The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-07-20
LETTER FROM MONTANA.

LETTER FROM MONTANA.
MILES CITY, Montana July l., lsSo.
To the Editor Of the Northern Paci'ic Farmer:
| would fuin write you Il partly descriptive
cpistle about Miles City and its picturesque silr
roundings, but where the heart is willing the
brain is weak" However, would ask Your kind
indulgence in pcrusing my tabrirAtlon
have been in Miles long enough to become sc
ouainted with most of her eptcrprising citizens.
and others who are particularly c'lterprlsllis
but sufficiently conspicuous to warrant brief
notice As to her merchants and business men,
would s,,y that they all possessed of ordinary
business ability. and thus prosperity is certain.
All the stores such as boots and shscs mems me-
| chandse dry goods and groceries drug, ami STA
tiOucrv houses. banks etc, all wear al aIr Il
wholesome trade and big profits The hotels.
Gig Int in number are crowded to overowinS. ami
strangers from every part Of the Union call daily
to have a look at Miles, her faro banks ani
..st,d' games, her wheels of fortune, her "bnz-
zard" games chuck IL luck and high ball. and
NOT i few usually depart 'Sadd;r and wiser men,"
There are sixty-two professional faro dcalcr1
countless numbers of tributaries before neil
toned, "all these and many more. But with all,
Miles City has her good parts. which slcam
through such wickcdness like the diamond i'll
the mill They have two churches. Catholic
and Baptist. The PreSbyteria,'s have one under
process of erection. Each is we'll filled during
Sunday services, but US to the number of c"nver-
sions never learned, but inquired after the iact
with more than my usual aSSid,lty.
! A night spent in Miles City under the gus light
would fully equal visit to famed Gotham down
at Harry Hills or Bowery Varieties Dance houses
hold Il high hand until the ''wcc slha hours
and coon rows continue their nightly orgies
AWAY into the morning. There are saloons III
town that have not locked their doors in three
| years. having in constant attendance night and
day force, Sunday and week days alike, ana II Is
safe to presume that more bad whisky and Mil
waukec beer has been spoiled in this place since
! its inception than could b: contained Ill Il hVc-
acre pond This is in Miles. 1t is all here anu
it's truth can be attested by scores who have come
and gone and, as before mentioned "sa'iher but
wiser men," But the country adjacent Is beautl-
N,1 nictnrrsouc and even gorgcously beautiful to
| look upon-hardly anything more. True, there
are many prosperous ranches, many extensive
cattle farmers who are worth thousands to-day
hut they have taken advantage of the only system
that can ba successfully carried out-that OF utll-
izing the nutritious grass that grows IN such lux"
urious abundance all over the country, for graz
in: purposes. There is room for millions OF
cattle and Sheep there are millions of broad acres
to be- had by coming, and to anybody who has II
taste or capacity fol stock raising, no better op-
portunity is offered in the west But to snybod!
who has an idea that money is to be had for the
asking, and to launch into any scheme asa'labie'
to think there's millions in it," will be nightly
mistaken and will find out the result to their cost
The weather here is fine-warm days and cool
nights. Sickness is mostly unknown, although
aminformed there few cases of smallpox
vet in the hospital. think this is good place
for the invalid and discontented ones to find rest
and for recupcration it is to be found out here
midst the Bad Lands and on the green aud messy
banks Of the Yellowstone river.
JOE E. SWlNplEllCEsI.