Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1879-01-02

coal ana leaQ nave Deen QlSCOVeItu Ill various
parts of the Territory-the coal l have used in
heating my office, company quarters and officers
houses, and find it of good quality. 1t has also
been used in the blacksmith shop at Fort Ellis,
and will heat iron to white heat. The copper
have examined and it is of good quality. The
average annual yield of gold and silver in Mon
tana is $500, 900. The placer mines number
1,ooo and the gold and silver lodes, 10000;
500 stamps are daily pounding out gold and sill
yer. The famous Penobscot mine is located
near Helena, and yields 81 900 per day. The
Davis mine, at Butte, produces like amount,
and recent discovery at Bear gulch will soon
surprise them both.
The difficulty with Montana heretofore has
been its isolated position, but this is about to be
overcome by the Utah & Northern railroad.
This road leaves the Union Pacific at Ogden, and
travels north through Utah and Idaho to Mon
tana. Its present terminus is Snake river, and
in the spring it will be extended to Henry's
Lake. From Henry's Lake to Bozeman is 90
miles; to Virginia City, 45 miles; to Butte, 100
miles; to Bannack, o5 miles; to Helena, 125
miles All the settled parts of the Territory can
be reached in $50 to 200 miles travel from the
terminus of the road, and this it is believed, will
suffice for the present demands of our mountain
land The ultimate terminus of this road will
be at Helena, the Capital of the Territory, and
it will probably be built there within the next
two years. The ores of Montana have been
found so rich that it has paid the miners to sack
and ship them 500 miles by wagon, and the Utah
& Northern will have no end of this kind Of
freight, when once it is finished. Henry's Lake
is within thirty miles of the National Park, and
when the new road is completed, this will be the
great ent,1pot to the wonderland.
Helena, the Capital of Montana, is located in
the central part of the Territory, and has a
population of 5000 inhabitants. 1t has many
fine public and private buildings, and employs
cash capital of $5,ooo,ooo. Virginia is in the
southern part of the Territory, and has a popula-
ton of 1900. 1t is near the famous Alder
gulch, which still produces annually $4,000 in
gold. Butte is most beautiful town and al
ready second to Helena. 1t has a population
of 1900 souls. Bozeman is at the head of the
famous Gallatin valley, and is surrounded by
the richest farming region in the West. 1t has
population of 1000 and is rapidly increas-
ing. Deer Lodge, Bannack, Benton, Raiders
burg, Vestel and Philipsburg are also fine and
growing towns. The Yellowstone valley is in
Montana and has two towns-Miles City and
Sherman. This valley is capable of sustaining
10000 farmers, and the settlements have but just
been founded. have ridden up and down the
valley FIVE times, and it has no superior in the
United States
Montana has indeed a wonderful future be-
fore it, and know of no place where the farm:
er, manufacturer or professional man can settle
with greater assurance of prosperity. Tele-
graph lines have already been established to
many parts of the Territory, and we have two
daily and nine weekly papers giving all the news.
The isolation of the Territory has heretofore
prevented many persons from seeking it, but now
that this rich and unknown land is about to be
connected with the outside world by railroads,
it will soon be filed up and become prosperous
commonwealth.
One of the greatest drawbacks to Montana has
been the supposed danger from Indians, but the
establishment of Forts Baker, Benton, Missoula,
Shaw, Ellis, Custer and Keogh completely gar
rison the Territory, and emigrants will find it as
safe as in Kansas, Nebraska or Colorado. No
person in the future need stay away from Mon
tana on account of danger from Indians.
The trade of the territory is already of great
importance, and is increasing each year. Over
1000 pounds of mail matter is carried daily into
the Territory, and the passenger fares on the
stages average $4,000 per month. Three tons
of gold and silver bullion are shipped East every
thirty days, and the wagon freights brought in
amount to over 100000 pounds per annum.
The gold, silver and copper carried out Of Mon
tana last year on wagons reached 100000
pounds; 100000 pounds of copper matte and
100000 pounds of lead and bullion were taken
out. The exports by beats down the Missouri
river last summer were as follows:
Ore and bullion, 1,225 tons, average value
Tss Sssi1 ,ss sesss g. PsSns. ss1s sesss ss g
Antelope, deer and elk, $50 skins. 1885 g
Bear, u SKINS: 80 ~
Welt, 67Oo skins. ........................ 1901 q
Beaver skins 6,70s pounds. s............... 670e 60
Hides, 1h90 0................ ........... ~! ~
sSsss Sisss 4; .iis: ssss sss g g
Cstae lS 80; :o ., 3 ~ ~
n ff,snx 1o000 90