The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1882-10-19
For Delegate to Congress:
HON. MARTIN MAGINNIS.
YELLOWSTONE VALLEY.
The Impressions of a Wis
Jconsin man of the Val
ley in General!
RlroS, WIS, Oct. 10th, 1882.
To t1,o r.; rp:,1:

Billings Wonderful Growth-Park City
RrroS, WIS, Oct. 10TH 1882.
To the Editor Of the Billings Herald:
When | left Billings on the 1st of Sep
tember, l promised to give you a letter
from the East. 1t is quite treat to pick
up paper "in the States and read west
crn letter. 1t certainly should not be unin.
vltlng to the western man to pick up his
paper and read All eastern eiiilsion. After
spending the summer in the Yellowstone
Valley, and witnessing the rapid advance OF
Improvements, railroad building canal con.
struction, the wonderful growth Of Billings
and Park City at each end of the famous
Clark's Fork bottom. it really makes one
homesick and anxious to get away from
these staid quiet towns, back to the land
Of activity and high prices .....I cannot help
noticing the change made by the building
of the Northern Pacific railroad in that
part Travelled over on foot and by teams
| from end of track near Forsythc to Bill
ings last spring. Right here. let inc say
when our colony outfit pitched our tents OH
the banks Of the Yellowstone, near Couison,
last spring, Billings had only two complet-
ed buildings. How was it on the lst OF
September when ! took passage on one Of
| the easy coaches Of the \. =. railroad? BY
actual count there were over two hundred
and twenty; and this too, with such poor
| facilities for getting building material in
sufficient quantity and quality, il is sinipl,
marvellous. Park City, when ! left, had
some twenty good buildings erected, and
the town was not laid out until mid-sum-
mcr. And another wonderful enterprise
think of a canal for the purpose Of irriga-
ton and water works, thirty-four miles
long, all completed but putting in gates
and fumes. On the 4th day of July not
shovclful Of dirt had been stirred. The
above are facts that speak well for the Min
ncsota & Montana l.. and Co., and their
co-workers. ....... OF. my ride through the
reservation and the Yellowstone valley to
Miles, | could easily trace each half hour,
the camping grounds Of last spring. march,
that took us a whole day to travel To ap-
prcciatc the railroad let one try marching
for week or two...... The neat and tasty
section houses along the y. P, in the Crow
reservation, arc subjects Of general com
ment, and the monotony of the ride is
broken by their presence. The time will
soon come when those rich stretches of
valley along the line will be dotted with
farms under cultivation. 1t is now worthless
as 4 hunting ground for the Indian and
should be reclaimed by agriculture AT For
sythe the building of shops and round-house
puts forth an air OF business. Here l met
Gen. Brisbine, of Fort keogh. He is quite
enthusiastic over the future OF Forsythe.
Well he might be for he had plat of
Brisbine's addition to the town. But the
General is very enthusiastic over every en-
terprise of the Yellowstone valley. The
building enterprises of Miles City would
indicate that they are not to Re outdone BY
their booming ncighbors. Glendive seems
to be rapidly building up. One thing is |
noticeable thestowns on the Yellowstone
are putting up structures to stay, and if
person investigates the resources of the ter
ritory the capabilities of the country for |
stock raising. agriculture ard mining, they |
can readily see what will support thetowns
in the valley, along the y. L. line...... will !
now return to former thought: Why are !
people SO unfavorably impressed, with this
valley, during the dry season.? 1t is
because they do not fully understand the
nature Of the country. They would hardly
believe that cattle eat the dry cured grasses
on the almost parched ranges Of valley and |
foot hills with better relish than rank,
green grass, but such is the case. And
right here would say, let person spend
six months in the dry, pure air Of Montana
ard then come back to the green fields of
Wisconsin and Michigan, with groves of
oak and orchards Of fruit Oh every hand,
they will soon feel the oppressive atmos-
phere as compared to the pure Montana air,
and long to get back. There is one thing
in connection with the subject of prospec-
tors, those who go to look at the Yellow
stone valley. / met two men in Billings
who had come out the night before, "look-
ing land They told me they had money
% invest in stock, but owing to the dry
appearance of everything they were dis
gusted and going back to Dakota. ] pre-
sumo there are hundreds doing that same
hing every month. The remedy. There
should bea committee appointed to look
lfter strangers. A trip over TO see the
wonderful wheat, oats and barley on the ,
Meadow ranch, as we'll as many other i,
anches along the Yellowstone. A look at ,
he irrigating canal might quiet their fears ,
Jrge them to go up the valley, get ac- ,
Iuainted with some Of the residents in
the stock ranges and stock busi-
less; and perhaps they would carry with
hem better impression, if not a desire to q
ONE back and settle. A great many good :
nen are too tinlid to fully investigate for
themselves, and consequently go away ;
With false impression. In Montana cat /
lie are king, as evidenced from the vast 6
hipments constantly being made, and in 2
dakota from the number of wheat farms in !
Z
;heat is king. But country that will /
row such grain, vegetables and stock with
0 little care as Montana, and has mineral Z
'ealth untold, it is easy to predict a re- !,
future for. Montana will soon +
C enrolled among the constellation of n
.atcs. She is already one of the brightest i!
territorial stars. The completion of the =
'rigating canal will bring large influx of =
.rmers to the Clarks Fork valley next :,
pring. l anticipate wonderful boom =
ext scason......I suppose Jack Frost has :
pped aronnd some BY this time out there. y
Ierc it is the 10th day Of October and there i'
asn't been enough frost in this section of
Wisconsin to kill pumpkin vines. The re-
larkable greenness of everything and abb
nee of frost at this season of the year
eats the "oldest inlIabitant" The apple
,op is good one and a great many are
llsy shipping. w. II. H.