The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1884-01-02
THE SWEET GRASS HILLS.
Col. Ilges' Opinion of This Wonder
full Portion Of Montana.
a Paradise for the Stock Man and a Good
Field for the Hardy P~rospector.

Knowing that Col. Ilges spent a por-
tjon of the past year at the summer
camp in the Sweet Grass hills, a coveted
norton of the reservation, a RIVER
PRES representative recently inter-
viewed him in reference to the country
and was fortunate enough to secure the
following statement, based upon actual
observation from a pretty thorough sur
yey and examination of the field
The Sweet Grass bills are a much ov-
ete3 portion Of the great Indian reser-
Walton expected to be thrown open by
congressional action during the present
session of congress. They are situated
about IS miles northwest of Fort Benton
and the country included in what is
known by the name OF Sweet Grass
hills is more extensive than one would
Judge from a survey Of the maps eXtant.
They run from Wild Horse lake west
ward for a distance of about Is miles,
and are a continuous chain of buttes and
ridges covered with a bountiful supply
of pine, spruce, jasper and scrub cotton
wood, the latter along the sides Of the
gulcbes. From thesouth to the north they
extend all the way from ten to fifteen
miles. The hills are veil watered, and
nearly every gulch has little watery
streamlets, which unite to form Willow,
POPLAR and Tootsie creeks, flowing off to
Milk river.
Looking from the highest peak over
the surrounding country to the north
and west, lakes, by the hundred, can be
seen rs far as the eye reaches. These
lakes swarm with ducks and geese at
many other lakes in Montana, is but
slightly alkali.
The grazing in the hills and neigh
borhood is excellent, the grass being Of
soil is OF a gravelly nature. In the
gulches and along the bottoms Of the
creeks which do not run dry the vegeta-
ton is rank and the flora would delight
the eve of a botanist. Wild clover,
sweet pea, wild geranium, Datura Stra-
monium and the highly poisonous BELLA
donna keep watch, as it We're, at the en-
frances of the canyons to keenaway the
sealcher after the mysteries and pre-
cious deposits III the hills, while pure
springs of water ripple down out OF solid
rock and from the hillsides in every di-
r%ection, making the picture one of sur
passing beauty. The hills are a perfect
wonderland, even without the addition
of the mineral wealth accredited to
then-just the place for a poet or q stud
ent of botany or any of the kindred
sciences.
At the foot Of the two principal buttes
the 18th infantry established a summer
camp early this year, and from here
many successful raids upon horse thieves
and marauding. Crees were planned and
executed. While there the military
erected an immense corral, which is
now abandoned and which would cost
any private party at least a couple of
thousand dollars. There are no other
buildings there, but a great many dug
OUTS that might be made available.
Can't. O'Brien, of the 18th infantry,
prospected the hills somewhat last SUM
mer, and found gold and silver bearing
quartz, which, when assayed, proved to
be valuable. He has staked OF some
claims, but Of course cannot hold them
under the present condition Of affairs.
Back of the soldiers camp and within
two miles Of the foot Of the hills, easily
accessible by wagons, there crops out,
and visible to the naked eye for miles
around, an immense marble quarry.
Specimens examined by experts have
been pronounced as the most perfect
marble known hard and hinty, with
blue and red veins, and equal, il not
superior, to the best italian varieties.
The vein at present exposed is larger
than the Grand Union hotel.
Tradition has it that cinnabar has
been found in the Sweet Grass hills, but
of this [ know nothing; but | do conf
IDENTIFY believe that Thousands OF stock
men, ranchers and miners will swarm
the hills and make fortunes there. There
are not many more desirable portions Of
the great reservation.
But comparatively little OF the valleys
are available for agricultural purposes,
but the hunter will find plenty of game,
of small and large description, from the