Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-02-18
MONTANA TERRITORY.
Letter from Cornelius Hedges.
HELENA CRY, Feb. 5th, 1871

Ed. BULLETIN, Dear SIR "A copy of
your paper containing an account OF bust.
ness and improvements Of Independence
for the year 1869, has through the kindness
OF some unknown friend, just come to hand.
l have found great pleasure in reviewing
the record Of your annual progress. The
sight Of so many familiar names has recall
ed so many pleasant memories and assOcia-
tions, that am inclined to prolong the rev.
erie by short use of my pen.
once thought that Independence would
be my permanent home, but Providence has
settled it otherwise, and the only perma.
nent relation that expect to retain is
warm interest in its general welfare, and
particular personal interest in the veal of
the scores of good friends that l count
among its present citizens. wildly re-
member the appearance Of Independence
when first saw ii in 1856 its sight wonld
have made me homesick, but the thought OF
another weeks staging through sloughs to
reach Dubuque, reconciled me to staying.
likewise remember getting lost in the
haze-brush one night soon after my arrival,
in fool-hardy attempt to get home from
the Post Office after dark. 1t seems but u
short time since those mushroom rookeries
sheltered all the business Of your Main ST.,
now so solidly fanked by rows of brick
blocks. In any other country such growth
would be marvel, but to the glory of our
country it can be said it is a common &C.
currerce. The city from which write was
not conceived until the autumn of 1864; its
site was part of the primeval wilderness,
an untenantcd valley locked in the fastness-
es of the Rocky Mountains. Helena is
now city Of about four times the popula-
ton of Independence according to yoar fig
ures, and during the year 1859, which has
been dull, disastrous year in our estima-
ton, the value of improvements made, on a
careful estimate, reaches the sum of $780,.
0OO,-one hotel alone cost over $lOO, 1000,
and there are $4,000 Of recorded incum.
brances now on it, on which legal interest
is accruing at the rate of $40 per day. 1t
will hardly be necessary to add that
the builder "bust'' and the property has be.
come toothsome bone for lawyers. How.
ever, the hotel is running under lease Of
5000 per annum, and doing fine BUSH
ness. i wish my old friend Purdy, of the
Montour, with his lady, had it in hand, l
fancy they would acquire fame and fortune
in shorter time than at the old stand, though
l reckon that Independence would be 10th
to lose them. Our Main St. is Aanked by
solid blocks of stone and brick buildings,
a large share of them made fire-proof and
some quite ornamental. Anywhere on eth
er side of this street for half mile, it
would be hard to purchase any ground for
less than $500 per front foot even in these
times of depression. Rents are in proper
ton to Justify these prices. The common
rate of interest is from to 5 per cent. per
month and no usury laws to interfere. We
have library that has been in existence
little over one year and now contains about
200 volumes-we take about 80 monthly
magazines, and all the illustrated weeklies,
American, English, French and German.
Every mail brings US new books and
fresh reading matter Our receipts for
last month for memberships, at $40, ex-
ceedcd 800. We have three Masonic
lodges, besides q chapter, council and
all Aourish;ng We can't say
so much for our churches.
1t was not my intention to have written
thus much. We are having a milder winter
than ever saw in Iowa-house -plastering
continued through December. The chief
complaint is about the mildness of the
winter, ice-men can find nothing to put in
their ice.houses, skates hang resting on the
walls. A slight hurricane brushed our city
one day last week, unroofed our Court House
and demolished the Terrio.i Arsenal, Fl o.
ing up bill of damages of about $4,000,
and going off without settling it.
Much to the surprise of everybody. the
U. S. soldiers from Fort Shaw, in this Ter
.itory, have recently administered hand
some thrashing to force Of the Black
DOT nation, called Pigeons, who have been
stealing horses and numbering white strag-
ylers so long and with so much impunity
hat they had come to regard it as their
.egular and legitimate business. Much Gu
,iosity is entertained to discover how sach
! rigorous order escaped the Quaker embar'
20. About two weeks ago, a Chinaman
was found suspended to the pine tree where
seven wretches before him satisfied the call
If Justice. lie had shot white man for
neddling with his domestic matters. He
vas hung under the Burlingame treaty.
Please accept and distribute my best
wishes among my old friends, and pardon
his intrusion upon your time and space
rom an old resident and a constant friend.
Yours truly,
CoRSELluS HEDGES.