The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-09-15
THE NEW NORTHWEST.
2 tlH, gify AiAfatfF 1880 ~ '.3'.% .h s.
Across the Rockies in Montana


A serious obstacle TO the thorough settle
ment Of this region Is the Grow Indian Res
srvation, which stretches along the south
side Of the river for over two hundred miles,
and has An average width Of about seventy
I've miles. Its area cannot be much less than
that Of Massachusetts,, and 1t probably coll
tains ~ much land valuable for the uses Of
man - that State. Upon this magnificent
domain live about three thousand Indians.
I do not know what the statistics Of the In.
terror Department may be upon which re-
tious and blankets are issued, but settlers
living near the reservation place the popula-
tion, Including the "squaw-men" and half
breeds, at from two thousand five hundred 10
three thousand. A squsw-man, by the way,
ID white man who has an Indian wife and
lives with tribe. The Crows make no use
efthsir land save TO hunt over IL. In winter
they cluster around the agency and subsist
on Government beef and nour, killing few
buiYaloes for their hides, which they sell, and
In summer they roam across the country.
They own forty thousand ponies. They are
rarely seen In the valley of late, having been
scared away by stories of smallpox In the
camps Of the graders on the railroad line.
Some Of the sbrewder chiefs begin to recog-
mise the inevitable, and say that their people
must soon learn TO farm and give up their
hunting grounds. The Crows have long been
friends OF the whites, but they are tbievish,
begging race, and far below their old ene-
niles, the Sioux, In intelligence, bandicraft,
and fighting qualities. On their buffalo
robes they picture their warriors IS chasing,
killing, and scslping the Sioux. but they
rarely fail to sesk the protection Of the near
ct military post when the Sioux hunting
ponies come within ahundred miles Of them.
In the Northwestern country, the Indians
Of late seldom committed any more serious
crime than running of stock; but solitary
travellers End 1t prudent TO make display OF
. magazine ribs, and to keep sharp eye on
sny rowing bands they may encounter. The
Indian, whether he be Crow, Blackfoot,
Flsthssd, or Sioux, fnds 1t hard TO resist the
temptation Of . good opportunity to secure q
.herss and scalp At the same time.
NJ The Crows lately gave the western end
Of their r,reservation-a strip about forty
miles long by sixty wide, containing the re-
Gently discovered Clark's Fork gold aud
silver mines. This strip fronts on the Vel.
lowstone, and contains some good bottom
land favorably situated for irrigation. The
bill ra,ifying the treaty for the session was
signed by the President on the l2th Of
April. Weeks before the north bank Of the
river was dotted at short intervals with
esnvss-coyered wagons of squsttes from the
elder settled valleys of Montana, each of
whom had his eye on section opposite, aud
was waiting for news Of the signing Of The
bill TO cross over and take possession. One
morning courier came over the pass from
! Bozeman With The word that the bill was
signed and the land restored 70 the public
domain. immediately there was a forward
novenent Gil along the forty mile line. II
4 said by 7 o'clock that evening there was
not single section Of good bottom. land I'M
occupied. When passed through the val.
10y six weeks later most Of the settlers had
their log cabins already up and had fenced a
great deal OF land. The eager enterprise
shown In the instant occupancy Of the retro
esdsd portion Of the Crow reservation, Is an
evidence that good land which can easily be
irrigated u not abundant, and has q special
value In the eyes of Montana farmers. 1t ID
probably safe to say that west Of the mouth
Vi the Big Horn river the whole Of the Vel
lowstons country, including the main valley
and those Of the tributary streams, Is O
region where only by irrigation can farming
be successfully carried on year after year
Narrow strips OF land borderings stream are
here and there found moist enough to pro
duce oats and potatoes without irr!gating
but no general culture Of the region Is pos
sible save where water can be brough t upon
the soil by artificial means. The whole Of
eastern Montana Is . vast grazing region
creased with little winding valleys sunk two
Or three hundred feet below the general
level, In which farming By means Of irrigat
ing bitches Ii very profitable. Not one acre
In one thousand, however, can ever be made
70 produce crops unless system Of artesian
wells 10 found In the future to be practi-
cable. The place Of Eastern Montana in
the industrial economy Of the Union Is to
raise beef and mutton. Her farmers will
nsvsr do more than TO supply with grain
and provisions the herdsmen of the hills
and plsteaus and the miners Of the noun.
tain gulches. With home market at high
prices always ready to take his products the
Montana farmer will always be more favor
ably situated than the farmer of Kansas,
Iowa, aud others Of the grea. agricultural
States OF the West whose crops must 90 to
the distant eastern cities to find custom
crs. ..... ...... ..a Isl. .a sg"es
Near the mouth Of Skull creek, on the
upper Yellowstone, 10 the remains Of an old
Crow cemetery. Upon q rude platform
shout twelve feet above the ground lie one
on another perhaps thirty bodies, wrapped
in blankets and bufralo-robes. The bears
have torn down portion Of the platform,
and the ground IL strewn with horrible
debris Of bones. skulls, fragments of gar
msnts, and dreadful, half-decayed, shapsless
masses covered with yermin. Another plat
form on 3 high hill near BY We did not care
70 visit, nor did We 60 down TO tho cotton.
wood grove by the river to get > closer view
. Of the dark objects hanging like gigantic
fruit to the limbs. The Grow custom OF
plscing their dead upon platforms, or Of sus-
pending them by leather thongs to the
branches Of trees no doubt originated IN the
difficulty Of burying bodies with the rude
implements Of their savage state 1t . sufi-
Client depth TO protect them from the Co
yotss, those jackals Of the plains. Some
religious superstition has probably grown
with time around practice originally purely
utilitsrian. Hard by the broken platform
with Ito disgusting burden stand the nea1
little log cabin Of . settler who had fenced
In claim, and counts upon comfort In the