Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-04-20

tains, slopes and beautiful valleys, III their
primative grandeur, are beginning to attract
attention from abroad, 1t is the most invit-
ing field for settlement in Montana, or we
might say in the United States. The cli-
mate is dry and healthy, the soil rich, and
very productive, and cut by innunerable
streams that come down from the noun
tains, affording facilities for irrigating une-
qualed, thus enabling the farmer to make
his own season independent ofthe hckle ana
uncertain skies. Besides these advantages,
are it's miles and miles of pasture-land,
hedged along the west ylotty chains OF TIM
bered mountains, while a few hundred miles
to the east beyond this fertile belt, lies the
most extensive belt of coal-lands to be found
upon the continent. This region extends
from Her Majesty's possessions on the north,
into Wyoming on the south. But the most
inviting portion for settlement at present,
lies between the Missouri and Yellowstone
rivers. The north bank Of the Yellowstone,
Sweet Grass, Muscleshell and its tributaries,
Judith, Highwood and Smiths river.
Heretofore, settlement has only ventured
fur enough down the eastern slope to get a
glimpse, and learn something Of the inn
mense value of the magnificent country
that stretches away for miles from their very
feet. But the establishment of a post at the
mouth of the Big Horn, (Which is now a GER
tainty) will greatly protect these regions
and. cause it to, settle up readily.
As q country for the production OF beef
and wool, it has no superior in all the West
ern Territories. The navigation of the Vel
lowstone is another important feature which
will greatly facilitate settling up. The fol-
lowing article coming as it does from a
1irst-class journal, such as the Westeym Ru-
raj, speaks volumes: 1t gives us to under
stand that our friends in the Atlantic
States, are beginning to learn something OF
the resources of Montana. And ere long, we
may expect to sec the hardy Western farm
ers and stock-growers, who have ever kept
in advance of civilization since it pushed
down the Western slopessot the Alleghanies,
across the Mississippi, building homes along
the Eastern slope of our Rocky Mountains,
the last and most inviting field now open
to the American Pioneer.
Here is whatfthe Ru,al has to say of.the
Yellowstone and tributaries, of its climate,
vast pastures, great gold and silver mines,
sparkling ~rivulets, laundering cataracts, and
natural wonders.
"Little is known by the public at large of
the fertility and wonderful resources Of the
Yellowstone Valley. We have samples Of
wheat and barley before us, some produced
about t~hirty-fye east of Bozeman City, in
that valley. (The interested reader should
procure d late map of Dakota, Montana and
Wyoming, for q better understanding Of the
geography ofthis wonderful r~egion.) The
locality is well UP toward the mountains,
probably near the line where general culti-
walton would-b be impossible, from the great
ness of the altitude of course lower down
the growing season is longer, and. frosts in
spring and fall, less frequent. For 500 miles
below this pointthe Yellowstone flows, with
majestic sweeps, through valley lands CT
general prairie character, having an extent
above high-water mark OF three to forty
miles between the inclosing shore ranges.
AL this extent oEcountry is said to be ex-
ceedingly fertile, the soil being black loan,
rich and deep. There is an abundance of
timber everywhere, noble forests browning
the mountains and fringing the water
courses. The main valley is threaded With
tributary streams, which pour their crystal
tFibnte into the main channel, we are as
sIred, through almost every section. The
adjacent foothills and lower II rs well
most nutritious grasses that grow. These