The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-04-20
WE.Were handed The following letter, writ
ten.hy gentleman Of Troy, Ohio:

! WE.Were handed the following letter. writ
ten hy . gentleman Of Troy, Ohio:
S1iilIyou be kind enough to mail me
I copysof your leading neWspa per or some
| other publication, setting forth what. If any,
advantages are offered by your city and Sec
/ ton Of the Territory for immigrants. We
are told here by the daily papers that in
your latitude and region Of country you have
] been enjoying fine spring weather, favorable
| for agricultural interests and stock Would
be glad to learn the facts.
The advantages offered by this town and
the surrounding country can hardly be set
forth in the limited space Of newspaper ar
ticle, but we will give an. outline Of the prin-
cipal, that will in a measure satisfy the quest
of our enquirer, and. Others.
| The great advantage Of Benton is in the fact
that It is the geographical center Of the lar
gest and richest agricultural and mineral
section in Montana, or the entire Rocky
| Mountain coantry. This advantage of loca-
ton is supplemented by the fact that it is the
head Of navigation On the Missouri river,
which makes it the commercial center Of the
entire tributary district, and conferring upon
| it an advantage Of cheap communication with
the East at rates which are not greatly above
| those current west OF the Mississippi. Bus-
ness and enterprise il the town are only just
heginning to develop, only few lines of
| trade being at present represented by purely
retail houses The wholesale trade has as
1sumed splendid proportions, and supplies
customers far up into the British posses
| sions, eastward to the mouth of the Mussel-
shell and southwark 70 the rivers tributary to
| the Yellowstone. Manufactures there are
none to speakHof excepting Of brick and
stonesfor building purposes, and, with the
facilities for the getting Of raw material and
the development of power to drive machinery,
presents the most inviting field for enterprise
| to be found in the West. Money rules at
about IS per cent. per annum, and the result
in the way of profit in its use will range from
% to IS per cent Taxation is comparatively
light. Two enterprises in the way of manu-
featuring are needed badly, one wooden
mill for the making of the heavier kind of
woolen goods, such as blankets, ETC., and
good merchant Touring mill. The latter,
espe cially, presents an inviting field for
| moderate capital, and the agricultural inter-
ests of the country are suffering from its
lack. Last year over 10000 barrels of flour
We're imported from Minnesota and ST. Louis
at cost averaging 81. so per barrel for trans
portation, which alone would leave ample
margin for all contingencies. The openings
for the profitable investment Of capital are
too numerous for specification, and could
only be answered after special application
would define the amount that could be fur
nished, and the lines desired to enter into.
The trades are partially representations
which are dependent upon building needs
are represented sufficiently for the present,
as also is the blacksmithing industry A
small machine shop is imperatively needed,
and number Of small industries will find
here sufficient employment.
It is in our agricultural and stock resources
that our field is boundless, and which offer
that certainty Of profit, and room for rapid |
and extensive growth that will justify enter
prise from those who are unacquainted. The
entire country has passed through winter
phenomenal in its severity, and destructive
to property beyond any precedent. We Of
Northern Montana have not wholly escaped,
but when we compare our losses with those
of the Eastern States, we have reason to feel
jublant at its smallness The last half of |
December and the entire month Of January
was noted for severe cold, the mercury in
one case getting as low as 50 below zero, and
during the continuance of this long season Of
cold the greatest fears we're entertained that
our stock interests would suffer almost total
annihilaton. But in February the weather
moderated, and by the Goth Of that month
spring had fairly set in, and up to this date
has been marked with no check whatever
The anticipated losses have been brought
down as low as 10 per cent. on an average,
though there are isolated cases Of much
greater. which were due in the main to
causes of management for which the climate
is not RESPONSIBLE A few ranges which were
oyerstocked suffered, and even these more
from neculiar local conditions than the severe
cold. Sheep that had received proper atten-
ton and provision did not suffer at all
where they had none, as in failure to supply