Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-12-18

ter the mountains. This creek courses
through one of the most fertile valleys il
the territory. The valley contains a set
Element of considerable size, like the
| mountains and the creek, named
lHtGHWooD.
The citizens %inhabiting this valley are
for the most part Americans, real, genu-
inc Yankees as Mr.. Jerred Smith, one of
their most respected men once proudly in
formed us, and are with few exceptions, In
excellent circumstances, owning splendid
farms, completely fenced, well titled and
wonderfully productive Of grains and veg
etables of all kinds. They live in we'll
built, comfortable houses, many Of them
having fine barns and outhouses such as
we see on the estates of wealthy farmers
in the states.
This valley is quite beautiful in the sum
mer time with its waving fields of grain
and the living green of the trees, for it is
we'll wooded. One can sit in the shade of
the leafy trees, hear the murmur of the
brook, listen to the carol of the birds and
the Growsy hum of the bees and inhale the
sweet fragrance of the flowers and for the
instant be transported back to scenes of
other days when the heart was as light and
the soul as fresh as the sweet things of in
nocence around.
The soil in this section is a rich mount
ain loan, black as SCOT, and is capable OF
growing anything. The valley, and a large
share of the bench land also, is sheltered
by a wing or spur of the mountains and
here we can see in the fall rich fields of
whitening grain far up on the mountain
sides, and the bench lands too, as rich as
valley are devoted to cereals and po-
tatoes. There are many acres of desirable
land in this section as yet unsettled.
Reluctantly leaving this garden spot we
travel more south than west for a few
and stop at small stream to rest. It
is called
LITTLE BELT CREEK.
There is a ranch close by and we learn
hat it is owned by Bill Sherman, an old
inner we'll known. Here we see all kinds
If vegetables growing in luxurience. They |
.ook so leafy that we suspect they have
'un to stop" We examine onions, beets
md other things and find that these Wig
orous leaves hide perhaps the finest, firm
st and largest roots and bulbs we ever
Proceeding up the creek we. come
o a bridge which We cross watching the
darts of the startled trout as we
10 SO. Here we find another ranch-a
heep ranch, occupied by Sanford Allen,
h is, they say, a rustler, and so one would
hink to see the long stacks of hay, the
ubstantial. barns, c~orrals, sheds and dip
ing apparatus.
This valley also, like the last, is very
ertile and wellsheltered. 1t is a splen-
id place for sheep ranches as the hills on
ither side are neither very high nor steep.
Once more we leave the valley and trav-
rse the benches for a few miles, this time
lore west than south. We ride over ex-
ensive undulating prairies covered with
nutritious bunch and gramnia grasses
nd wonder why so many people take up
anches in stony bottoms rather thar get a
ice slice of these truly valuable prairie
lnds.
Here it is that a large proportion of the
ay is cut to supply the surrounding in
abitants. "What!" an eastern reader may
"cut hay on the prairies? why
ont they cut hay on their farms?" And
e answer, because the finest kind of grass
Or hay grows wild here; all the farmers
ave to do is to go and cut it; so they do
OF cultivate their hay but something else
lat is more profitable.
At last we come to the top of a hill and
down before us we see a lovely
iece of landscape scenery. Away down
the foot of the hill flows a river whose
aters are SO clear that we can see the peb-
les in the bottom. Its banks are lined I
it'll groves of cottonwoods and balsam-
while at the waters edge the
liant willows bend and sway kissing the j
of the crystal tide. Dotted here
I'd there along the broad valley are farms
varying size. From our point of van +
ge we could readily distinguish the .
place of the careful man from =
weedy brushy one of the sloven. Look
g up the creek we could see the Belt ;.
ountains, draped in the purple haze of g