The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1872-07-20
CoRREsFohoErcE.
NOTES OF, / TRIP
70 Tlsthead Lake and tho Country sur
rounding It.
BY REV. w. II. STOY.

BY REV. W. II. sToY.
Being e,irous Of Increasing my knowl
edge of the Valleys Of Montana and havin
received An invitation from Horace Cuun
trylnan, Esq, OF MissOula. to join him in
trip 10 the Flat Head Lake country, l avail
cd myself Of the opportunity. We LEI
Missoula on Monday, June gath with two
horse wagon: The party consisted of II
Countryman, w. II Norton and myself
We passed the southern boundary of tn
Fiathead Reservation and travelling SOM
miles through over = not very bad Wagon
road, we arrived IL the Mills, built 10y Mr.
Countryman, at .-u-
THE rLATHEAD AGENCY,
on the Jocko, % miles from Missoula, a
2o'clock Pm This was our point fo
fitting ourselves out for the expedition
and after rcfrcshmcnt and rest. we SET e
work accordingly, all hands ASSISTING
earnestly In the preparation. We saw her.
u saw and grist-mill combined. built fol
the Flat Head and Pen d'Orielle Indians by
Mr. II. C"untryman. and now nearly com.
pletcd, On'a contract from the Government /;
II is n substantial and honest piece Of work
The Agency buildings are near by; they
arc very poor and mean looking. For lack
of time we deferred our visit to the Agency
until our return, and were treated with
courtesy by Maj. Jones, the Agent W.
saw some fields Ut wheat, oats, etc. about
the Agency which looked exceedingly well.
THE VALLEY OF THE JoCKO
At this point is small, apparently, although.
as we passed through it down the stream,
the next day after our arrival, We realized
that there was large body Of unoccupicd
and exceedingly rich warm soil. The
mountains rise abruptly on the East side
al hn f,,oc
with masses of SNOW above which feed the
JOcko and humber of tributary streams.
The scenery about this little Valley is ex-
ceedingly fine and abundance Of water the
year round and the production of verlurc
and flowers render it charming countrf
We observed the stakes of the N. p r. Il.
on our way from Missonia 10 the Agency,
through the Valley and down the canyon
OF the Jocko on our return. Nothing eau
exceed the richness and beauty Of The vese
tstion down this
CANYON OF THE JOCKO
o. we saw IL Oh our return from Fla'heah
Lake. 1t is, like the Hell! Gate canyon, a
kind of natural hot house, and exhibits II
tropical luxuiiancc. The beautiful river
with its clear cold waters rolling Musicaliy
and rapidly along. its fertile bottoms and
its rare trappings Of verdure and flowers
tractivc spot | have seen in Montana. We
sew many romantic and charming situa.
lions for tho farms and homes of civilized
lie where there are none now. There
Is good wagon road from the Agency
over to the Mission, Cia the .Jocko. which
Is now being improved by u new grade
which precludes the necessity of fording
the stream four times. We found the
SAND FLIES AND MOSQUITOES
10 bad in the valley at this time that the
poor animals, especially horses, were
unable to feed much in the day time and
were glad TO stand. huddled together.
around smudCc made for their protection.
Having got all things in readiness The night
before, We three left the Agency on the
morning Of the 2Jth OF June on horseback
with one pack animal carrying blankets
and provisions for the journey. We fordcd
the Jocko about five miles below the mills
and leaving the wagon road took the trai!
over the mountains to the Mission 1t was,
as we found, q long, tedious climb up the
hill, but we were well rewarded when VIC
reached ..,,
THE SUMMIT
by the surprisingly grand scene which
broke upon our view. Immediately ON our
right rises majeslically the snowy Sierra,
which purports to be the main range of the
Rocky Mountains. its picturesque peaks
piercing the clouds and stretching away TO
the northward until the snowy bu!tes be.
You'd the head OF the Flathcad Lake dwin.
died into ant hills in the dim distance
on our left rolled the dark mounta M aud
bald hills in broken and undulatihg masses,
through which the .Jocko, its tributaries
from the East. and the Flathcud river
find their devious way towards Lake Pen
dOrcIlle and the great Ocean Of the West
before Us, and stretching on to the north.
until the vision IL defined by the white
SUBMITS more than 100 miles distant, lay,
what would call ~ e
THE BASIN OF TIE FLAT HEAD LAKE:
for 30 or 40 miles broad expansc Of undu
lating prairie, OF generally black, rich soil
covered with the finest growth Of grass and
watcrcd by several large streams which
Traverse II in Q south westerly direction 10. |
wards the JOcko and the Flathcad; be |
yond this the Lake, lying nearly north |
and south and covering al area Of ut least |
$40 square ,miles-eeing over 40 miles in
length; still beyond this, the Valley of the |
Flathcad lying on either side of the river
and at the head Of the Lake and extending |
nearly 40 miles further while ut our feet |
and lying in a charming panorama under |
the eye Is the Mission of. st. Ignatius with |
its church and clustering habitations Of |
lodges and the pretty Mission Valley en-.
livcned with the silvcry waters Of the |
stream Of the same name, and exhibiting q |
large extent of flelds and meadows green
with the coming crop OF wheat, oats and
hay. We contemplated the scene for a
while with pleasure and delight, and ex-
perienccd n glow of the inspiration
which the wales of Cashmere and Damascus
have been wont 10 enkindlc in the souls Of
orators and poets; and then began, slowly,
10 descend by the steep trail 10 the Valley.
Distance lends enchantment". 30 far us
THE MISSION OF ST. JsNATIUs
IL concerned. The church of the same
name is rather an imposing edifice, built af
wood, though somewhat barbaric and nris
on.likc in it's style, and belonging to no
defined order of Architecture, except in it's
interior finish, where the plllarcd aisles and
lrched ceilings give il . tinge of the Roman
Or Byzantine. The rest Of tue buildings.
the convent and school of the
Sisters, and residence Of the priests and
Lay Brothers, are Of logs. A near approach
Exhibited the i'll repair and Indebtedness
Il most Of the buildings, the filth and dis.
'rdcr Of the streets, the squalidity and pov,
,rty of the aboriginal inhabitants Of
vhom were to Be scen--in strange contrast
With the imposing church ,diticc rising in ,