The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-07-03
SEVENTEENTH YEAR.

With this issue the NEW North WEST
enters upon the seventeenth year OF Its ex-
istence. IL seems but little time since on
that July night In 1869, . dozen or two men
stood around the Washington hand press in
the building where the Post Office is now To-
Gated, TO see Harry Norton pull the lever on
the first NEW NORTHWEST. There have
been many changes, though, since then-not
all of them happy, but averaging well. Deer
Lodge was then, and for many years after,
the principal town of Missoula, Deer Lodge
and Bsaverhesd counties, and the central
point for trade and traffic and the render.
vous for the argonauts Of all the wonderfully
prolific placer mines of the West Side. 1t
had not exceeding half the resident popula-
ton IL has now, and not a brick building
within Its limits; but there was "gold ga
lore" which was spent with lavish freedom
by the Pacific Coast men who did three coat
yermillion work when they started out TO
paint. And with all their faults a right
royal-hearted class of men they were, caring
not enough for themselves or the morrow,
but generous TO the last dollar and faithful
unto the end. There were wild doings In
those days, but piferug, begging, rolling
and making change on q quarter were UNI
known. We recollect when Strang & Rich.
ardson's hardware store, filled with cutlery
and valuable light goods, stood with the
front taken out for couple Of weeks, with
out nightwatch, and only a board nailed
across to keep the boys from riding in I'M
der the misapprehension that II was a saloon.
And never Q pennys worth was stolen.
There was practically no accumulated
wealth, but nearly every miner had bis
claim, where the buckskin purse that was
empty Monday morning could be filled with
dust by Saturday night, and those who
worked for wages could earn enough in four
months TO live all the year. Then there
were few newspapers In the Territory and II
was the proud boast In hundreds and hun.
dreds of cabins that ave take every paper
published in Montana" Then the news
paper man was q welcome guest everywhere
and the greater trouble was that as they
filled bis purse they would fill him too until
he could scarcely tell the truth.
Deer Lodge Is somewhat different town
now. A depression came upon 1t with the
gradual exhaustion of the placer mines
which began to be noticeable In the early
seventies. Building which had commenced
to make q new town Of 1t decreased and
business diminished. About 1875, Butte be-
gan TO attract attention and within the next
three years It seemed as II half our people
removed there. The old hive literally
"swarmed" and lit in Butte, just as has since
been the case TO Anaconda. But some of
us remained aud others came, and through
all the vicissitudes the town has grown in
beauty, business men have done fairly well,
only feeling restless because of the excep
tional prosperity of our immediate neigh
bors the population is nearly equal TO the
greatest 1t has ever been, and IL is Of per
msnent, substantial character. 1t Is town
Of Homes and Schools and Churches with
brooks and groves and environments OF val
ley and mountain that have deservedly won
1t the title Of the Beautiful Village. Deer
Lodge has never had a"boom," and hence
there has been no reaction. Its growth has
been slow aud Its people have labored
against the encouragement of more prosper
Gus neghbors; but the town will continue
to grow and become more attractive for res
idence year by year. 1t will never again see
as much depression as IL b as In the past ten
years, and 1t requires no prescience TO be as
sured Of Its maintaining title to prominence
a an educational centre.
or the history of these past sixteen years
the NEW NORTH WEST can say In Its way,
GAN Of which saw and part of which
was" II has endeavoIed' TO be true cbron-
icle of the times, TO be fair, and clean, and
honest and 10 be as good newspaper as the
ability Of its editor and Its revenues would
permit. II has not been rs encouraging q
newspaper field as we could wish, or as some
others have, and we have steered the craft
through some heavy breakers during its ex-
istence, but there have been worse fields and
We hope worse newspapers. We thank
those, and they are many, who have been Its
patrons and have seemed to have friendly
interest In the NEW NORTHWEST aside
from the business relation between publisher
and subscriber. We even thank those who
"kick" little they are honest
and not mean and malignant about it-for 1t
is great mistake to think that the editor
knows 1t all, or that he thinks he knows 1t
all. We thank, also, those correspondents
who keep us advised Of matters of public
interest In their neighborhood, and last, but
not least, the attaches Of the Office to whose
fidelity . publisher generally owes more
than he expresses. And with this reminds
cent sketch and our salutations TO all friends,
there Is but one thing more to be said:
Hoist anchor for voyage seventeen.