The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-18
HOMES FOR THOUSANDS OF FARMERS.
Climate, Soil, Products and
Yield.
A Full Description Of the Great Valley BY One who Has
Ridden All Over Il Three Times
BozknAs, n. l., June 6. 1877.

West, Is about 10 DO realized THIS valley Of ltseit ~
only the largest in the United States but ats srib
Itaries enormous The Yellowstone proper Is 400
niles in length, extending from the National Park to
he Missouri River ~ Buord. OF this immense dis
800 miles OF tho valley least capable oil cu
ivati.n. The valley to the park has no settlers
aud is very mountainous, but sixty miles down the
ranches extend at intervals of i've, ten and
twenty miles for $50 miles. Mos. OF the ranchmen are
farmers and stock raisers They grow wheat, oats,
rye. corn and all kinds of vegetables The cattle run
all winter without hay shelter and always
TAT and sleek There fully thirty thousand head OF
cattle grazing the Upper Yellowstone and 1000 head
sf horses and mules The soil OF the Upper Yellow
stone Is rich black loan and well watercd by numer
Dus streams that flow down from the mountains on
either side, The valley has average width Of Two
miles IN the first 200 miles, whom It suddenly wdens
to miles The first large tributary Of the Yellow.
stone the south bank is the Boulder, a rough,
rocky stream with little agricultural land along Its
banks. Nearly opposite the Boulder, on the north
bank, is the Big Timber, stream on which can be
mado fine farms Below tho Big Timber lew
miles Is Sweetgrass, fine stream, and nifty or sixty
ranches can be located on It, The first river that
mpties into the Yellowstone 10 Saltwater, about one
hundred and fifty miles long, with good valley capa-
bic Of accommodating two or three hundred farmers
md stock raiscrs with homes 1t 10 ON this stream
that the Grow Indians have their agency, but they
will no doubt soon DO removed to tho norlh-on the
Musseshell River. to mako room for the immigrants,
who are now pouring into the Yellowstone from Mon
tana, Dakota and the Black Hills
Below Saltwater forty miles tho Clnrks Fork
River IN from the north. 1t Is deep enough IN
high water to permit steamer passing up it's channel
and, no doubt, be nsvigated for = good many
miles above its mouth. Clark's Fork over 200 miles
long and has q broad, rich valley 1t Is on tho head
OF Clarks River that the great silver mines Of Mon
sana are located or late years they could not be
worked on account Of the danger from Indians, but
aow miners arc going IN and one company IN Montana
Is moving up smcltsra II 10 believed those mines,
when developed will surpass in richness and yield
even tho famous Comstock. have seen great deal
Of ORE some OF II nearly pure sliver and am told by
old miners who have prospccted them thoroughly
there hundreds Of thousands feet Of such Al
the mouth OF Ciark's Fork the Yellowstone Valley
reaches the enormous widin Of twenty nne miles
from bun to bluiL The Cark's Fork bottom on tho
Yellowstone Is forty miics long and Will hold 5000
farmers and stock raisers
Al the foot Of the great bottom is Bakers Battle.
field made memorable by contest with the savag os
In 1879 II was ono Vt the Tow Indian battles over
fought at night The Sioux attacked four companies OF
cavalry and two Of infantry under Colonel Baker, at
ser O'Clock NJ and the fight lasted two hours result
ing the complete rout Of the Indians.
Bakers Battlefield IL supposed 70 be the hcad OF
navigation steamboats, on the Yellowstone RIVER
Here a town has boen lard out and a settlement
founded. There is already ur and dry goods s,oro
and one or two families have taken up iarma
Sixty miles below Bakers Battlefield tho Big
Horn River emptiss into the Yellowstone. THIS
famous stream 10 almost large the Yellowstone,
and fully $50 800 miles long. Near its mouth
n 0oSve nh lint tan 4
miles up a broad, green anu beautiful valley opens
out ten miles wide and forty long Fifty miles from
It's mouth Big Horn receives the Lutte Horn River
There Custer fought and met his death, with sixteen
officers aud $40 enlisted men. II rs AZ the mouth
Of Little Horn that the new twelve company post is
located. The Big Horn Valley al the post reaches
width OF eighteen miles, and Is oil unsurpassed beauty
and richness Tho whole OF the Big Horn Valley
abounds with wild fruits. Currants raspberres straw
berries, sarvsberrics buaaoberries, plums, grapes
and gooseberr,es grow along the streams and the
mountains The soil OF tho Big Horn black loan
feet deep THIS valley is thought by many DO
the richest in the West and one day 1t is believed II
Will be tho paradise OF farmers Along banks there
Is room for 20 600 farmers and stock men to settle.
The mouth OF the Big Horn is believed to be the real
head OF steamboating ON the Yellowstone, and here
Big Horn city has been lard out and now contains
about u dozen houses and two stores
Fity m,les below the mouth Of the Big Horn. on the
south SIDE, the Rosebud emptios IL IL stream with
some good farming hand, splendid grazing aud fno
timber. IL was up this stream, sixty miles from It's
Junction with the Yellowstone General Miles recently
iound the hostile Indian village and destroyed It.
Thirty -ave mos below the Rosebud Is Tongue River
At the mouth OF which General Niles has his camp
and new twevc-company post has been located. I
have nevcr been up this stream, but l am told it
is 200 mi es long and has much line land
along It's banks. town called Niles City has been
located the mouth Of Tongue River and already
800 Inhabitants
Forty mes below Tongue the Powder River emp
tics 1t Is over 300 miles long and has wide bottoms
am told; but l have never sraverssd II and cannot
speak OF my own knowledge
Glendive Creek empties below Powder River, but 1
kno~ nothing about II The Valley Of tho Yellowstone
narrows rapidly below Rosebud aud the land is Of
little there TO Tongue River The coun-
try Ia broken into ragged peaks, alkali beds and
ravnes From the Rosebud, except In small spots, I
inclined TO think the Yellowstone Valley Is not
valuable farming region, bus from Rosebud up Tor
200 miles n 10 unsurpassed. have ridden over u
four times and only write Of what know
was raised farmer and have examined the
soil on swestgrsss Big Timber. saltwater,
CIark's Fork, Big Horn. Rosebud and for $50
miles along the Yellowstone The country Is the
best iimoered in the West, the climate delightful
and the soil good Little streams OF water aow down
from the hills every two three miles, and the heads
OF ali these streams. mountains and canyons
cred with dense growth OF timber. In one pace on
the head OF The Yellowstone have growing over
80 900 acres OF pine trees that would feet
the stump Goal is seen cropping along the banks
OF the Yellowstone and It's tributaries. and there 10
hard lv mi nf Ia wiz hout
About nfy persons per day are passing place to
settle in the valley Of the Upper Yellowstone and IT
said 100 per day are coming in pe.ow IRON Black
Iiis, Dakota and by steamer, but at this rate
will six years to settle the YELLOWSTONE and II we
double the rate Of immigration tho great valley and It's
tributaries cannot be completely settled the next
hvc years There will DO and TO spare in 1880 for
both farmers stock raisors and all who wish 10
eoue.