The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-01-27
The Mountains aud TisleS OF Montana.

Montana comprises within its limits over
A2,000,OO0 acres Of land. Both the Missouri
and Columbia rivers rise within its borders,
and there are also the Yellowstone, Milk.
NIarias, MussGlsht!l, Tongue. B!gh0rn, and
Powder rivers, besides many lesser streams.
1t is a wcll-Watercd Territory, intersperscl
with mountain ranges, isolated peaks, fertile
valleys and wide plans. 1t is as large as the
New England States and New y York put to-
gothcr, being 800 miles long and 300 miles
broad. 1t lies between the 18th and 10Th
parallels Of latitude, and between the 104th
and 10th meridiaIlS. Montana contains 70,
O00,0O0 acres Of pastoral and lG,OOO,O0 acres
Of agricultural lands. The population of the
| Territory is only $4,000, and there is said to
be much valuable government land open to
pre-emption III the rich valleys. The present
production Of wheat only makes 100000 sacks
Of flour, and is produced on 10000 acres.
At present the great interests Of Montana
are mines and stock. The largest part of the
population are engaged in cattle raising, and
it has proved extremely profitable, making
many persons wealthy. \ large percentage
of the cattle of Montana are owned by nom
residents, or by business men who give the
man who takes charge of the herd onehalf
of the increase Capitalists are said to obtain
at least lo per cent. per annum on such III
vcstmcnts. Surveyor-Gcnelal Mason reports
that the number and value of stock IN Mou-
tana has doubled within the last three years.
Stock-hcrders are paying much attention TO
the improvement of the quality Of the herds.
\ writer IN the Montana EerWiI says that
nearly tWo-thirds of the Territory affords
perpetual facilities for stock-raisn%. The
/ bunch grass, which is unsurpassed iUr stock,
is perennial. 1t abounds in those parts which
were the great buffalo ranges of the past, and
will be i'll the near future the source of i'm
mense wealth. Money invested III cattle,
says another writer, is considered absolutely
safe, During seventeen years past cattle
! have nceded to have hay in winter but two
! seasons. Though the cattle interest is the
! largest. yet the sheen interest is on the i'll
crease, the profit being claimed to be often )
per cent. on the invested capital. The Sayre
Sheep Company of Meagher county declared
3G per cent. dividend Oh their capital of
$1,000; another firm reports 4i per cent.
profits.
Al present the mineS, farms and cattle
ranges of Montana are mainly situated i'll the
! western third Of tie Territory. Compare.
J lively little is known of the two-thrds which
! lies east of the 1l1th meridian. Here says
! a recent writer, sis Az immense scope of coun-
! try, covering seven degrees Of longitude aud
! four degrees of latitude, or IL space which is
$50 miles long and 25o miles in width, and is
/ yet hardly touched by civlization.n This is
. Tie region called by General HaZen the Bar
rem lands but it contains much valuable
grazing land, which must eventually be util-
/ lied.
Eastern Montana has been the scene of
many Wild adventures. Explored first by the
early French rOyuQC,H~. and by the trappers
of the Hudson Bay Company, ana after
wards by Lewis and Clark, whose story is
told SO well by irving, it has been the scene
OF desperate conflicts with the Indians, as the