The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-07-25
JUDITH JOTTINGs.
What Our Correspondent Saw in the
Veritable Garden Spot Of
Montana.

would not be calculated to make the
average newspaper correspondent sing
psalms of praise to his Maker, by any
means, and it was with pleasure that at
last we reached the break Of the ridge
where we could get a full view Of the
far-famed Judith valley.
After taking a good, square meal with
mine host Winters, at Gardenland, we
felt once more like facing the vicissi-
/ tudes of time and fortune and also sam
pling one of Riddlebarger's good cigars.
| We found this gentleman at his store,
where, with a good stock of goods and a
reputation for square dealing and low
prices, he cannot fail to command
good trade.
Just across the river, at the rural town
of Philbrook, we find E. J. Morrison
with q good stock of general merchan-
disc, and also the Hotel Judith, where
good board and beds are always to be
| found
The valley is well settled for about six
| miles below, it being thickly dotted with
dwellings. Some of them are unpre-
tentious and not very picturesque log
cabins with dirt roof, to be sure, but
soon with the help of willing hands and
the fertile soil to grow into the large,
white farm house and red barn of our
eastern homes. Every rancher has his
crop of oats and potatoes, with his irri-
| eating ditch and we noticed in particu-
| lar the fine ranches of C. E. Barnes,
VIM. S. Mills, G. NJ Goodell, Spielman
& Jones, Henry Montgomery, ]. II.
Good, B. e. Vinson, Ieewright Bros,
and James Raw. The great need of this
lower Judith valley-is material for fenc-
ing and building, as hauling poles from
! Is to 25 miles is slow and costly work.
One young man informed me that he
had spent 81 800 in improving his ranch
and had only then got q start. The
railroads will remedy this matter in
| time and bring the building material
| which is to be found inssuch abundance
in the Belt and Snowy ranges down into
these fertile valleys. We visited the
saw mills of w. II. Watson, ON Big Ca
| sino creek, and Quimby & Barnard, on
Beaver creek, and was surprised at the
excellence Of the lumber and the large
supply on hand. From Philbrook up
the valley to just above Utica is at pres
ent the best improved Of any part of the.
basin. Among the many fine ranches
are those Of 7. A. Gray and the Iowa
cattle company's stock ranch. This
company has between 5000 and 10000
head of fine cattle, and will be ableIto
make drive of 1000 fat Montana steers
| this year.
The sheep men were all busy harvest
| ing their crops of the fieecy wool. Ed
| gar & Hopkins were shearing 1900
sheep, and Maj. Wallace 4,s0O, while
ten miles above, in what is known in
| common parlance as Pigs Eye Basin,
| we found Babcock & Russell with 5000
sheep, and C. C. David, E. sGaber andS
Chittenden with fine hay and grain
ranches. Jakey Hoover, though the
owner of a fine ranch, is still as handy
as Of yore with the gun and rod. a
| fine mess Of brook trout left at Utica for
| the voracious River PRESS man salts
| fed us that his hand had not yet lost its
cunning in Turing the speckled beauties
from their crystal pools.
The butter ranches OF Ethin Bros.
and P. j. Howell are turning out the
golden extract of COW at a rate which
| would put to shame an noleomargarine
factory, and their butter will compare
favorably in quality with any XXX gilt
edge creamery Of the eastern states.
The ranches Oh the upper Judith will
prove. bonanzas to their owners if the
quartz at Yogo proves on sinking to be
as rich as the present prospect would
indicate. And this camp. that from its
placer mines excitement should be
named "Nogo, Y instead of Yogon will, |
we hope, take its place among the gold
and silver producing districts of the ter
ritory.
The store at Utica, the property Of our
old friend, J. D. Weatherwax, is -four
ishing like a green bay tree, and we
found the genial Frank Wright ready
to wait on the numerous customers
The hotel accomsmodations are first class,
which, with the saloon, are under the
personal supervision OF Walrath & Co.,
and from whence the Wayfarer need not
go hungry and thirsty.