The river press., 1883-06-13
TRIP TO HIGHWOOD.

,air beauty, fertility of soil, grandeur
,.oonerv, etc., and but few Of them,
~ adeed can claim greater advantages in
hose M respects, or any other, than the
5aIichtful valley of HighWood, the un-
1onbted and admitted garden spot of
rboteau county Ia the past few years
W. .aat progress haM been made in this
a1lev so that not only is every availa-
No foot Of it taken up, but it is for the
s,o.r mart fenced and under cultivation,
.in,dfng invariably wonderful returns
t,r the husbandman's labor, on the
5spches adjacent aswell as IN the first
,ttota. 4 crop failure j. something
,.nowu on Highwood. The never
hing creek that runs through the
,art of the valley can be easily turned
mon the lands, and no great, expensive
,ftebes are required, but generally there
,a abundant rains throughout the year
!, this section, even when, in other
arts Of the territory, "the country is
urning upn on account Of the drouth.
asst season, for instance, crop failures
~ere the rule throughout the territory,
INIT on Highwood, as always, the har-
vests were bountiful and the sign,
aHighwood oats for sale" is still dis
Dlayed by some of the Fort Benton deal
ere The "boomn in the price OF real
estate on Highwood in the last two or
three wears has fully kept pace with the
Rpnton boom. Lands that were subject
to entry, under Uncle Sans liberal pro-
visions, three years ago have since been
transformed into ranches that to-day are
worth thousands Of dollars, and are not
for sale, either. Fer example, Jack
Harris sold his ranch this spring to Jos.
A. Baker for $5, 900. The improvements
amounted to very little, and in fact the
hildings and fences have been torn
down by Mr.. Baker to be replaced with
new. When 100 acres, virtually unlm-
moved, brings this figure, the reader
can imagine what a well-improyed ranch
.Of probably three or feur tllhes ehaV
many acres il worth.
The Highwood settlement IS distant
about twenty miles from Fort Benton,
and can be reached by at least three dlf-
.terent routes-by the Barker road, strlk-
liDg the creek at j. NJ. Arnoux's flne
pace, and again by a road over the
bench that will drop you down into the
valley at Buckland's; or through the gap
into the heart Of the settlement, with q
score Of ranchers' homes in sight. Hay-
mg followed the road up the valley OF
the Shonkin, we took the gap road, get
TING fine view of Highwood in MAX
inc the descent to the valley.
After passing J. M. Gray's, which IS
on this side of the divide, the first ranch
we reach is Mr.. Johnson's, at the mouth
Of the gap, and many feet above the Dot
tom below. Mr.. Johnson is new com
er and an untiring worker. He will
soon transform what must have been
when he first located it an uninvitlng
place into q good ranch and comfortable
home.
The next ranch below, but still on the
bench, is Mr.. McCormick's, an excellent
location, where, we noticed, he had sue
ceeded in bringing water in copious sup
ply upon his land. Mr.. Nee. has pu
out 4 crop Of thirty acres Of grain, mucf
Of II IN virgin soil, and doubtless VII
have big yield.
4 short drive takes us down into tn
valley proper, where e. j. Price ant
William Young have ranches, on thn
side of the creek. When we passet
everything was activity on these ranch
es-getting in the crop, fencing anf
making ditch. Mr.. Young has put in
crop of seventy-fiye acres and Mr.. Prlc
sixty acres. Both are rustlers and VII
lealize good returns from their farm
this year.
Crossing the creek we drew rein mex
1t Joe Striet's residence. Joe was ou
in the field q mile or so from the house
narrowing in grain, and we did not &c
70 see him. A survey of the ranch
However, is sufficient to convince an,
one that he has a valuable farm. +
aas crop of fifty on sixty acres OF gfalI
besides an extensive field OF potatoe
aud garden truck Joe is preparln
70 build a nice residence and otherWls
improve the ranch this fall, when
will certainly be most desirable pro-
erty-a 'home fit for king"
Above Streit's and ON the other so
Af t,n a.oaI~ - Jocoa PriphflE ranCl, Or