Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-10-03
LETTER FROM MONTANA.


AS early as 1743 The French; COVER
nor of Quebec, Verendrye, with a.
large party, in the snowy month OF
January, explored the mountains OF
Montana, visiting the. Ieilowsto
river, and Oh butte erected monu-
ment of stone, ana under it planted
leaden plate emblazoned with tre
French coat of arms, returning 10 tie
Missouri river in the month of May the
following year. This was more than
sixty wears before Thomas Jefferson
sent Lewis and Clark TO explore this
country which he had purchased from
France.
French traders and Jesuit priests
gathered rapidly to this enchanting
land, and the many French half-breeds,
SO common here, can point with PRIDE
to their ancestral pioneers.
In the spring of 1904 the famous ex-
plorers, Lewis and Clark, began their
expedition from the mouth OF the Mis-
souri, river, across Montana, down tie
Columbia river to the Pacific ocean,
which they first saw in November Of the
next year, after which they returned,
reaching ST. LOUIS Sept. %, 1906.
Emanuel Lisa, in 1909 built a trading
post on the Yellowstone, and had tihe
trade with the natives. In 1922, on the
same river, Gen. Ashley built trading
post. Three miles above the moutt
of the Yellowstone, o" the Missouri, Ia
1882, Fort Union was erected, and Tour
| teen wears afterward old Fort HentOn
was built and christened III honor of
| .sOld Bullion" who was thirty years
United States senator from Missouri.
Father DeSmet, who was anxious TO
see the ecopper-colored Flathead Indians
turned to Christianity, left all his kin
dred ties, and settled with that tribe in
1910. Two years afterward he estab-
lished St. Mary's Mission and named
the river for Mary, the mother OF
Jesus. Here in the Bitter Root Valley,
the same year, the first wheat crop was
raised. In each year after this other
priests and adventurers came to civllIze
and Christiauize the natives for the
Catholic church. In 1915 St. Ignatius
Mission was erected in the Flathead
country.
the most idolized OF metals, although in
abundance, was not discovered till
in 1856, when Maj. Culbertson pur-
chased some gold dust, amounting to
more than $1,000 of an old prospector
by the name of SilverthOrn. In 1862,
when party blood was warm i'll the
states, placer gold mines were discov-
cred: and from this date to 1880, the
gold product was $l65,000,e00, and
now Montana has produced more gold
than any state or territory except Cali
fOrnia.
In 1856, the government sent Capt.
John Mullon to this locality where he
commenced wagon road from Fort
Benton to Walla Walla. 1t was June,
lS6n, when the natives were alarmed at
the arrival of the first steamboat at
Fort Benton. From 1862 (date OF
|, placer gold discovery to 1864 the rush
! caused by the thirst tor gold and ad-
, venture was very great. Many of the
, first settlers were from Minnesota and
Missouri. This rush began during the
. inlernecine war between the states and
; hundreds of refugees found safe
asylum i'm Montana. Abraham Lin'
, coin in 1864 approved an act OF con.
. gress, creating Montana. The name
2 means mountain and is very appro-
pirate. In 1870 Maj. Baker fought 8
!, decisive battle with Piegan Indians
!. June 25, 1876, Gen. Geo. A. Custer ant
all his men were killed in battle
. against an overwhelming force of Sioux
In August, the following year, the battl'
q of Big Hole river was fought agains
p the Nez Perces with good success
/. Here Chief Joseph was captured, ant
), the scattered Indians Joined Sitting
Bull, in Alberta, British America. II
> the summer of 1881. the government
transported 5000 Sioux many of whou
fought Gen. Custer, away from Mon
tana to Standing Rock Agency ii
Dakota, and since then there has beel
but little trouble, except horse stealing
n from the Indians. Montana has abOu
;s 20 900 Indians all under good contro
70 and dressed as white people. The go,
A. crnment has spent about 1000 900 i
N education the last year. and yet twic
ot that amount is needed at present. Tn
nf teachers, usually sent here, are nothin
\ more than nOyices, friends OF some OIL
" cials. The Indians need the best talent
n 1t is cheaper to spend the money fo
m books, teachers, and clothing, than it
w to buy lead and powder and keep
>. standing army. In many places tn
a Indians farm and have domestic AM
/. mails. Recent reports show that then
Of are 5000 Indian children of school age
r. but the government has only succeede
he in getting about Onc-fourth OF In,
,o number in school.
N. The first white man pitched his tel
ad in the vicinity of Butte City in 1856
" when he discovered placer gold mine
nj But it was not till 1875 when the fir
N. quartz mill was put up, and from II
e. men the population has increased
.Iv $1,000. The city takes its name from
Ia prominent butte hard by. The altitud
A. of this city, with the exception OF Bi;
n marck, the former capital, is the higl
lbs est of any town of the territory.
of HELENA
is the capital, was incorporated i'll !aS
life and is a steady commercial city, twel'
tn miles west of the Missouri river on La
p Chance Gulch, on the eastern slope
nd the mountains. Its population is ne1
lie to that of Butte, the metropolis, al
nd livliest mining camp in the world.
III. POPULATION
of all mining countries is rude al
gold thirsty. 1t seems that thousal
Use foreign slop pals have been tippt
III. over in Montana. Almost eve
ay nation OF Europe is represented. II
* x, best educated are the Germans al
,li; m Chinese. The "Cousin. Jacks (nativ
';o .Gu of Cornwall, Eng } know nothing b
''s mining aud beer drinking. My obse
vation in employing men the past thr
'nt M months shows a greater number (e
Mloe M cept E IglaudD that cannot write fro
I ls' the New England states than from [
or western states. More intelligent CT
'hy zents come from Missouri, Iowa, al
M Mrcn Nebraska. Many of the fioaters car
Lhe m here as drift wood Oh the surface
,m on, water, being pushed on by forces Il
oW congenial to their romantic natul
III The Chinese population is about / 81
'vo AT present the poor spendthrift labo
u; ~" ers are uniting to force the "eellestiaI
81 81, from the territory. The Chinese q
lis, better servants and the jealousy nC
vas existing between the races is unplei
arc ant. Here girls are too independent
ms work, and white servants are too TO
A'o of liquor and the many enticing ev
to be of service.
e The weather is warm and pleassl
The thin air makes the climate agre,
BILE even when the land is covered wi
snow.
The | have many new things to write