The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1888-10-24
FROM THE RESERVATION.
What is Being Done by Settlers in the Great
North Country.

A gentleman who has recently returned
from tour of observation in the reser-
vation furnishes RIVER PRESS reporter
with the following interesting account Of
what he saw:
II have," said he, "no hesitation in say
ing that in few years Choteau county
will stand at the head of all the counties
in the territory as stock, agricultural
and mining county. Why, sir, no one
who has not been over it can form a Just
conception Of the extent and variety Of
it's resources"
1T is most admirably equipped for a
wool growing section, and [ think it will
eventually lead all other counties in
that industry. It it an excellent country
for horses but I am of the opinion that
horse growers would feel little shaky
about turning loose large bands of range
horses SO near our northern line. They
may be perfectly safe there, but the
temptation to run them over among our
Canadian neighbors would be so great
that I fear the average western horse
thief could not withstand it. But no
man would think of running of band of
sheep"
"Are there many sheep ranches being
taken up'' asked the River PRESS re-
porter.
Eyes, a great many know number
of parties who have taken up ranches,
built their houses and sheds, put up some
hay and are ready to go into the business.
Some will get their sheep this fall and
others will wait until next spring. There
are hundreds of locations we'll adapted to
the business-places where hay can be
cut, water is handy and range good. The
reservation is we'll adapted to sheep rails
ing. 1t is also a splendid cattle coun-
try"
'There is also a great deal of fine agri-
cultural lands up there too. A few of the
most convenient locations are taken, but
there is any amount of good farming
lands there still. A great many men i'm
agine they must get right down on the
banks of stream to find farming lands.
This is mistake. The best agricultural
lands in northern Montana are found
upon the plateaus or, as we call them,
bench lands. The soil upon them is
warmer and quicker and produce better
quality of grain and vegetables than the
low or valley lands do They may not
yield so we'll the first year or two but
after the soil has become we'll pulverized
and cultivated they are all right. The
agricultural possibilities of that great
country are not yet known. They are
great and no mistake about it,"
"What about it's mineral resources?"
"Well you know as we'll as I do that the
has not been regarded as an
Ell Dorado, but I'll stake my reputation
as an old-time miner that the day is not
far distant when thousands will be en-
gagged up there in mining. I know where
Of speak. The country is full of silver,
copper and coal. There has been hardly
a scratch made upon it's surface yet, but
jo-day you can see as promising lodes of
yold, silver, copper and lead in the Sweet
Grass Hills and in the Little Rockies as
,ou can find anywhere in the territory. t
And as for coal, why no one can conceive
# the value of it's measures. The
country is full of it and of the finest quail
ty. But it will take time and capital to \
evelop the mineral resources of old Cho
eau. 1t has them though all the same 9
nd the world will not long be ignorant of s
be fact. There is SO much idle money =
aging around loose in the east that some n
f it will frd it's way here in search of a F
arm nest. A railroad from the north h
nd a smelter at Benton will develop a g
eritable Ell Dorado in the reservation. Il
ut PIN there!" 7