Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1873-12-26
MARVELLOUS MONTANA.
Her Lofty Mountains and Lovely
Valleys.
nv cor. SAMUEL vr,,,r.aox

Nv COL. SAMUEL WILKINSON.
[From the nstes and observations of the author.
lurAis'sd exclusively for Crofatts Western Norldl
THE MOUNTAINS.
AS a proof of the clearness Of the
atmosphere of Montana, which a New
Yorker is as capable Of comprehend
ing as Cornwall tin miner, instance
this fact: Powelrs Peak west of Deer
Lodge is 1000 feet high. FROM it's
summit can be distinctly seen the
mountain coast of Flat Head Lake,
200 miles distant. On my ride down
to Corinne, in 1860, / saw the "Thrse
Tetonsn from the Wearisome Sand
Hole. That trio of mountain cones
was 15O miles away. Paymaster Elem
tons from the summit of one of the
Gallatin Heights, 200 miles distant.
He also tells me that he has often
looked nom his open Office window in
Helena at the first foot hills miles dis
tant and with the naked eye counted
the stems of the trees.
1t has been said that if the Ale
ghany Mountains were 1000 feet above
the sea, their SUBMITS would be cap
ped with perpetual snow, in latitude
41o, the parallel of New Haven, Con-
necticut.
In the Rocky Mountains the perpet-
ual snow line is from $4,000 to $4,000
feet above sea level.
The Rocky Mountains are the spinal
column Of the Republic. They will
be seen with, the century to be the
support Of the life and movement of
the nation-the supply Of the metals,
coal, food, lumber, and of vigorous
men, rich in brains, conscience, cour-
age and the talent for government.
THE VALLEYS.
Of the valleys in Montana from one
hundred miles long, and from three to
twenty miles long, there are the Vel
lowstone, Mission, Sun, Madison, JEFF
ferson, Gallatin, Deer Lodge, Hellgate,
Jocko, Bitter Root, Missoula, Flat
head, Horse Plains, add others. As
fringes and auxilaries of these there
are Enthusiastically hundreds-of
smaller yalleys,.capable OF giving per
feet farms to thousand inhabitants,
each enriched with abundant water
for irrigation, and hay, and pasture
land ready for use; and with timber
close by. and wind fences in the form
of mountains.
Montana's name describes the prin-
cipal feature of her territory. The
valleys of the streams, from one mile
to ten miles i'll width, are quite de-
pressed below the general surface of
the country, and therefore protected
against the winds of winter. There
fore, also, such possibilities of irriga-
ton! o, you Eastern walters on the
hygrometic providence, break your
barometers and emigrate.
An elevation of the valleys from
1000 to 5000 feet.above the sea level;
sparkling waiter abundant, several
varieties Of grasses and native clover
growing luxuriantly, and curing on
the stalk for winter pasture; summers
which would almost rseuscitate the
dead, and winters WHICH, ATE. a:l IEaYs
the snowfall into the atmosphere and
never melt it under foot; valleys Of
heavy grasses through which moving
machines can be run for miles-tIlese
are the elements and possibilities of
farming throughout Montana.
Montana intended her valleys for the
pillow and the moving machine. Only
in the Bitter Root has the large timber
of the mountains crowded down into
the valley. 1t must have been the
moisture in the air of the Pacific, re-
duced to this infraction of Montana's
law of restricting forests to the noun
tain sides and heights.
Nestle is the word. The valleys
here nestle in the mountains. They
in width from one mile to fif.
teen miles, and follow the ceaseles,
of the river; the brooding
peaks shouldering high above, break.
ing the winds, and fencing off man
and animal into still hooks and warm
shelter.