Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-09-05

MIN Will De carried out p,y
this Office.
NEARLY all the great western rail
road companies are extending their
lines to the northwest. The Chicago
& Northwestern, the Rock Island, the
Manitoba, the Milwaukee & St. Paul,
and the Burlington & Quincy are all
being built in this direction. The in
viting field has been Dakota with its
vast wheat-producing area. The trans
formation of a large part of Dakota
from d wild, unsettled country to a
cultivated and prosperous territory,
illustrates the wonderful ciyilizing
power of railroads. Dakota is trav-
ersed in almost every direction by
lines of railway built or in process Of
construction. It matters not whether
these roads all pay dividends at pres
ent, or not; they show that the gen
eral drift or direction Of the most
prominent lines is toward the north
west. The roads to which we have
referred, will not all be stopped at the
western limit of Dakota. Some Of
them. and we think all, will before
many years be extended into Montana
westward at least as far as the main
range Of the Rocky Mountains. The
creation Of a great commercial center
at st. Paul and Minneapolis, and one
which at present naturally controls
the trade of Montana, Will compel
Chicago to seek more direct railroad
communication with this country.
This she can do by extending herlines
from southern Dakota into Montana
at or near Miles City and so on through
the Judith Basin to the valleys of the
Sun and Teton rivers. Chicago is too
wide-awake and too aggressive to
reach this country by any circular
route, or to permit its trade to fall in
to the hands of ST. Paul merchants
without a desperate struggle. The
opening up Of the great Milk river
country to settlement, as we hope, at
the next session Of Congress, will soon
afford another inviting field for at
least one Of the trunk lines referred
to. The country between the line Of
the Northern Pacific and our north
ern boundary is generally very fertile
and productive and is capable Of sup
porting a large population. The re-
sources of Montana are much more
varied than those of Dakota, and when
properly developed, will yield much
more railroad traffic. In our opinion
Montana has greater natural resources
than Minnesota, and will yield much
more freight when its population be-
comes as great as that Of Minnesota
at the present time. Let us compare
the two: Minnesota has an immense
lumber interest, the country around
the Eeadwaters Of the Mississippi and
ST. Louis rivers being well timbered.
She also is a great wheat-producing
Upon these two staples she
relies mostly for her prosperity. Her
railroads, which traverse the State in
every direction, get their chief sup
port from lumber and wheat. Mime
sofa has no coal and no iron, and is
not a stock-growing country. except as
stock is fed six months in the year.
The resources of Montana consist
mainly in lands adapted to the pro-
duction of the cereals; in gold, silver
and copper ores and immense depos-
its Of coal and iron; also in extraor-
pastoral conditions which
make it the greatest stock and wool
producing sections of the Union.
The great resources of Montana will
before long be apparent to the world,
and railroads, which for the past TWEEN
years have been the all-power-
factor in the growth of every west
ern State, will insure for it a rapid
in population and wealth.
The history Of all the States west Of
he Lakes, affords us an unmistakable
guide to the development Of Montana
the next ten years. Five or
TX years ago, this was an unknown
and. To-day Montana heads the list
the mining world. Onthe wool ex-
of Boston it stands first; and
the great beef market Of the world
t is without an equal. A Territory
ike this will soon attract railroads
md capital, and these will insure for
Montana ral and the
I'LL develop It's great re-
ources. 's