Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-08-26
Communication.

From a letter written by f. ID.
Spratt we make the following selec-
tons, and would be pleased to hear
again from Mr.. Spratt.
The ARGUS has afforded me much
qualification since / have been here,
although it has many times failed to
reach me, still, it comes often enough
to apprise me that you are to have
gas, paved streets, lower taxes, and
through the honest working Of your
courts, have quite a delegation in
Jackson. This is very good as far as
it goes, and hope the work may con-
tinue in these directions.
Montana is a rough country in
more than one sense. Its surface is a
confused mass Of interminable hills
and mountains, more irregular in
form and location than can be de-
scribed, or even imagined, and separ-
ated by gulches as irregular, and deep
as the mountains are high, with here
and there a bottom wide enough to
be called basin. The valleys, well,
you will have to hunt the great Mis-
sissippi Valley for them, for they all
left these parts before the country was
known to man. No room for them
here.
The climate is everything one could
wish, but not just as people do wish,
all the time. | have been picking
wild Strawberries since the 30th of
May until the first of August have
not looked for them since. | was in
snow until well into July, had green
peas and new potatoes on the 4th,
raised here, snow and all. 1t has
been hot enough in these gulches to
PROSTATE a Brazilian, with frequent
SHOWS but few miles away. Mos
quitoes in abundance, but horsefies
and gnats, W-h-e-w. The higher up
you 60 the thicker the flies are. Stock
cannot live in the higher ranges until
the flies are gone, when they COM
mence to climb and fatten. They live
as high up as they can find water,
and shelter themselves from intense
cold and winds as best they can under
trees and behind bluffs, etc, but freeze
their trimmings all off frequently,
horns and all. Fully half the cattle
l see, that have to shirk for them
selves the year round, have stub or
otherwise deformed horns, the effect
of frost, tails ditto, ears and other
members likewise. 1t is a mystery
how they get through the winter at
all.
The Indians tell of winter, years
ago, when the snow was 81 feet deep.
Nearly all the buffalo in this part of
Montana persisted, and have never
been plenty since. The numerous
skulls we come across, and in some of
the deep places piles of bones tell the
story Of their fate. These bones lie
in heaps, wagon loads together, indi-
eating that the living climbed upon
the dead ones and then died in heaps.
Elk horns are numerous all over the
hills and indicated that elk must have
been very plenty sometime. There
are several varieties of deer, and
years ago were very numerous, but
elk and deer too are much thined out
by hunters. / have seen half dozen
elk. and less number of deer.
Bears are plenty enough for all
practical purposes. in fact, / think
there are more Grizzly than are. really
needed. The nasty Cinnamon are here,
lots of them, also the Insignificant
black that won't weigh over 5 or 6
hundred. There are what is called
the "Silver Tip" black too, / don't
know what he is They are all COM
ing down from the high ranges now,
to hold their annual meeting in the
cherry bushes along all the creeks,
and If any Alpena gentlemen Cor
LADY, hungers for bear, send them
to me and they shall be filed. (please
serve a copy on Henry Bolton). The
cherry season lasts month.
A man up this creek about mile,
met ten Cinnamon, night before last, he
had shot gun, but retreated in good
order and left the enemy in charge of
the premises.
The mountain lion is here too, they