The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1884-01-02
Fort Benton, Montana. Wednesday, January 2, 1884.

built, Clear. Snake, Peoples, Big Bea-
yer, Dry and Willow creeks, all of
| which head in the Bears Paw, Little
Rockies, and the dividing ridge between
the Missouri and Milk rivers. Eagle,
Birch, Cow, Warm Springs, Little
Rocky, Beauchon, Pouchette and Tim
Der flow into the Missouri, having their
sources in the Bears Paw. and Lit
tie Rocky mountains f urher east ti,an
the mouth of Milk river are the Little
Porcupine, Wolf, Poplar and Muddy,
all of which head near Wood mountain,
in British territory. None Of these
streams are much timbered, excepting
Snake, Peoples Woody Island, French
mans and Rock creeks, and these only
for very short distance above their
mouths.
With few exceptions, viz: Eagle, San
| dy, Box Elder and Beaver creeks, these
streams sink Or dry up some distance
below their sources during the hot SUM
nler months, but commence to run
again late in the fall. Considerable TIM
| ber-pine and spruce--is to be found in
each of the mountains and in the breaks
Of the Missouri between Fort Clagett
and old Fort Peck. These breaks or bad
lands extend from five to fifteen miles
| back from the Missouri, and are covered
| with scrub pine and cedar, and although
| unfit for cultivation, make an excellent
range for stock. The military have
steam saw mill in operation at Fort AS
sinaboine and turn out fair lumber. y
| The agricultural region proper COM
| mences about six miles east Of this post
\ (Assinaboine), and the valley of Milk,
| river broadens into immense meadows,
so to speak, averaging three, and in
| many places six miles in width between
| the foothills, intersected by the streams
already mentioned and covered with q
luxurious growth of grass which waves
| like green fields in favorable seasons
eight years in ten-and in such seasons
| it will produce good crops without irri-
CATION y
4 The hills and table lands on each side
rise gently and are covered with the
famed bunch grass and dotted with
many ponds and small lakes-a paradise
for stock. The agent at Belknap, Maj.
w. T.. Lincoln, has been very successful
in raising crops without irrigation; in
fact, his continuous success made him
enthusiastic, but the past season has de-
monstrated that irrigation is necessary
The military at Fort Assinaboine have
nice gardens also. The length Of the
warm season is attributed to the very
low altitude Of the Milk river region.
It is only 2,40O feet above sea level at
Fort Assinaboine, and 2, $50 at Fort Bel
KNAPP, the bench lands extending back
to the mountains gradually, with but
>little increase in altitude.
/ The valley of the Sandy is well known
to most residents Of Chotoau county as
the hay fields, par excellence, from
which in past years thousands of tons Of
hay were cut and thousands left to |
waste. Under Intelligent management
the area of these meadows can be in
creased, giving hay meadows inexhaust-
ible. III
Timber can be had for building and |
and fencing purposes, but the main re-
lance for fuel must be in the vast de-
posits of coal or Ignite which occur all |
over this region, but in greater album
dance north of Milk river, where SUI
perior quality, easily mined, is found, |
almost every coulee showing veins vary
ing from three to eight feet in thickness.
Thus a beneficent Providence has pro-
vided for the future development of
those vast prairies.
Beds of pipe clay and fire clay have
been found, and good brick has been
manufactured at Fort Assinaboine,
while the whole Of the Little Rocky
mountain is a limestone formation.
From the base of this mountain flow
several warm springs, varying consider
ably in temperature, in some cases leav-
ing large deposits of silica, forming riff
fles and dams. The approaches to this |
mountain on the north and eastern side
are precipitous on the west ard south
easy, the prairie ending in groves Of
young pines. Springs and rivulets
trickle from each ravine, and in two
places small streams fall perpendicularly
from the mountains and are called cas-
cades. The mountains are very rugged |
and covered with pine, I doubt if they ;
have ever been explored by q white |
naa. even the Indians know but little