Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-10-22

A Lively City--Mgnster Gold Brick--
Amusements--Price of Fruits, &c.
HELENA, Oct. 6 1869.

/ would not come amlSS FOR Inc columns OF the
JOURNAL. will q hash you up line or two.
| The rebuilding of this city still goes on
with lively interest, and Pilgrim" or
Tender Foot. AS strangers are commonly
called-visiting here now. would hardly think
that few short months ago two thirds of the
city was laid in ashes. Good, substantial
buildings of brick and stone are taking the
place of the frame ones OF which tie town
was mostly built previous to the fire Of April
%, 1869 A more lively city you cannot
find anywhere. Business OF al kinds is
good, notwithstanding the great Drought
which has prevailed for the past year. The
am punt of tr easure being taken out of the
ground does not seem to diminish particle,
but instead is on the increase. A scacity of
water is great drawback TO a mining coun-
try like this, and as such has been and is the
case here the miners have been obliged 10
husband what little they had to use. and m IKE
every drop count. However with all other
facilities, the shipments of gold dust SO far.
exceed those of last year One banking
house in this city. shipped during the quar-
ter ending July 3lst $705,936. During these
three months there wer fopr other banking
houses constantly shipping The precious stuff,
and hundreds of individual shippers During
the three months mentioned, the entire ship
ments of gold dust and bars from Helena was
three millions eight hundred thousand dollars
in round numbers.
Last Chance gulch, in which Helena is To-
Gated, alone yields about three hundred thou
sand dollars per month in gold dust, and has
been turning out at that rate for the last Il We
years.
Sept. 9th. Bohm & Co bankers, assayed
a monster gold brick weighing two hundred
and seventy pounds, valued at $68 300 in cur
rency. This mammoth brick was manufac-
tured for exhibition at the Territorial fair be-
ing the largest ever assaysd in the Territory.
But owing to the great excitement in the N.
Y. Gold market it was shipped east, being
first sold by telegraph. understand Messrs.
b. d Co. offered 10 make this bar a present
TO any one who would shoulder it and walk
one mile without stopping, but did not hear
of any enc who was plucky enough to accept
the challenge. The gold dust which was run
into this brick. was all bought by this one
firm within six days.
The market here has been well supplied
with c. lifornia fruit, and to those wh) live
i N fruit growing section, the prices here
may sound high. Peaches have been selling
from Is to IS cts each apples from 25 cts to
81 90 each; pears have sold lcaiily at from so
cts 10 50 100 each; grapes 50 so per 10; wa.
termelons, from SO 90 10 % 90 each Iona
toes, 81 90 per ID. The latter two articles
were raised in this territory within five miles
Of Helena Where fruit and vegetables sell
readily at such figures, money must be plenty
and people liberal.
This territory viii soon take her stand
among the states Tor territories) as one of the
greatest of wheat 81 owing countries. In
quantity per acre she cannot be beaten, the
average yield this season is thirty three BUSH
els per acre, and one ranchtnans crop ayerag-
cd him forty eight bushels to the acre, and OF
as good quality as ever grow in Wisconsin or
Minnesota. Beat il if you can.
California sweet potatoes have sold here for
ST. so per ID this summer. but in another
year or two we shall raise these things and
such fancy prices will play out. Some day
Mr.. Editor, if you will journey westward.
and extend your travel Is far as this place.
| will show you some Of the points OF attrac-
ton in mountain city. | would like To
show you some of the Institutions that a
mountain man delights in. For instance, TIE
Hurdy -gurdy modern name OF the dance
house Here you will find girls dressed in
the White Fawn and Black Crook style, trip
ping thc light fantastic toe to the music of the
violin and piano. You can pay $lC0 for
choice of partners, (per set) and at the end of
each sett lead your lair Gulcina 10 the bar
and smile" with her, or recline OH the sofa
and smoke your principal" Strangers
coming here think thrse places shonlG be
abated by law, but the men that frequent and
support them have the law making power.
ers are the ones that govern country like
this, and when you strike at such places. you
touch them in a tender spot.
You can step aboard of the cars of the P.
r. Il. at Omaha, and be whirled through from
that city here in the short space of six days
tine. A trip that used to take from sixty to
one hundred days, and was worth mans life
to undertake, can row be made in one-tenth
that time, and with as perfect safety as you
can travel from Chicago to New York. You
can take the boat at the Prescott levee on
Monday morning, and in ten days time will
be set down safely in Helena. And when we
get the N. p r.. R.-which we here think
will soon be comm, nced-completed-y can
travel over the same road in much shorter
time, and with that railroad running through
this territory, it will be the means of opening
some as fne country as the sun ever shone up
on. The exploring party sent out under the
supervision of Jay Cooke q Co., which left
here but few days ago for the purpose of
solving the question: Will the n. P. r. pay?
have determined that it will pay, and ere
many years we will have the steam horse
laundering over our broad prairies. But do
not propose to discuss railroad matters, so
will close, as this is already longer than 7 in-
tended. Yours,
Dec AsrONAr.