived from pc
cuar hot mineral spring that rises near the center
Of the valley. The mineral substance III the water
has incrased about the spring until it has reared
mound 20 feet high aud 100 feet In diameter at the
base On the top OF the mound the water rises NJ TO
the surface in strong volume, butdoes not overflow.
1t runs OFF through passages III the mound. and rises