The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-20
BUTTE AND BITTER ROOT
SHORT LINE.
a Proposed Route-Bringing the
Silver City into Direct Com
munioation with the Gar
den Valley o. Mon
Facts for our Railroad MaRnates'
to Consider.

MR.. EDITOR-While the subject 0
new lines of railroads is under dis
cussion, there ia one route that de
serves, and 1 hope will receive til,
prompt and thoughtful attention o.
all concerned. 1t Is that leading
from Stuart, in Deer Lodge valley
by way of Warm Spring creek, Roci
creek (east and west forks) and Skal
kaho to the great Bitter Root valley
1t might very appropriately be calico
"The Butte and Bitter Root ShoI,
Line"
The work has, I understand, beeu
surveyed and pronounced practica.
BILE by competent engineers. The
road will be completed to Anaconda
by early summer. This will leave
only about sixty-five or seventy
miles to he built In order to reach the
heart of the famous Bitter Root val
ley. familiarity known as the garden
spot Of Montana. There are but two
divides to cross. n of which, from
Warm Spring to Rock creek Is not
difficult, as l know, and the other
from the west fork Of Rock creek to
the head Of Skalkah0. | have been
told by old prospectors and noun
taineers who have crossed it that it
is an easy grade. On close examIna-
ton the expense of building would
be found much less than one would
naturally expect. There would be
no occasion fer many deep cuts In
the prairie part of the road, and In
the heavy timbered portions the
snow does not drift enough
O seriously obstruct railroad travel.
That this road will be a source of
profit to the builders and a profit to
the entire country there seems to be
little doubt. There are valuable
limestone QUART s, coal deposits and
rich quartz lodes in reach, besides
the illimitable forests along the route.
Even before you come to Cable,
which IL only fifteen miles from An.
acOnda, there is a rich mining dis
trict when developed. But a few
miles further on is Flint Creek with
its extensive hay ranches, herds ..of
cattle and wonderfully rich bonan
zas of -Phillipsburg and surrounding
country. Rock Greek Junction, ten
or fifteen miles further on, is the
center of 4 beautiful and fertile
basin that will produce hay and
grain and cattle and horses without
stint, and is surrounded by timber
covered and reproducing noun
tains. On the west fork of Rock
Creek the road would enter a body Of
splendid timber las I have been told
severing mountain and dale, in AL
unbrOken forest extending to
the foot of the mountains in the Bit |
ter Root valley. There would be a
demand for a depot every few miles
the route. |
The road would tapithe Bitter Root
valley about fifty miles from Mis-
,oula at the lower end and nearly the
same distance from its head. Here
a valley nearly one hundred miles
[0ng and from one to ten miles wide,
whose resources are boundless. 1t
will sustain u population Of many
and export every year
many hundred thousand bushels of
grain and the choicest products Of
1eld, orchard and garden when
furnished with transportation. Val.
mines are being discovered,
md to estimate the millions of acres
# choice timber on the banks and
OF this beautiful and noble
tream is simply impossible. The
writer has followed the stream up
he East Fork or Ross Hole to the
ummit or the Rocky Mountains,
nd the West Fork to the Idaho
inc on the Elk City trail and was
erfectly astounded at the immense
orests Of timber III every hand.
is quite possible, too, that there
7ill, ere long, be a demand for an ex.
ensioh of this road through the
kalkaho pass to Clearwater and
lewiston in Idaho.
With the demand throughout our
erritory for the products of Bitter
DOT valley and the Increased demand
OF only in Montana, but along the
ne of railroad east and south, where i
mber is scarce, for lumber, and es- {
ties and heavy timbers, !
rely this route can be made q prof. :
able one.
Then it will benefit the citizens of =
litter Root valley and be Il great ben q
it to Butte City. 1t will enable us to d
cure the products OF Montana soil, I
ain, vegetables aud frnits, fresh =
ON gardens and bin at ~ low rates a
we now have to pay often for infe- d
articles brought from more dis c
Mt climes and bring the minerals a
distant mines to he reduced by r
II mills and smelters.
With this road completed and u
le extending to Helena, Butte |,
Duld be brought into direct commu- l
cation with every part Of Montana, a
ID all the world beside. That this P
bject may elicit the careful consid- b
alton of our capitalists aud business e.
en- Is the earnest wish Of a -
q
MONTANIAN. ii
q
s(
"