The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-10-08
MISSOULA COUNTY.
Ten Years Ago and Now as
Portrayed by Our Graphite
Bicrstadt.

Portrayed by Our Graphite
Bierstadt.
Westward the star or Empire Holds Its
Sway.
Regular Correspondence New Northwest.
NIssouLA. Sept. 80, 1sso.-Ten years ago this
month, In company with Col. W. r. Sanders, i nrst
visited Mssoula county AID journeyed through her
magnificent valleys, account of which then wrote
for the Helena Herald had just come from the lev
el plains Of Ohio. The grand scenery Of the great
Rocky Range, the splendid canyon Of the Hellgate
river the autiful and fertile valleys of the Bitter
Root, Missoula and Jocko rivers, the great grassy
plain Of the Flathead Lake country, all of them
framed around by wall of lofty, clear cut noun
tans, covered with an everlasting verdure Of pines
and hr, were to me and inspired with feelings
Of pleasure cannot describe. ..
Another visit after ten years more than confirms
my Ars Impressions Of the beauty grandeur and fer
tility of the country as then saw it. ~ }.
The climate, too, found milder and the seasons
longer than in orr upper mountain country, As the
vegetation proved then 1t does now. The people
should be the most contented and happy IL beautiful
valleys, rich soil, certainty of crops and an ndepend
they little further from the markets than the
people Of some other countless but this will soon be
remedied. --H 80 nr. rs F .. .-.. -....
. RAILnoAD AND TELEGRAPH.
The Northern Pacific is now graded to the Spokane
Falls, two hundred and fty miles from Missoua and
In tive years after this the steam whistle will wake
the echoes In all tho valleys. 1t will reach Miseoula
from the west several years before possibly be
built from the east and will probably reach Helena in
three years by the reute before 1t win from the
Yellowstone Then the telegraph this season has
been completed from Fort Missoula 10 Wala Walla,
and only few moro lnsulators are needed to open
the line for business. Beside the work by Col Glib
sen on the Muan road this season has opened 1t to
trave. and many immigrants coming into Missoaa
from that way to seek homes. Thousands Of cattle
and sheep have come that road this season for
the stock men Of Eastern Montana, and many herds
and nocks are now on the road. The future of Mis-
sonia county Is full Of promise.
THE CROPS, sc.
travelled all over Bitter Root Valley with Mr.. A.P
Msrrison settler in Missoula county from Ore
you. After visiting more than twenty farms he de
cared that the Bitter Root valley was greater, rich
er and more beautiful valley than the Grand Rondt
valley in Oregon. We found the grain nearly al
harvested and the qna.y most exceEentbut the yelt
son. few fields had been caught by early frost. bu
this was given over to the hogs Of which almost ev
cry farmer In Bitter Root has a number. The grail
viii average little over half of full cropa little bet
| ter think, than most of our valleys will do. Ye
the farmers were cheerful and buoyant because price,
| Of grain were advancing. Last year wheat brough
| fsrty cents bushel at Mssoula and owing to tn
large crop the sales were slow Now 1t s seventy sv
| cents Der bushel with upward tendency. 1t vii
probably bring one dollar before New Year. Oats
too are rising in price, owing to the less yield ant
| the short crop Of hay, which is below average. M
advice to the farmers all over Montana Ii not to sci
| their grain too soon. Many enigrants have com
into the Territory this year and will have to be led
found two steam threshers hard at work up the Bit
/ ter Root and two below Missonla and Frenchtown
threshing their thousand to fifteen hundred bushei
per day. Then there were several od-fashioned hors
power threshers at work at Baron O'Keefes, who ha
the largest yield Of grain his fine farm ever pro
duced.
When visited the farms from Misssula to belo'
Frenchtown verify thought had got into the Ian
OF Goshen where. the old stsry says, the land flow
with milk and honey The soil Of the Nile Is no
richer than that Of this valley, as the huge stacks
grain attest. II is a blue-black loan and needs bu
ttle II any, irrigation, This little, warm, shetere
nook IL picture Of beauty, plenty and comfort.
