The semi-weekly miner., 1883-08-08

! mouth of the river. The land takeI
up and farmed by the early settler!
was where water could be turned ou
for irylgating purposes by a furrow
now other lands equally as good bu1
requiring more labor to secure thu
means Of irrigation, are being taken
up and put in the way Of improve
ment and settlement. The valley il
rapidly settling up with a race o.
great and good men, according te
Sidney Smiths definition-who are
making two blades Of grass grow
where but one grew before.
The only outlet to this magnificent
country Is down the river by way o1
Missoula. A rugged range of noun.
tains borders the valley on the east
dividing the waters of Bitter Root
and Rock Greek.
The Rocky mountains are to the
south and have q probable elevation
of 10, 900 feet at the lowest pass. The
Bitter Root mountains "a continue
ton of the Cpur d'Alene range) on
the west side of the valley are the
most magnificent in their rugged
character and great elevation of any
in Montana Territory. A pass
through these mountains has been
sought diligently and for years, but
the great Northern Pacific has been
compelled to make a detour far to the
north, at a distance at least $50 miles
greater than direct line would have
been from Missoula to the confluence
of Snake river with the Columbia.
A number of years ago the writer
followed up considerable stream
flowing from these mountains, and
from the descriptions of the famed
Yosemite, was convinced that, for
picturesque scenery, grand water
falls and lofty mountains, whose
bald tops touch hea ven, the Califor-
mia wonder must hide its diminished
head at some future time in the e.
timatiOn of tourists.
These mountains are of solid gran
ite, the NEST ancient, geologically, of
any of the primitive rocks of Mon
tana. They are barren of mineral as
they generally are of timber. Some
two years ago, however, in the foot
hills bordering the valley along this
range some quartz of q high as
saw value was found. The uninitia-
ted farmers, who imagined that a
cash vein of rich rock (such as every
man who excavates for = cellar in
Butte habitually finds was a
mine, swarmed in and covered
the whole country with locations. In
their daily devotions for years, these
people, in their budget of petitions
sent up, have mentioned that min
ing camp would give them a home
market, break down the isolation by
which they were surrounded, and
vastly enhance the value of their
property; but, when there was some
prospect of faith ending in fruition,
the very course calculated to knock
hope most efectually in the head
v as taken. Miners and prospectors
Of experience swarmed in, but could
find no place not covered by a loca-
ton on which to dig. Some of the
Bitter Rooters talk of thousands with
the fortitude of q Christian behind
four aces, ard already the valley has,
like every mining camp, bonanza
kings who are not able to pay for a
meal OIL VlcCua1S.
A sort of infatuation seems to take
possession of mining human nature
everywhere, that capital is in con-
'piracy to get hold Of valuable min
Dg property without rendering an
adequate equivalent. The sooner
people divest themselves of such
oolishness the better it will be for
hem. There is abundant capital in
he world seeking profitable invest
nent; but it does not 90 into the
market to buy the immagination of
my visionary lunatic and attempt to
work such ledge for brains. The
lay has gone by when hatful of
luartz can be sold for a mine. Min
hg has become legitimate industry
'ased on the actual deposits COM
with the anticipated ex-
'enditure for mining facilities aud |
eduction works. The man who can
aise only 81 900 in ore for $1,000 in
york bas property Of no value to
He may develop it into
of value, and he may not.
dining men spend money on "indi-
ations," but they do not excite
to buy the privilege.
The mass of the people in Bitter
s0ot Valley deplore a state of
hings that stands in the way of de-
of very encouraging
Some of the intelligent
eltleInen who have made locations
xprsss themselves ready to turn
yer their claims to any parties who
7ill come forward and put money
ato the ground, with view of as
ertaining whether the deposits are
efficient to justify the erection of
Hills and smelters. They hold
for this purpose, that it
lay not fail into the hands of unde.
eloping spectators. They appreci-
te that live mining camp will be
orth more to them than anything
icy can ever make out of business
icy know nothing about.
The Bitter Root quartz, about
hich the people have been hearing
r the past two years, is still in such
that it is not now known !
at moro than one mine exists in s
e region where the rich quartz has
zen found. Hon. w. f. Bass, one t
the most public-spi:ited men In i
ana man foremost in all
terprises that are publicly bene- t
'ial, felt that mining camp was
,ential tor the prosperity of Bitter r
)et Valley. He bought and leased s
terests until he obtained control of q
Ocation called the Pleasant View. /
Q associated with himse.f Mr. Ike q