Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1886-05-22
MONTANA LETTER, NO. 3.

AHA, uepchulIlS upon lnN lheholN hoi
what have Cleaned from history i'll the
past. NV letters will contain many
new facts not in my letters of last sum
ner from this inter-mOuntain region, .
and only such allusiOns will be made
Is are necessary to explain the con-
nections.
1t is well known to the student OF
history that the seventeenth century Is
blackencd with many daring deeds that
had no higher incentives than greed and
Men lived then too much
for c.ii-h motives. Times have changed
and the people of this age are many
steps in advance of their ancestors.
The many struggles of the good mis-
who left all that was near and
dear To them can never be fully told by
any historian. In this land of tower
ing mountains with stately fir and pine
set over their brows, and where there
are beautiful valleys of nutritious
grasses the year round, through which
run hundreds of sparkling streams OF
water Astounding with fish, lived for
ages the wild red men of the west.
Here they feasted for centuries past on
venison from natures own luXuriant |
pastures.
AS early as 1743, when Lafayette
county Missouri was yet bowling will
derness, Nerendeye, the governor OF
Quebec, explored these mountains aud
valleys, and on the banks of the Vel
lowstone he erected a pile o + stones Oh
butte beneath which lie planted
leaden plate emblazoned with
the French coat of arms. Hith-
er came the good missionaries
in willing steps and by love and de-
votion forChristianity the work of max
ing better people commenced. Here
is seen fully "what one sows another
reaps." From the good words spoken
here century ago is being reaped
better class OF people. "All the good
we do shall not be in vain," felt the
piOus pioneer priests.
This region was subsequently explor-
ed and mapped by Lewis and Clark in
their famous expedition to the Pacific,
in lS03-5, during Jefferson's admins
tration.
For more than fifty years after that
journey of Lewis and Clark the only
visitors to these mountains were trap
pers and Indian traders and Catholic
missionaries. The big rush for gold
was made at the beginning of the in
ternecine strife between the states, and
was good excuse for towards and
men of no fixed political principles to
come west. Hence we have two causes
why immigration flowed here so freely
from 1S61-5
Lewis and Clark county is named
for the noted explorers of this region.
Helena, the county seat, is now the
capital OF the territory.
In 1909, Lisa, Frenchman, built a
trading post on the Yellowstone. The
French did not want to give mp this
lovely country, and this Is why the
Indians and half breeds have SO often
been very troublesome to the white
settlers.
Fort Union was built in 1882, Oh the
Misso Iri, three miles above the mouth
of the Yellowstone, and close to the
line of Dakota. Several years of
pioneer hardships were recorded by
by the French missionaries. In 1916,
Fort Benton, close to Benton City, was
erected and christencd in honor of "Old
Bullion,' CThOs. III. Bentom) who was
thirty years in the United States senate
from Missouri. Six years prior to this
Father DeSmet left all his kindred tiet
and settled among the Flatheads. Here
3 in 1912 he established St. Mary's Mis-
sion and the river (St. Marys) for the
mother of Jesus.
The fame of the fabulous rich Alder
and Last Chance gulches brought s
regular "stampede" to Montana, ant
( the country passed through a terrible
, ordeal in the struggle of the w-abid
ing citizens TO free themselves from th'
lawless elements which were for tim,
almost in the majority. and made lifi
+ and property insecure. Society wa
, finally purified through the OrganiZa
: ton of societies of "Nigilantes, VIII,
dealt ont swift and sure punishment Il
s the evil dOers, and Montana has eveI
e since been lawabiding community.
v hen the cream of the placers wa
taken off reaction set in and larg
II part of the floating population, whicI
e was most numerous about Virgini,
@ City, left Montana for other fields o
f crime. The cause Of the bad elemen
was undoubtedly the tipping over o
the sIop pals of the vicious, and ba,
people from the states just at the break
a ing ont Of hostiities My readers mus
II remember that it was not the war tina
| ha vi. hnt 1,
e war only developed what sort of me
e they were. You have men in your ow
C communities who are held i'm Chec
% only by the strong arm of the law.
u is not circumstances that make me
II either good or bad, poor or rich, igno
a rant or learned, circumstances Onl
1t bring ont the latent powers of the mai
Il This will account why it is that on
y poorest boys became educated and ros
ii to the first honors of their states, an
d some to the exalted position of chic
). magistrate of the nation.
t. Ere close must give bit of new
10 of recent date. The weather is lovely
"A The mild winter and light snow ia
which did not exceed three inches. Re
port stock tat on the ranges, and be,
20 from the grass is very fine. The weatl
cr has been unsettled since lovely
, May set in. Plenty of snow an
at wind. Snow does good here We +,
10 allied here why David compared sno'
q to wool. The many pretty flowers b
the snow banks gives a beauty to IL
y landscape unexcelled by any painting
Mt The valleys and bnttes are spread wit
" velvety green of nutritious grass be
IA sprinkled by thousands of lovely flow
ers, yet clinging close to mother cart
! as if their pretty heads could not boz
es to the mountain breeZes.
i'm Just as business is opening mp for I'll
An spring and we get the news, the striL
ended in Missouri, we have strike O
~ the Union Pacific which threatens
be much worse than that of Missouri
" We have had no regular mails since Il
n 4th. At Eagle Rock the passengt
coaches were uncoupled and the eng
=" neer and conductor would bring Il
he mail on and leave the passengers.
at Many tons of salt must come in dai
no or the mills and smelters must clo
- down. The loss to this city is abnl
~ 81 ,OoO,OOO daily. The railroad con
pany changed the manner of payil
men. Instead OF paying by the da
ID. the new system requires that Il
"boys" be paid by the hour. The bo
- "kick' and declare that DO trains sh,
v. | ,ln tll hn,