10 pleasant land. There Gre ten cultivated farm
now in Mssoula county where there were two tc
years ago. ..
| HoGs, BACON, &C.
In travelling over Missoula county found that
majority of the farmers had procured hogs to eat
their surplus grain The breed 10 nearly pure Berl
shire. On nearly every farm there are one or mol
fields of peas, into which the hogs are turned afts
cleaning the wheat and oats fields. Bacon is cash,
fact which the farmers fast learning, and Bit:'
Root bacon is noted for its excellence, bringing
have Ms, dsas 'ssn ee Sess
raising. Transporting an acre of grain in hogs dos
not cost fourth much to carry the grain to maj
ket Mr.. Bass says so, and he IL fattening $50 hea
for slaughter. Bass q Co., q firm composed Of
| number Of the best business men Of Missoula an
Bitter Root valley make the celebrated bacon an
hams of Missoula. Their establish nent is locate
| at Steyensvlle.
HORSES, CATTLE AND SHEEP 3 d.
In former years stock raising was the great indus
| try of Missoula county. The pastures have been Q
eaten down that the owners have been compelled I
sell or seek new ranges. The number Of live stock
therefore decreasing The Indians and breeds
the county even now have large bands of horses an
many cattle. The farmers complain of this becaus
Il
ncient for the stock they need to keep. Many sale
Of cattle have been made this spring and lately lag
bands Of horses have been sold. Mr.. Vestel, of He
ena, bought about 3OG head OF horses, paying on a
average of SIS . head, not including sucking colt
| Some individuals vet own one to two thousand heac
which they would like to dispose OF at any reasonab
| rates. These breeds are partly American stock an
| our horsemen In eastern Montana cannot do bette
than to purchase mares to cross with good caster
| horses. 4 few nocks OF sheep have done well, bu
there nre.not enough foot hills In Missoula county
warrant the keeping Of large focks on the ranges
Horses and cattle of farmers will soon require wha
pasture there is on the foot hills. .- .' 10.
ls-f ..''.. FRUIT RAISING. .H yEl .
The crowning glory of Missoua county is now dem
oustrated to be its capabty fer fruit raising. b
sde all the small fruits and the exhibition ut the lat
County Far showed this to be fact. Fifteen Q
twenty varieties Of perfectly ripe apples large an
handsome: hve or six varieties of plums. besid'
numerous kinds Of winter apples not yet ripe, wer
shown from the orchards OF Bass Brss., q. =. Hart
mar, VIM, Kennedy, A. Cave, Judge Pomeroy an
Thos. Harris. Cherries were out of season, but MI
Dickinson, the Postmaster, assured me some Of hi
trees had yielded q peck each this season, and tn
trees are yet young. Mr.. Bass showed me thre
ranscendent crab apple trees in his fne orchard tn
l WHICH, la Cens1 pOuuu. cofu ~ u
orchard for 4185 this season. He has quite larg
nursery started and the week there he lad col
to his neighbors several hundred dollars worth O
trees. believe almost every county in Montana wi
Be able to grow apples and other fruits but Mssoul
county ID able to produce all that win be needed. Ev
cry farm that visited has new orchard on 1t. Tn
farmers are doing wisely BY planting srchsrds. To
acres Of good bearing apple trees win yield large
profit TO the farmer than forty of wheat for
70 come. Plant fruit trees and they viii yield thel
grateful crops years after you dead and your nam
win Be- blessed. @s9 : ..atE 1Hv7 Isa
IT, PUBLIc LANDS. a. % a. Jssl+
Vast quantities of public lands Of the finest quait
open TO settlement In Missoua county, beside tn
railroad lands and some Of the fnest now occupied
Indians. 60 tsahs af str. q
i nrnH MOOT INDIANS. 8lgEyF .gss
d paascd through many small farms mp the Bite
Root which were cultivated BY Indians. They had a
COED crops - their neighbors. though their farm
| were not a large. Beside. they own many horses
These people are in the homes Of their fathers an