Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1873-03-14
fFrom ersfast's Western World. !,
MONTkNA TERRITORY.
Climate and Resources OF
Mon taKla. f::.8
BY B, r. POTTS,
Governor of Montana Territory

BY B. r. POTTS. 81
safs Governor, of Montana Territory. e. r.,,l
In the middle Of. the continent, between
the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean--in.
the heart Of that New Northwest, the extent.
character ana resources of which, the people /
are atI last beginniIig to appreciate emb brac-
ing within its boundaries four parallels Of
latitude and no less han twelve az egrAes s0i
Longitude, lies the great Territory of Mon
laila. The superficial area 81 this territory
| Iisextensiye enough to make three states 4 as
large as New lo-k, the Enplre sstate M @ ltne
East and, as have stated elsewhere, pc
lieye It to be the richest region In
and mineral resources on Cue Americon con
tinent- ffhere are at least nlty Thousand
square miles OF tlllahle land within ils Hhils;
and this land, under cheap ana simple
means of Irrigation is OF unsurpassed fertll-
ity. yielding IN the greatest abundance al
varieties of cereals. have seen samples of
| wheat which yielded eighty bushels % tne
acre, and the average YIELD even WI with q tbe
very imperfect methods OF cuitivatlon s'al.l III
vogue here, IS from Iorty to slx'y-nse W la Dusn
els. This exceeds the yleld VI TIE iaIlo"s ny
Il awheat-fields of Minnesota, and Is about four
times as arre great as tie average wheat crop Of
tIJh,o. Rve. oats and barley prUdnce ienor-
] mously. and the yield of vegetables is simply
without a parallel in tile history OF hortlcui-
tnre In America. The common yield OF
POTATOES, for instance, is 400 bushels per
acre. .*, -,
Lands for grazing purposes. too. are OF
vast extent and OF the best quanly. 1Tasses 'ess
as nutritious ais sheaf-oats cover the hills and
! valleys and extend far up the mountain sides
aifording pasturage for .numberlcss herds OF
cattle and sheep during the entire year. Ine
cattle alone now to be found in the Territory
humber at least sixty thousand head, and SO
abundant are these grasses, and so mild is
our climate, that no grain or hay Is ted 70
them at ali-they take care of themselves
i and keep fat all winter. Our meat markets
are supplied with beef taken from among the
4 different herds at all seasons OF the year, and
ii ID found to be the latest and sweetest,
making delicious food, superior generally 10
i quality and flavor to the grain fed stock OF
1.-THE States. Certainly no country eau surpass
I This for grazing purposes; and there is none
where, III tne ilture' "ie Jug -
Pacific Railroad mas reaclieu .'s us' su.n ~
tunes are to be made IN tne business Ss " ia's-
Ing stock for the market
OF the mineral wealth OF Montana all the me
world has heard. Not less than twelve mill
ion dollars worth OF gold@-dust @ was was taken tle
from the mines last season, and iron. copper
coal, and other minerals exist IN exhauseless
abundance. 5tlsaa s+,.l4 .s,,
= suppose, however, that the Hlig tHhlling aDoq'
our New Northwest whlcn w mas lilos. - =
prised the public Is the genial cnarseteri it' 2
Q its climate, Radically dlflerent as Il may ma
seem from the prevalent luea coicerlia - =
it is nevertheless true that the cilmate
"A Montana, as whole. Is nslider tllau .llas - y
New York, while the purity anu dryness @
3 the atmosphere make the variations v ' OF TEN tenn
! perature far less noticeable. The ola tneorJ
: that the further north we go the more severe YER
| the climate becomes is now generally eA :
ploded. It Is understood, at last, that $50
: thermal divisions, except III thelr a'se *
j aspects, are entirely independent oI desree
: of latitude; and the various explorers ant
: topographers who have been sent out nef
), by the Government, nave snow! SHOWN ny inss,a @ $.
: mental tests that the temperaeule % va, -
: WalIa, on the 46th degree oI iasi.uue' y -
same as that OF as hinSVoh Dlsy, -" "
I3Sth. that OF ciark,s rorA' ~ Mun'ana' ~ !
the 4sth, the same as ma. ~ ~, o1s.p n.Ip'l
= Missouris on the 4lst' anu e'lat =. 'no D'.'''
: Root Valley, MISSOURI oouhss' n,o'a." !.
!. the 46th, the same as .nat u niia,'o'p'l' l
on the 4lst. :,
The winters in TINS sec1ion are se,'elai
open and pleasant, as may De ,','el.e" no' ,,'
s. the fact OF the ca'tie grazing "i.noa. sn.
a all Winter. Inc Vaiieys arc na'uy es.
70 covered with snow. ana y = ia.o .uas =
N roads are not dry anu passaoie io1 g
months IN Ine year. on sne .a:oua .no' ,,ans,,,
le course as IN Diou''1alns .,,a sna
q, winter somet,'hes ps 10 ~, - ' as.n :,
falls % consiuerao'e ue.ns 49, e..
20 mountains are noe 'n' ' .eass s,,...,;s M ~ ],
Is ures Oh Tue 1ei.'soi ,'N,.'.sss. ,ro.,t.r
" mountains, va,less' aau pa9 = ,.o., ona
ie above .he iese' =. - ,.st - - = w.orn;no 81
z, 4,vov ieus ,ess .'aa a.. 80, = =. i ernla
fu .sah. ln's .1o' alo"g go -. ,,rld,,
u the i'liiue1 oal'aeS aho '"'1' -. '-
OF tiyeness OF montana.
Til How this great wealth. agricultural an