Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1884-01-10
MONTANA.
A Glowing Account Of the Territory from
General James S. Brisbin.
Filling Up--A Fine Grazing
Country. for the MiilIOn..
Rich Resources.

hich resources.
If any one had told me year ago that
such change could have taken place in
one short year in Montana | would not
have believed him. The growth of all our
western country is now rapid, but the
growth of Montana is something simply
wonderful, and, as l think, unprecedented.
In 1850 Montana had barely 10000 people,
and to-day, three years later, she must
have fully 100000. The people from all
sides seem to be f1ocking in and occupying
the Territory that General Sheridan said
was the best piece of land Uncle Sam
owned" In this Opinien of the Mountain
Territory General Sheridan was quite
correct, but did not think the people of
other localities would so soon find it out.
Shut in by walls Of almost impossible
mountains, until three years ago the Terri
tory die not have single mile of railroad,
and now she has 300. With the railroads
come the people from outside, and as they
rOamed over the tall mountains and
through the beautiful valleys, they were
filled with astonishment, and not only
stopped themselves, but wrote letters to
their friends to come and join them in this
paradise of the West. l had long known
of MOntana-its beautiful valleys, tim
bered mountains, great coal fields silver
and gold mines-but, although l had rid
den all over it on horseback, hardly ap-
preciated it until the past year. 1t was SO
immense so vast and lonely, that one felt
oppressed by the very greatness of all he
saw, and was glad to get away to where
people dwelt Now all is changed the
valleys are settled. and wherever one goes
one finds people. The settlements are, of
course, as yet sparse, but one is hardly
ever out of sight of a house, and camping
out is no longer a necessity.
THE YELLOWSTONE VALLEY.
Take, for example, this valley of the
YellowstOne-the newest part of Montana.
Six years ago there was hardly settler
between Buford and Bozeman-5O0 miles
and now there are not only cities and
towns, but every two or three miles nice
farm Glendive, on the Yellowstone, has
1000 inhabitants, Miles City $500, For
syth 400, Big Horn 800, Billings 1900,
Livingston 5000, and Gardner 400. The
whole valley Of the Yellowstone is $40
miles long and in places reaches a width
of ten mikes | am inclined to think it is
the handsomest valley in the West and
some day will TEEN with people. The river
resembles the Hudson, and is navigable for
400 miles from its mouth. 1t is sklrted
with heavy fringe of timber and there are
immense groves of giant cOttOnwOOds every
where. Some of these trees are so large
that the limbs would make a good sized
tree, and have seen cottonwood logs eight
TO ten feet in diameter. few years ago
] saw an entire company of cavalry on
hot day encamped in the shade of one Of
these trees The river has rocky bottom
and the banks are stationary, in which 1t
differs from the most of our western rivers
1t hardly ever Overflows its banks, and the
houses can be built close to its waters
There are natural parks and green lawns
ready to receive the houses, and the view
| up and down the river from one of these
natural parks is grand and magnificent.
Such handsome sites for beautiful homes
could hardly be found anywhere else in the
United States.
TRIBUTARIES OF THE YELLOWSTONE.
The Yellowstone has many tributaries
almost as fine as itself, and hOng these
may mention the Powder river, 200 miles
long the Tongue, lSO: the Rosebud, 100 !;
the Big Porcupine, 1SO; the Little POrcu-
pine, $50 the Big Horn, 100; the Still
water, $50; the Sweetgrass, $50; the
Boulder 1870; the Big Timber, 100; the
Shields, 200, and many smaller streams.
The Powder river is not much settled,
being a grazing country; the Tongue river is
settled almost to its headwaters; the Rose
bud is also well settled the Big POrcupine
is settled for seventy-five miles up from its
mouth the Little POrcuplne is stock
country; the Boulder is a mining and
stock country the Clarke's Fork, which
forgot to mention above, is on the Crow
Indian reservation, as are also the Big
Horn and Saltwater; the Big Timber is a
stock country the Sweetgrass is settled
up about seventy-fve miles; the Shields
river is a stock country. Until this sum-
mer Custer county, in which the Yellow
stone lines, was the largest county in the
world, being $50 miles long by 137 wide,
and containing over $4,000 square miles OF
land Yellowstone county, OF which
Billings is the county seat, was cut OFT the
MINER end of Custer. Custer county is still
as large as a good sized State, and has
! Miles City for it's shiretown. In time
Custer will make several counties, and For
sythe and Big Horn will become county
seats.
MAMMOTH GRAZING AND FARMING LAND.
The Valley Of the Yellowstone, with its
tributaries contains 125,0OO square miles.
OF this vast area 10000 square miles is
mountains rocks and timber; 10000 square
miles the finest grazing land in the world;
and $4,000 square miles good farming
lands. If we subdivide again, we find 49,
! 600 square miles contains II, 10000 acres,
of
| Valley of the Yellowstone will, therefore,
accommodate 10000 farmers with good, Dig
/ farms. OF these only about l,oOo OF one
! in fifty, has as yet been taken. here Is
! room for the million. As to the character
of the land in the Yellowstone valiey L
will say that as fine vegetables and gram
! as | ever saw have been grown there. one
| farmer last year raised 4OOO bushels OF
oats on ninety acres, and another 4oo push
els of oats on twelve acres. Inc average
Weld of wheat in Montana is twenty-five
bushels per acre, though thirty. forty ana
! fifty are often raised. In the cases gwen
irrigation was not used. irrigation Is not
an essential, but crops can be about ooupled
by irrigating the land. The numerous
streams and low banks OF the rivers, win
their rapid fall, make irrigation COM
paratively easy and cheap process.
VARIED INTERESTS.
OF the whole of Montana it may be SAID
that no other State or Territory contains
such vast or diversified interests. Inc
great Territory contains 93,O00.OOO acres OF
land, of which 10000, 900 are susceptible OF
cultivation, 34,OOO,OO0 are grazing LANDS,
- OOO, 900 timber, 5000 900 acres contain