New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-02
McDONALD'S PEAK.
M THE FI.ATHEAD COUNTRY.

FOOT OF FLATHEAD LAKE, Montana, aug.
aThe evening before party reached the Flathead
Agency its campfire was kndled grassy leVel
where the forest had opened into fifty OF meadow
On bench above the North Fork Of the Jocko behiho
the camp the ground fell steepy away to the river oo
TOM where tall arches pines and frs stood well apart
with rich pasurage covering the unshaded spaces DC
tween. Directly In front rose two. rugged, Sharply
broken peaks with the snow resting in great oank Oh
the saddle between them AMI filling every seam ana cav
ern in their Sides To eye not yet famiarzed WIN
the grand scale which this mountain region Is con
s:ructed and unaccustcmed estimate distances here
IL seemed that one might ride to their base on an easy
canter In half an hour. But they were long t"onv
miles away and when the explorers climbed their SUM
,pts few DAYS later they found these bold rock masses
even more impressive near Inspection 'nah 'nc ~
iesty OF their distant appearance had promised
These twin mountains, Known as McDonalds Peays'
are the most conspicuous in the so-caed Mission Range
westrnmost the three four chains winch mere
run parallel with and to the Continental Dvue
The range takes its from the Jesuit Mission OF 81
Ignatius. establishment OF some historic inpoi
which was founded in the wilderness thirty years ago
point some twenty miles north Of the present flanead
Agency As We left the fertile Jocko valley oense
clouds OF smoke from forest fires when were "orAns
their usual summer devastation hung all about excung
the msuntans from yiew and all that could DC seen was
succession of great brown bills rolling away 70 inc
north with not tree cump of shrubbery or grazing
animal TO relieve their dreary monOtony AS the crest
~ the last ridge was gained almost startled oy
the sudden appearance Of church spire rising IN the
plan below from group OF trees and other oniopgs "
green enclosures which were found after TWO mics
ride TO be smiling gardens Of fruit and flowers Win gram
waving in the carefully watered fields The church u
self Is large for the Fatheads hootehays Anu
some her tribes Christians and there are speca
occasions when the blankcted and feathered congrega
tion need spacious edIHce. The feast OF ST. ignaus
was near at hand and for several days after passing ING
mission groups these partially tanned CHRISTIANS "ere
met riding joyfully from distant farms ana hantihg
grounds to the banquet, the horse-races the "res.
ling matches and the other aboriginal pastimes Win
,vbich their works of devotion favored Some OF
tn SO plous pilgrims not yet reached sucn an aa
yaneed state of grace that they habituay refrain from
coyetng their neighbours horse "a enoinea oy TIC
,nandment Nevertheless the good fathers exercise
wholesome influence over the widest OF theln ana the
labors of the missionaries supplemented by fair dealing
AZ the Agency have accomplished much in preserving the
general peace Four years ago schools established
at the mission and Indian boys are now learn
ing carpentry and other handicrafts besides being IN
structed in the branches which make up q common
school education. Sisters Of Mercy too, are laoorihg
with forty Indian girls the still more difficult task oil
converting them into skilfal and tidy house wives The
furniture of the establishment is of the paineshe sole
article OF luxury visible being machine Tor cutting up
plug tobacco the pipes with which the fathers soace
themselves in the intervals Of their sedenying ahor
But it seems TO the happies of communities and Its
influence through the school least must DO strong ana
wholesome.
THE HOME OF M'DONALD.
Holt dozen miles north of the MISSION the banks
Of a rapid stream and fronting the peaks which bear
his name dwells Angus Mcdonald and one OF the niue
group of houses occupied By himself ana his sons Is
probably tho Oldest building in Montana The loop
holes with which its solid log walls are pierced snow
that IL was built for fortress well as adwelng-h Ose
IN hq hpl
Indians The old scotchmsn Is still straight as reed,
with eye undmmcd and natural force not yet abated
although he here In vigorous manhood more thh
f,rty years ago agent for the Hudsops Bay Company
10 take charge of the immense fur business In the upper
Columbia District. 1t lonely and perous life, but
there was little think of danger when the skins OF
5000 beavers 1000 martens LOGO bears and as many
wolves were collected in year and carried on pack anil
ais through the long miles OF mountain aud forest 10
tie newly established post in Vancouver's Island
The unit of value then beaver SKID, WINE Dnets
circulated as fra tional currency. bears SKIN was
worm fifty bullets the powder TO drive them, and
beaver skim while this was the fashionable fur was
valued at about the same figure We camped by the
snow-cod waters of the creek which sparked through
the broad meadow where Mr.. McDonalds moving
machines had been cutting hay for his herd OF grade
short-orns and the veteran rontersnan tod us tht
M more nan three or white hal ever climbed
the peaks whpse sharp submits rose nearly ne anu
quarter above the valley TO the Indians; n8weeef;
at stated seasons religious rites we're there soeunze
by medicine men Of high coa csprv
mp the greater part OF the way re haa nan ninu 70
act guide himself oCt nnay , tu a p ~ ~
casned man whose nedars face plainly showed the Nez
Perez blood inherited from his mother
CLIMBING THE MoUNTAIN WALL
Somewhere hey ond the mountain wall which fronted
ma we knew there vast excavation, for an Old
glacier had carried put the broken rock aud piled In
long morsne reached for three miles out into the
valley with its crest line soping from haf up the
mountain side to the level Of the plain. This long, In
clned cause way graded up like some immense railway
embankment was split along its summit into double
dge and between the two lines rugged, unrounded
bouders tumbled swift fed by the SHOWS of the
unexplored caverns above. The way led mp along THIS
ON one of ridges Of the moraine until near the
point where the stream came out from behind the
mountain wall which fronted our camp. Turning
then 10 the outer face of the mountain the horses
were still able to carry their riders to height OF
1900 feet above level. or about 4,5Oo feet
above the plain, while the timber line was still more
than l. 600 In the gulces and foothills 81
the bottom OF the range the trail led through fine
growth Of Western arborvite tThuja gigantea) great
silver r tAbiss grandis) white spruce Douglas FIR and
yellow pine Handsome specimens OF the two trees as
named fourished the ridge of the moraine At the
atude of 5000 feet the limit Of the yellow pines wa:
reached the Douglas frs grew 1000 feet higher.
Above the frs was a few small Engelman spruce:
and then belt OF pnus fexils and abies snbalpni
extending the timber bne where the hexills was some
ten feet high and subalpina los BUSH Here, TOO th'
carpeted with juniper and
foushed forest of Alpine Willows IN full hover ant
about one high The orders OF the patches aDe
the crevces the rocks OF the summit were br1gh
with the bloom ranunculus,
ard ountan pink many other species rare tai
they common names. while the snow loseiI wa
t,nsei with the color of microscopic vegetation ana
baudfui OF taken along the pathways where tn
mountain goats had trsmpled looked as SHOT throngi
Wit, "A dash OF diated claret Perhaps the most In
teresting plant Observed was The Rocky MOUNTAIN
Decentralization CIR. abihorgm) which MAS found II
abundance III an altitude about 5000 feet,
with Dropping, -ghte flowers most distinct ant
fragrant
.XATUREs' WILD ASPECTS.
Bnt interest In details Of the ascent OBJ
liberated by profounder impressions the summit OF tn
and helght and deplh of ell