The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1871-09-09
NOTES ON THE WAY 70 WONDERLAND
A Ride to the Ivfes7snl Regions.
IT G. G. CLAWsON.


A Ride to the I"fe'7s0l Regions.
~ 9. G. CLAwsON.
On the morning of the 7th Of August.
| 1871. while the two great political armies If
Montana were busily engaged mastering
their clans for the days fight, the writer
silently .sall.lletl his cayuse and with face
hustling little city If Deer Lodge and away
from the din and clash If battle.
Shying the warning walls Of the Peniten.
tiary and fOrding the beautiful river from
which the city hears its name. We (in'rse
aud rider turned our faces behind Us for a
moment. like Mrs. Lot Of old, to take last
good look OF the land We were leaving. tor
we were going on long journey to the
''Lappy hunting grounds" IF the Rel Man
and among the h'ttOmless pits and lakes Of
fire and birthstone, and might never again
| return.
Over dusty roads. past farms and farm.
houses. in sight of fields OF ripening grain
| Or by green pastures and fragrant swaths Of
weary way until the h''spi,alle House Of
| Stanchfeld was reached, where the inner
| man and beast were revived and strength.
| rned with the staunclIrst things Of II q.
Resting until the cool Of the evening, tina
highway was again taken and the Divide
| crossed just as the NOON pcepe,i over the
mountains and down upon the midnight
world. Picketii K my companion in knee.
| deep grass, | bet.",k myself t. my blanket,
and woke not till the sun had assumed
! the place Of the moon and was thriving
his warm rays directly In my face.
Moaning nj Stones. taking supper at 10.
-
ing River Ut Wisdom. and passing on over
| ~ the
FRUITFUL VALLEY OF THE PAssAMARA.
we again found rest from the days travel
The following morning found US again on
the r'a:l. and after ride of sixlsen Or eigh
teen miles, in sight Of golden fields and
wrlI.imp proved farms. with herds OF cattle
grazing or l"unyiny by the roadside. often
forcing upon memory the bright scenes Of
other and far "ff chimes, the go
FAMILIAR GROUNDS or ALDER
came in sight. recalling to mind The tur-
hulent and prosperous days Ut '63, when
cveryln"y could own rich claim, and gold
dust seemed abundant ~ the s,nds Of the
sea. If California can bs..st Of her
Good old daysof 40"
SO can the bard 1T Montana sing, in words
'FOr in those days there wcrsno poor-
The DAVIS II g.
Seven years had elapsed eince I rode out
of this gulch on stampede To Last Chance,
and what wonderful changes these seven
short years had worked in this once most
prosperous Of all our mining camps. Now
heaps Of dirt and rubbish remain where
then all was life and hustle. Old landmarks
were hardly discernible. Houses, and even
good sized towns. have been appropriated
for fuel or conveyed to Otl.er neighin,rl, "ns.
There stood naked chimneys around whose
blazing heartI's had seen the boys divide
their heaps of dust. and heard them talk Of
the friendsthey had left in the States or
speculate on their plars for the future
Here were spots made memorable by deeds
ut blood and where mui,tudes once gath
cred to mete ont JnstceOr gaze in awe upon
the ferns Of lifeIess humanity. now ali is
quiet as the tomb. There is no excitement
where The gail"ws once stood. and the grass
grows alike upon the grave Of the murderer
and the murdered. Those were the days
that tried the souls Of both men and women:
and strong men, whu could laughi,yly take
the lives Of their fellows for u few ounces
nf 9liiterin9 3.,ll dust. vspt like ol.il.lss..
when told they had been weighed in jus.
tees scales and mere manted. Thus while
Alder has been rich in gold it has also been
prolific in events Of interest; and the his.
mrian who shall in the future trace its
checkered history truthfully upon the walls
OF Time will have accomplished great and
mighty WORK indeed.
THE MINES or ALDER G1rLca
are not exhausted, neither will they be for
years to come; but most of the ground has
gone ::::c the handle If Companies, and they
are generally doing we'll, An cecasiona;
neat and tasty residence up and down the
gulch attests the prosperity OF those VINO
remain. Gangs ut Cinnamon are at work
in number 1T places, some Of them much
further down the creek than it used to be
thought the pay extended.
TWO HUNDRED TONS OF GOLD!
Some estimates of the entire yield vt gold
in Alder Gulch since its discovery in the
Spring of 1853. (including that extracted
ny mills ut Summ,D, are put rs high rs
$50. OO0. 600. or two hundred tons of dust.
Although ut first glance this appears to be a
fabulous statement. yet when we cs,me u
consider the richness, length and breadth Of
the mining ground; of ths thousands Of
poor people who became suddenly rich; of
the tons upon tons Ut dust shipped down
the Missouri. or If the quantities sent to
California, Idaho and the Eastern States Nv
express; ut the fortunes carried to the def
fercnt MINIS by the owners. rs vel! ~ lbs
great traffic carried on in the same dust :.
On,sila. Denver and Salt Lake; thu: all Tho
bankers in the West. Northwest aid g1u;h.
west, aud in British America, as we'll a.
many in the East. knew Alder" a.a glance:
and also. when We reflect that this same
Alder Creek production WAS fer -eeyeral
years the bulk ut our circulating medium
through scope Of country hundreds Of
To I've wondered ut after all.
A short distance xbs,ve Nevada l rode a