The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1872-04-04

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t'The smoke-wreath curling DER the dell, a
The low-the bleat-the tinkling bell, 55a
ALI made landscape strange,
Which was the living chronicle
fE OF deeds that wrought the change,
The Gallatin Valley in Montana Territory,
is, next to the Great Salt Lake Valley, tile
most extensive agricultural district of the
Rocky Mountains, and is IN all respects the
peer OF the latter rs farming coiiitry.
Being immediately on the line ct the North
etn Pacific Railroad. Which cannot leave it
entirely either to- the north or south, and
will probably trayersg It throughout its en-
tire length Of forty-f1ve miles. it is beginning
to attract much attention OH the Pacific
Cosst and throughout the Western States.
Therefore 4 am-convinced that cannot use
my pen more commercially than by
giving a history Of the settlement of this inr
teresting section, its present condition and
prospects. E s 0
Though very properly TERMED the 4 Gfa'l-
ary OF tile Territory the Gallatin Valley s
present developments are the immediate
resn is o. aud wholly owing 10 gold mining.
The Pick made way FIR the Piow. Little
attention was given to agriculture in Mon
tana until tlle spring Of 1861, though for two
years previous the mining W rid mad been ii.
Il biazt of excitement over tie fabulous gold
discoveries reported iron, tile Upper Misso,i-
II. during which firiie rbid- -huiitefs Ind been
fIocking to the new I'll Dorado by thousands.
But among them i'll. there was probably not
one vino intended III expected To fill thu soil |;
III the wild peif-nen practical thoughts and
calculations were unknown; they had come
to elig ont q certain quantity ot gold, which
tflet .wollId return to enjoy. Four acres Of
potatoes. yielding ordinarily well, would
have broaght them, at that t me, the snug
sum Of six Thousand dollars; and an extraor.
linary yield, such as is not unusual in tue
Gallatin Valley 1t this tia,e. would have net-
ted double that amount. Freight from Salt
Lake City ranged from SIS to $50 a hundred,
and potatoes. cahbages. turnips, etc, found 4
ready market III the new diggings at fronl25
to forty cents pound. But no one thought
of raising 4 crop. though hundreds were toll
ing from daylight u dark il the mines.
raE EARLIEST rRosrEcroRs.
The discovery of the rich placer mines o {
Alder Gulch, late In the fall Of 1866 the, the
most extensive continuous placer deposits
ever developed brought the restless tide
further north and within a days ride Of Gal
latin Valley. Il and all the adjacent coun-
try was oyer-run with prospectors early the
next spring. We may well believe these for
tune-seekers were intoxicated with delight.
as they reined iq their ss.broncos' on the
high table-lands from which they had their
first view Of the GaIlatin Basin, more espe-
cially as their travels, SO tar, had been over
rugged ridges and across contracted creek
bolt ms scarcely extensive enough for Cal
ifornia farmer calf pasture. Below them.
stretching away 10 the north, the east, and
the west, and an ii plain view through the
clear, pure. mountain air, was, over halfa
million acres Of rankly grassed valley lsnd--
in gentle undulations II rolled on and on TO
the distant mountain walls. Since descend.
ing the SUBMITS that overlook the central
plains Of Utah. they had seen no region 50
inviting - field for agficultural labor, and
nowhere picture of undeyeloped Nature SO
enchantingly beautiful and ilnpress s9iyely
grand. There, III enconipasseI by single
sweep of the. vision. were three .nnble cur.
f,ents--tlae West Gallatin, the Je1ersoIl and
Tie Madison pouring down to the great
basin from opposite directions and winding
awsy, with their myriad tributaries. through
sisnse groves of cotton wood. alder. asp and
willow, and ..he most nutritious grasses on
the face OF the earth. to unite their waters
where the liourishing village ef Gallatin
City now stands, md form the second might
Iest rIvcrof the Continent. .sI.
aThe inflaence of such scene. was too
strong hi even the destinations of Y gold
hunters lie, and projects of earring The love-
N Wild landscape, into comfertable homes
happily succeeded. hi many Instances, ths
dream Of making fortunes III day throug h
blind luck. a few hsy ranches we're selected
snd asssksd o1 Il once once hay then beiny
worth fron filly to ssvensy-dye and even 4
hundred dollars I ten ID the misses and tlls Il |
Iocators ls,irsiea bsck so ths rings toa pr
narg to HI maze them ayaiIabie. And tssfan1
peles' Tor farms ii the Gallatin Valley was
next Id .ordes. But n vas then too late "a /
think ii hrrniig Ii ths Gas.atin valley that
year, though few plows we're Improvised
|or tlle occasion ana some summer fallowing
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