Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1878-08-01
The Madison Valley

signs than the Madison. valley as seen from
the .,mountain range eastof Virginia City,
in; Midsummer. Its course is with the Mad
ison river, which, for the first hundred miles
from'its source runs a little west of north.
The valley proper is about Il miles wide.
On.tl.e east and west the mountains rise alb
rubtly and stand out in a bold, continuous
chain of grandenry ,scalloped into corner
and ,coves with floral dells between; here
and there dome-sfaped-clad lin green 'ver-
dure below, topped out with strong walls
and whitened with snowy crests pointing
far upinto the ethereal space, pinnacles up
on which rest the .archiof heaven-enclos-
ing beaeath.it this Eden4likeland OF sloping
grassy plateaus and sunny giades, cut with
beautiful Observation-Disclosures, and dot
ted with growing fieldsI flecks, herds and
cheerful homes. AS yet, however, onlysa
small portion of it is inhabited, the principal
settlement being confined to a narrow low
land on the east bank of the river. Back of
thisilow, valley the land rises to a second
bench: and slopes up to the mountains.
The soil on the lowest land is very deep,
and produces well, but ISL think, subject to
earlier trosts than the bench. The bench
soil is probably not deep, but it is a strong
lime soil, clear of stone, and leveland even
as'coulh be desired. The streams that course
across it from the mountains are so near
the top of the ground that one can with a
,,ln.y f,rrcxy rriln Tho wyntarn nniptorrpnto,
for miles.
This plateau is fronrthree to five miles in
width, and extends'towards the south as far
as the eye can reach even, grassy, clear,
beautiful, fertile, and by far the largest tract
of good wheat growing land now vacant and
within the settled districts of Montana.
The residents of this valley whose &C
quaintance it was my. pleasure to make are
A. w. Switzer, J. G. Smith, NJ. 0. Jetfiies,
J. F. Haiden, f. A, Maynard, Wesley
Rhodes, w. F. Kirkwood, fAlonzo. Moody,
o. b. Varney, NJ. A. Switzer, AN Bull,
- Burns, VIM. Ennis, and 0. Smith.
The last named gentleman is improving a
fine bench land farm. His brother, j. G..
oAAtCts Aoo CSCAllly tiIC AtOul CACy lltCs
and is making improvements at his already
pleasant home, perhaps with II view to TAX
ing a partner. None ,are more worthy.
MIR. Jeffries andt his brother. since my visit
last year, have, moved up into the settle
ment, purchased a large tract.o land, and
erected u new and well-designed dwelling,
indicating that*they, too, are weary of lone
ly bachelorhood. They are probably the
most extensive stock 1nen in the valley.
The location of j. T. Haiden is out near
thscentre of the settlement, and a most ex-
cellent one. His grain fields presented as
good a prospect for large crops as l have
seem. The same may be said Of Mr.. Burns
farm and crops.
M. A. Switzler's home is zone of the first
and choice locations in the settlement. A
beautiful stream runs nearahis door, shaded
with huge cottonwood trees, giving. the
place a States-like look.
E. A. Maynardis operating upon a larger
scale than probably any other. :, He has
large farms in cultivation, and good ,herds
of stock, among which. are some pure thor
oughbreds. Ills d~airylherd number some
thing over sixty and his butter, (which is
handled with the modern improved. facili-
ties, commands the top prices in 1.-THE Vir-
ginia markets. His place shows enterprise
in every feature. He wasthe first to dem.:
onstrate the adaptability of farming the app
lands OF this section, and, am glad to say,
found them superior for wheat raising.
Another | was pleased to meet was A. w.