The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-02-09
GREAT FALLS, MONTANA,
February 5, 1898.

GREAT FALLS, MONTANA,
February 5, 1888.
ErDToR DEMoCRAT:-In my rambles
through this great and glorious North
west of ours, have finally landed at
this future great city of Northern
Montana, Great Falls. And we'll does
the town deserve it's title, for within a
radius of ten miles are probably con-
eentrated more natural riches, agricul-
tural and msneral, than in any similar
area in the United States. The town is
situated on a beautiful, smooth, gently
swelling plateau on the east bank of the
Missouri river, just opposite the mouth
of the Sun river, which comes down
from the west. The first of the Tanids
which eliminates in Black Eagle falls
is one and half miles, and the Ram
bow falls four miles, below The view
Obtainable from any point in in the
town is sublime. To the east are the
Highwood and Little Rocky ranges,
thirty to thirty-fiv miles away; to the
south, the Big Belt range, while to the
west, seventy-ive miles away, the en-
tire horizon is filled with the enormous
Serrated range of the main Rockies,
now covered low down with enormous
snow fields which shine refulgent under
the rays of the evening sun.
But grand as is the mountain view,
the country nearer by possesses the
greater interest. Just above the town
is the mouth of Sand COulee, along the
sides of which for miles and miles crop
out veins of the finest quality of btu
minous coal, four, FIVE, six and even
twelve feet in thickness, overlaid by
solid ledge Of limestone and underlaid
by beds of magnetic iron ore, which
contains 30 to 80per cent of iron. The
Montana Central, which at Great
Falls connects with the st. Paul Min
Reapolis 81 Manitoba road, has hun
dreds of men and teams at work grad
ing hne through the coulee, which
brings the coal and ore from the mines
TO the bank of the Missouri at the up
per falls, within the city limits, where
Immense furnaces and reduction works
will be erected, not only to manufacture
won ore, but to mill the rich silver ores
from the Neihart and Barker mining
districts, to which the railaoad through
bhe Sand Coulee is being extended as
fast as money and muscle can do the
work. OF course, with all these great
works under way, the town and country
surrounding is developing rapidly.
The site Of Great Falls, two years ago
the bare prarie, is now a rustling, hust-
hing, built city of over two thOus-
and inhabitants. The large business
blocks on the main street are built of a
fne quality of red brick, made near by,
or of beautiful pink sandstone, mined
from quarries adjoining the city limits
But is it of the agricultural capabili-
ties of the country that particularly
wish to speak. They are illimitable
1t won't take much of a prophet to
name Northern Montana as the future
rival of Dakota in grain production on
this continent. And you will be sur
VriSed to learn that this will be without
Irrigation. No greater mistake was
ever made than that of thinking that
crops cannot be raised without irriga-
zion in this part of Montana Perhaps
SO farms around Great Falls are raising
20 to So bushels of wheat per acre, year
after year, without drop of moisture
to perfect them other than that derived
from the heavens above. The yield of
wheat and oats this season is immense.
Stacks of wheat and oats on the farms
Oh the high smooth bench lands, are
considering the smaller amount of land
cultivated, as thick as in the best wheat
country in Dakoto, and the surprising
thing is to learn that in 1886, the dryest
year ever known in Montana, as well
AS in the East, very fair crops were
produced on these nOn-irrigated fields,
2nd no failures were recorded. Mr..
Paris Gibson informs me that on field
Of volunteer spring wheat two miles
east of town the yield was 40 bushels
per acre. A popularity of wheat rails
eng IN this country is these big yields of
volunteer wheat With the land once
@ellowed by cultivation, wheat is so
eatural to the climate that it perpetu-
ates itself, year after year, from the
grains scattered in harvesting, Even
spring wheat that comes up in the fall
does not winterkill, and the ground can
be sown with perfect safety any time
during October or November. If seed
ing is delayed until spring, the work is
done IN February or March.
This extreme earlineSs in seeding will
be surprise to your readers, but they
must remember that this country is
well within the great heat belt derived
from the Pacific ocean and open wealth
er is common to all the winter months,
while spring comes nin March, so that
sarm work is possible early.
The yields of wheat, oats and vegeta-
bles that farmers tell me they get,
tax my powers of belief, still |
know that they are actual facts.
Twenty bushels of wheat and 80 of oats
are considered light crops, while so to
s. of wheat, and IS to los of oats, are
reasonably satisfactory
yields. Turnips weighing 20 to 50 lbs. |
each, and potatoes 3 to 8 lbs. were
grown all around here this year.
The mining camps surrounding this
valley give market for everything
that is raised, and high prices are east
" secured. In the Great Falls markets
No. hard wheat is 78 cents per bushel, |
BATS 49 cents, potatoes IS cents, onions
are Sl20 per bushel, and hay $3.50 per
ton.
For 40 miles around nearly every acre
IS rich and can be cultivated; no broken |
9Snds, stony grounds or deep coulees
quitting up the country. The land is all |
and can be taken either by |
tree claim, homestead or pre- -emption |
entry. Thousands of acres of land of |
the finest quality, right near the tracks
OF the new railroads and within sight |
Of Great Falls, are still unsettled. |
Claim shanties are beginning to dot
these rich bench lands, and next spring
IS bound to see such scramble for
these valuable lands as the country has
never seen. RANCHERo.