Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-09-19
Written for the AvANT CoURIER-
The Yellowstone, as Seen.
By j. V. BOGERr.


ly through the reports of others. In com
mcn with others. he has claimed for i
great natural advantages of pasture. sol
and climate, and predicted for it a grea
future-but he is constrained to confes
that of late he has, so to speak. ''weaken
ed over it. and, after fashion. confessed
to himself. not only that he had been mis-
lead. but had perhaps mislead others. Ant
this because of the gloomy stories told by
some who had visited the Yellowstone il
a stsge-coach. or had made flying trip
with special business or marauding Indian!
in mind. These discouraging tales told o
alkali and sage-brush; OF rattle-snakes ant
wire-grae of bad water and no water; O
winds ~. dust and gravel and genera
worth.essness, and added to these ro
mances came the repeated disappointment,
over navigation of the river and the seem
ingly eternal delay of the Northern Pacific
Railway. Is it to be wondered. then. that
many of us who had lived and hoped and
hoped and hardly lived. so long should
have almost abandoned expectation when
our own people returned to tell us the
Yellowstone is a slough and its land a
desert
But. the writer has been down the river,
and has seen. On the 14th Of August he
left BoZeman. the guest Of a company OF
cavalry, and traversihg the route from there
to Fort Custer by regulation daily marches
and returning alone in the saddle. time and
opportunity offered in the close examine
ton of the country.
From Bozeman to the mouth Of the Big
Horn (the extremes covered by this trip
the country is. for Montana, unusually di-
versitied. 1t presents one succession OF
plateau and bottom, valley and foot-hill.
while beyond the ranges, which obstract
the vision in the distance. the table-lands
stretch in long distance far away. Grass
covers the l,ixuriant surface, the river is
lined and hemmed-in by groves OF cotton
wood, and almost everywhere the soil has
every appearance Of extreme fertility. As
one moves down the river the climate so
appreci;.bly mobiles. that it becomes evil
dent to the most prejudiced that he is en-
teriEg 4 country not only OF superior ro-
sources. but of capabilities new TO the deni-
zen of average Montana. 1t rapidly be-
comes region of corn, and, d,consequenily.
pork country-the presence OF the iop
and the grape vine and the plum tree
proves it fruit zone-while the moons
and the finer vegetables aboundins upon
each, yet rulely cultured. farm show tlat
its capabilities and natural resources as an
agricultural section have not been over
estimated by the most sang,ine-of us so
often dubbed ''The Yellowstone maniacs." :"
Nor have its rich grasses been exager-
atcd-trulv the ''cattle ola thousand hills
must here some day find their home. :nd
the limitless ranges providing exhausthss
feed must yet make Montana the cattle
king of the West.
The writer published at one time in the
New North West series Of ''Field Notes
OF the Yellowstone" based chiefly upon
Lieut.. McClernand's exhaustive report.
These ''Notes" were afterwards repeatel in
this paper: and though the Report (not-
withstanding the ability and evident disin-
tereste,lness of that officer were acknowl-
edgcd) was criticised by some as the Pro-
duction of an enthusiast, 1t gives pleasure
now 10 the writer of the Notes to be able
to say that. using the Report" as his guide.
he found the descriptions faithfully eor-
rect and McClernand's opinion Of the Yel-
lowstOne based upon facts.
Striking the Yellowstone at Benssn's
Landing. after passing the valuable cult
waited ranches of Hopper, Billman, Gosner
and others, where large improvementex-
pen,litures have been made, the desert
Land entry of Elias Sperling was visited.
The land at this point has always been re-
gartled as gravel and alLali bed, and when
MIR. Sperling secured the tract as ''k'nd
(which, without systematic artificial lrr :
..gatiOn, cannot be successfully cultivated
'.agriculturally." he was ridiculed as M
man. But ditch has conducted water to
soil almost grassless, and fencing now
protects fourishing result, perhaps al
most as surprising to him as to those who
predicted he would be ''casting seed upon
stony ground" No more pertinent Illus
traticn of the capabilities OF the country
could have arisen.
In passing, it may be asserted that Ben
sons Landing must, in the natural order
of things. become point of imp 'rtance
Already it is postal station j. A. Bailey
Postmaster and merchant. p. w. Meadow
has in operation steelwire-rope ferry ovel
the Yellowstone, atiortling means Of
travel which sooner or later must give way
to a bridge.
Moving down the road distance o1
some five miles the station of d. IL. Car
penter is reached, at Shields river. Here
Mr.. Carpenter has erected series OF fint
log buildings and an extensive corrall. ant
has thrown over the stream MS substantial
bridge rs can be found in Montana. But
the work of greatest interest is the grade
over the mountain, constructed by this ef
ergetic and public-spirited gentleman. Il I
result of large expenditure Of time. labor
and money, and which so excited the ad
milation OF Gen. Sherman, that an official
order asserts ''that such enterprise on tht
part Of settler upon the confines OF civil
ization should receive Government recog
nitiOn."
This section is fine grazing country
and large herds of cattle are now quarteret
upon the Shie!is' river bottoms and til,
surrounding region. 1t was the intention
o. the writer 10 accept tile invitation o
Messrs. j. NJ. Lindley and Walter Grannisl
to visit their locations up the river, and t.
accept Mr.. Granniss' offer to .uide him Il
the stock rs.ches Of others in the vicinity
but time did Eot permit. and examination
in that direction must be left to anothe
time. Alphabetically. another surpris'
was here met with. Within rear thi