Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-05-16
GROWING GREATNESS.

A noble tribute to the merits of Gre
Falls is paid in the Northwest Magazir
&c. v Smalley, editor,) for May. II
writer, DR.. Hersey, speaks from actu;
observation as well as from extensiv
experience in northwestern e,
ploration. He says: "The Missouri riv
er, partly to discover whose mysteriou
source in the then unknown depths o
the continent was the object of the fam
Gus Lewis and Clarke expedition. durn:
the opening years of the present century
makes it exit from the mountains through
system of majestic rocky portals, which
may be said as a whole to constitute one
Of the grandest river canyons of the west
ern hemisphere. Through this giant
chasm the waters are torn and tossed by
mad rapids and whirling eddies or dashed
into snowy torrents over hidden reefs as
they dash increasingly onward between
the confined walls, but after its escape
from its rocky bonds the river soon be-
comes as placid as the Hudson and until
its mighty leaps at the Black Eagle, Rain
bow and Great falls, it remains one of
OF the most peaceful features in the midst
of stately and imposing landscape.
Stretching forth upon every hand from
its banks are alternating reaches of fertile
bottom lands and billowy plateaux, which
extend far away to the horizon above
whose hazy contour are thrust the clear
wrought out lines of the Highwood and
Belt ranges and the overtowering snow
wreathed domes Of the Rockies"
DR.. Hersey then describes the immedi-
ate location of Great Falls, and appreci-
ates fully the grandeur of the falls as
we'll as the industrial importance of the
water power here, as may be seen by the
following remarks: "In the midst of this
majestic prospect the city of Great Falls
has been built upon the banks of broad,
beautiful bay, formed by the accumulated
waters of the Missouri and Sun, which
latter stream enters the parent river less
than half mile above the site of the CITY,
Below it are the Black Eagle, Rainbow
and Great falls, at the respective distances
of two and one-half, four and twelve
miles, beside the lesser intervening cas-
cades of the Coulter and Crooked falls,
"The impressive grandeur and beauty
OF these falls have been often described,
and no attempt need here be made. Over
them the mighty food of the river makes
series Of leaps, in nearly all of five hun
bred feet, its united forces combining to
form one of the most enhancing of natu-
raj scene pictures as well as one of the
most stupendous and comprehensive wa
ter powers in the world.
"Great Falls includes within it's tribu-
tary surroundings the varied resources of
promised agricultural, pastoral and min
eral wealth and bids fair to become one
OF the principal manufacturing seats of
the Rocky mountain region. A COMPANY
has lately begun the erection of extensive
reduction works on the river bank about
three miles below the town, between the
Black Eagle and Rainbow falls. which is
to be the largest plant of the kind on tile
continent, and other industrial enterprises
are in contemplation"
"South of the town lie the Sand Coulee
coal fields, in which are enormous demos
its OF good coking coal, quarries of lime |
stone and beds of hermatite iron and fire
clay"
1.-The Judith Basin, one of the most fer t
lie regions of Montana, which is extens-
vely populated and under a high state of {
cultivation, is directly tributary to the
own as well as the rich valleys of the
upper Teton and Maras and the bound I
ess stock ranges which extend to the
forth far beyond the Saskatchewan. The l
mines of Neihart, Barker and Yogo are &
'earer to Great Falls than any other rail- |
Dad point,and branch line will probably |
e extended to them within @ year" {
"The city itself has had a most pheno- l
nenal growth within the past two d
ears. 1t has enlarged within that time f
rom mere tent hamlet to town of near g
Y 1000 people; has advanced from an is t
lated frontier outpost in the depth of t
preaching wilderness to become the t.
point of two railroad lines, the t
t. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba and e
lontana Central, and another soon to be t