The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1880-10-27

A1A1Nt 1920 TE . ~
same old cemetery. more popul0us now than
ever; the old girls have disappeared, many
81 them from the face Of the earth. Ihe olo
familiar landmarks, too, have rotteo away OF
been destroyed by the iconoclastic mana o.
progress. Do not go back, I repeat, Tor you
will leave your tenderest memories Dufleo
with your friends, and find yourself acullous
relic of the past.
But this youngest scion Of our great tamil
". Montana, is all life, without q memory
beyond the present, and just emerging from
its chrysalis. and the melancholy OF oldremln-
~isceuces Is soon lost as we enter into It's
spirit end at the same the door OF Tom
CristY, who keeps refreshments for the
weary and cheer for the respondent just over
hlilot's store. MIR. Devine keeps its prototype
across the street, and lovers OF billiards VIII
find in both houses the necessary lmple-
ments for this f~acinating pastime. The lat
ter gentleman also keeps q bowling alley, a
brewery and a restaurant.
The residents Of the Crossing are very en-
thusiastic in their praise Of the South fork
as an AGRICULTURAL section, and through the
| courtesy Of Mr.. ID. B. Traxler, who sup
piled us with an amiable and staunch specl-
men of horse flesh, we were soon on our
way thither. Under sun s. not as moves
| over Sahara, we plodded along, through Fort
| Shaw, past the sterile bluffs which mark the
| course Of some ancient river, until we reach
| the ranch Of Stewart g LOOMS, which has
recently been opened they have a hne
property and harvested twenty-five acres OF
grain, which they claim is but little short OF
average. They did not iryigate their crop,
and express the belief that irrigation is un-
necessary. This is the beginning of ranch
property, which continue on almost uninter-
ruptedly to the foot Of the Rocky Mountains.
We took a good dinner with T. ". Avery,
who keeps a public house on his ranch for
the benefit Of the passing traveller. He be-
lieves himself previously imposed upon by
taxation, and says his quota is just the same
as If he was running a frst-class hotel instead
of only now and then catching a weary or be-
lated traveller and it must be admitted that
there is something here that needs mending
by our ubiquitous legislators. Still up the
valley, past ranches in all stages Of develop
ment, but between US Sun River and a rapid
declining day, both of which prevented a
closer inspection, and we regretful1y passed
BY, leaving them in the lonesome shadows
of the bluffs just behind. Squirting our
Pegasus along, We in due time reached the
Forks" and, passing over the bluffs to the
left, get a view of the whole valley. 1t is
impossible to describe this vale as it appeared
to us when viewed from these hills at the
close of his beautiful autumn day. Fifteen
miles Of wide expanse Of valley, bounded on
either side BY gently sloping bluffs, and in
front by the seemingly impossible Rockies,
with their ragged profles standing out in
bold relief against a sky Of dark and cloudless
blue and lit up with the radiance Of the set
ting sun, with sombre shadows in the
gulches and various shades on their dark
ening sides ever the whole the gauzy veilof
the Indian summer is settling down, tinted
WALL H bu1 ~ #AAS 80 ~ tAS ~ q
a seeming Of such stuff as dreams are made
Of. From their feet is flowing the river,
glitning in the mellow sunlight here and
there where it escapes from the guardian
through expenses Of meadow with the
greenness of earlier days not yet gone, And
the twilight, settling down gradually, shuts
out the details one by one until all are lost,
and only a shadowy, romantic foreground is
left of the beautiful picture-all the world
like some oriental Transformation scene.
Tired and hungry, we pulled up before the
door Of Phil Layton, whose ranch, just
emerging from the r%oughness Of all things
new, is the first on the left hand road as you
60 up the valley. At his invitation we stop
ped for the night, and passed the evening in
conversing on the needs of the district and we
pertaining thereto which he added to our
notebook. Talk continually until after
midnight, and then into Inconsistencies,
only to be awakened therefrom by the an
nouncement Of breakfast. Then to horse
and up the valley, stopping along the way
where any evidence Of human existence was
manifest.
The ranch property on the left bank of
the river, going up, are all good, and q de-
scription Of each would take space unspara-
bic and writings al m%onotonous. Drew 8
HEIDI have six hundred acres forty under
fence and fifty ploWed and ready for next
years aneratinn. Next is N. a. Lewis with