The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-09-22

passed, aud even the stages yieided nail OF
the road--a courtesy accorded - no ordi.
nary outft--and the drivers hailed Glib In
tones of respectful comradeship.
The ascent Of the eastern slope Of French
womans Pass Is not At all difficult. A fair
road climbs up through forest OF frs be-
tween masses Of rock and over brawling tor
rents. Through riffs Ia the forest there are
here and there views Of the broad Prickley
Pear Valley and the Belt range beyond, and
Of nearer rounded SUBMITS Of the Rockies
huge hemisphefes Of granite and snow. At
the top of the pass is q broad green meadow
like expanse, flecked with patches Of snow
all summer, and trimmed around with the
dark frs. Upon the very ridgepole Of the
watershed, where q melting sno bank
divided Its favors between two tiny rivu-
lets, one running to the Atlantic and the
other TO the Pacific, we halted aud opened
bottle Of Braujolsis, presented TO one Of the
party weeks before by fellow traveller Al
Gays Pea. in Colorado.
Flowers grew in abundance among the
snow bsuks-adder tongues, bluebells, yell
low violets, wind. flowers, aud half dozen
other species. The road from the summit
wound down over green Slopes and through
woodland patches, following the cours. VI
the Little Blackfoot creek for two hours
then across windy ridges until the deep,
broad valley Of the Deer Lodge river burst
into sight. A great difference was observed
between the vegetation on the two sides Of
the Main Divide. The Pacific Slope shows
much s.cher fora; the grass Is better and
more abundant; many shrubs and flowers
flourish that are not seen east of the range
the forests Of fur and pine descend farther
into the valleys; streams are more frequent,
and have q greater volume Of water. Evil
IDENTIFY the warm, moist currents of air from
the Pacific Ocean striking against the
Rockies leave much Of their moisture before
they reach the valleys Of the eartsru slope.
In thirty miles drive from the pass to
Deer Lodge the only signs Of settlement we
saw were four log houses, a saw-mill, and q
flock Of sheep. Plenty Of room here for
people who want to lead a pastoral life on
sunny green slopes near mighty forests, by
swift, clear streams, with snow peaks cut
ting the blue sky and nature furnishing
whole acres Of dwarf sunfOwe's and lark
spur for flower gardens. Not so far from
the good things of civilization, either; for
what Is that t. n miles away In the valley?
Church spires, surely, and pretty white
houses In mass Of green. Yes, 1t is the
the village Of Deer Lodge, prettiest OF Mon
tana towns. Near acquaintance does not
lessen its beauty. Its twelve hundred in
habitants support excellent schools in
buildings that would do 10 discredit to 3
New England town. They live In neat
houses, and have gardens and lawns which
are waiered by clear, full streams, and
boast of the best weekly newspaper In the
Territory. Their valley lies about four
thousand feet above the sea level. aud 10
rather cold for agriculture but good crops
Of wheat, oats, barley aud potatoes are pro-
duced. Montana potatoes, by the way, are
of prodIgious size and Of corresponding ex-
cellence. Until you have eaten them you
do not know what the potato Is capable Of.
Prom Deer Lodge my route led westward
over The high grassy hills, past placer min
ing camps where the face Of the country for
miles has been gashed aud scarred-xli Of
the soil washed away in the eager search for
grains and nuggets Of gold, and n"thing left
but sand and heaps Of boulders. Hideous
little villages squat on the brink Of these
excavations, or sprawl out, hot ard dusty,
| In the bottoms Of the eulches. populated
| chiefly by the saloon keepers and China
men. In the single street Of on. If these
villages, where We stopped for dinner, lay =
big rock All obstruction To teams Of fifteen
years date, no doubt. The l"ungers At the
store goi into a dispute about It's probable
aud truck were brought, and with = deal
of sweating aud swearing, prying aud lifting
the rock was put upon scale and weighed.
The losers paid their bets, business became
brisk at the saloons for time, and the ex-
cttement promised to last the dull town for
the rest of the summer.
The country both sides of the Deer Lodge
river Is all good pasture land, save where
gashed by the gold grabber, for days
journey west. Then the stream takes
another name, and Is called He'll Gate, and
runs for another fifty miles through q
magnificent mountain gorge, the narrow
valley and the steep declevities being heaV-
lily timbered with the red FIR and the Rocky
Mountain pine (Pinus ponderosd). II the
reader has seen the valley Of the French
Broad River In North Carolina, near Ashe-
willie, he will have tolerably correct idea of
the He'll Gate defle, save that the Montana
forest has no hardwoo trees, and the SON.
Der evergreen hue is only relieved, close to
the stream, by the light tint Of the pinking
aspens. It was delight to get into the
woods after month Of travel across the
treeless country Of Dakota and Eastern Mon
tana.
We passed q caravan of Mormons, who
had come Ave hundred miles with wagons
and wives TO work on the railroad. We met
bands of Flathead Indians bound for Camas
Prairie TO gather and dry the camas root |;
picturesque al a distance In their motley
garb of blankets and skins, but dirty and
ugly on near acquaintance. All were
mounted, even TO babies Of three years old,
who guided their ponies by rope halters tied
around the lower jaw with rs much skill As
the old bucks and squaws. The squaws
looked after the spare ponies, of which there
were always a numerous drove, and the
patient nags that trotted along dragging the
tepee poles, while the braves rode ahead,
silent, disdainful, and hideous in red paint
and long, braided hair.
Out of the He'll Gate defls we emerged
one evening in early June, to rest In the
frontier village Of Missoula, which thrives
on the trade of the Bitter Root valley-best
Of the farming valleys Of West Montana
on the necessities and vices Of military
i n ul-s l.. n A..s