The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-09-06
OUR LETTER.
BUSINESS Booming-Railroad News
Missoula County Mines
Fruit Growing, Etc. .
EditOY Butte Miner:

mover OrlSnJer tnan al the present time. Men
there have been engaged in the struggle for
existence for over twenty years without that
satisfactory progress that has marked other
localities. Their wealth of production has
been neutralized by q remoteness from mar
kst, and their superb climate, tempered by a
lower altitude, has operated as a partial bar
to the more profitable business of stock-rais-
ing. The grassy hills that slope away from
the main range are replaced in that more hu-
mid and snowy lower altitude by a wealth of
forest which has hitherto been available for
local uses only. The disadvantages that have
stood in the path Of progress for this region
are already beginning to disappear. The
presence of graders, contractors and laborers
along the line of the Northern Pacific can be
relied OH to furnish q home market for the
entire productions for the next two years, and
after that the road itself will open up the
whole of Montana as a market.
Bonner & Co., (the company being sup
posed to be three or four sagacious railroad
~manipulators) have taken the contract for the
entire supply of ties, lumber, bridge timber
and piling for two hundred miles OF the road
below the mouth of Little Blackfoot. The
abundance of timber growing on the immedi-
ate line of the road for about 175 miles
of the distance makes this a rather fat
contract, and one which experienced railroad
builders estimate to net the fortunate con-
tractors a quarter of a million dollars. Tn
force required for this contract gives immedi-
| ata QmnInymnrt tn oil vhn am INjcnncad m
work. Messrs. Dunn u isk have taken an
additional twenty-five mile grading con-.
tract, which will bring the grade
IL Beaver Tail hill, thirty miles
above Missoula. 1t is a mistake to suppose
that there are any engineering difficulties i'll
the way in passing down the canyon, as it is
called. On one side or the other, all the way
below Medicine Tree hill, there is level, tim
bered bottom land. From that point 10 Mis-.
soula it will require ten bridges. 1t is stated
that the whole number Of bridges from the
mouth of Little Blackfoot to Missoula is
twenty eight, but none of these will be very
formidable affairs, a hundred foot span being
sufiicient for the longest of them, with the
possible exception of the two below the
mouth Of Big Blackfoot, six miles above Mis-
soula.
In anticipation Of and upon the threshold
Of this railroad activity the town of Missoula
and the entire.county is giving signs of new
life and development. The town of Missou-
la is so situated at the mouth of Hellgate can
yon that no railroad penetrating this region
can possibly avoid it. Missoula county can
not much lorger be kept in the background,
and it will no doubt be a comforting refec-
ton to Butte, which is rapidly taking position
as the commercial emporium Of the territory,
that there is a large and constantly increasing
population back of and tributary to her bust
ness. We can send forward our agricultural
productions, lumber and mining tlmbers and
receive in return our supplies from the whole
sale establishments of Butte.
There has recently been some mining ex-
element at three or four points in the
county, and as much as the people
are anxious to take rank as a mining region
there is yet nothing to justify any such hope.
Some richly assaying silver rock has been
found at the foot of the Bitter Root noun
o"AfS3 ocoeo AullCo SouGli" VI StC
vensville, but as an experienced miner ex.
pressed it, probably a peck OF 3O0-ounce ore
could be obtained from a ton of rock, the rest
being waste in solting it. The same
thing would undoubtedly occur on the best
ledge in Butte outside of the ore chute. The
existance of rich ore in a locality leads TO a
belief that some of these lodges do contain
ore chutes. If any such do exist in the local
ity referred to they are yet TO be feund. An
ether place where argentiferous copper has
be u found is about midway between Ste
vensville and Missoula, on the east side of
Bitter Root, but as one swallow does not
make a summer so will not these few speci-
mems make a mining camp until more shall
have been found. Some very good gold rock
has also been found at the Did Cedar placer
mining camp.
Whatever may be the result of the fruit
growing attempt in the other parts OF the ter
ritory, its success in Missoula county is
assure . Bass brothers a few days since,
shipped 10 the upper country over a ton and
a halt OF fruit. consisting Of summer apples, |
anu Transcendent and Siberian crab-apples.
Every farm and private garden in the coun-
ty is now growing fruit trees, and many of
them have from a few apples to a num-
her OF bushels upon the trees. There
Is much of public interest concerning the
growth and prosperity of Missoula county, of
Which mention might be made, but the pres
ent length of This letter is deemed a sufficient
trespass upon public patience.
Mlssoula, August 27. 1881.
SPILL Nye,' of the Laramie Boome,nns