The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-06-07
GREAT FALLS, MONTANA.

II large puDllc school mousse has been
built of brick, in as handsome q style as
the new ward school buildings in Minne-
apolis | noted two new churches aud
several business blocks as among the re-
suits of lastseason's building work. One
OF the blocks is built of red sand stone
quarried near the Black Eagle Fall. This
stone appears to be fully equal to the
Bayfield, stone of Lake Superior, much
used in the Twin Cities.
count made last fall showed 2,7OO in
habltants in the town. Trade appears to
De moderatively active. Many farmers
have taken up Government land in the
vicinity and considerable acreage has
been sown to wheat. The question
whether wheat can be depended on for a
sure crop year after year without irriea-
ton is still a mooted one. The new
comers take the affirmative side, and point
to last years uniform success and to Paris
Glbson's field near the town on which he
has raised crop for seven successive
years, getting rs high as thirty bushels to
the acre and never in any year getting
less than than twelve.
There is also much fine valley land
along the Missouri between Great Falls
and the gate of the mountains A new
town called Cascade has sprung up dur
ing the past year on the railroad just op-
positc the Chestnut Valley on the mouth
OF the Smith river. The cowboy artist
Russell lives there during the winter
months painting strikingly animated pic
lures Of range scenes and Indian life
When May comes he shuts up his studio,
mounts his Broncho and rides the ranges
with his cowboy comrades.
The Great Falls Smelter, located near
the Giant Spring and Rainbow Fall, five
miles below the town, is now running two
furnaces on ores brought from points
west of Helena. When the near ores of
the Little Belt Mountains, where the
Neihart and Barker mines are situated,
are reached by railroad transportation, the
works will be enlarged to correspond
with the original plan. They are in ad-
mirable order at present and appear to be
carefully managed. The Montana Cen
trail has surveyed line to the Little Belts
and the Northern Pacific has just ordered
a survey from Billings to Fort Benton OF
line that will skirt the base of that
mineral range. With both these projects
on foot the snelter managers are conf
dent that in another year they will he
able to get all the ores they can handle
aud will be relieved from the disadvan-
tago Of buying western ores in competi-
ton with the Helena smelter
| Great Falls offers to the tourist, first
the largest and most comfortable hotel in
Montana; second, wide and inspiring
landscape over plains and river to the
distant snow capped mountains, and third
one Of the most interesting excursions on
the rontinent-tlle drive of twelve miles
along the bank of the Missouri to the
Black Eagle FALL the Giant Fountain,
the Rainbow Fall, the Crooked Fall, and
finally. the Great Fall, where the river
makes its last leap OF eighty seven feet
The Falls vary il beauty and yranducr, as
they A. il height; the Rainbow being the
favorite Of the tourists, from its symme-
try and from the fact that it can cOnvcn-
iently be seen from below as we'll as from
the top cr tile cliff. The enormous spring
sending forth 4 volume Of water sufficient
in itself to make Il good sized river, would
be worth a long journey to see If there
were 10 other natural wonders ut the
place. Returning to tile town the visitor
should not fail to drop into the office OF
the town-site company, where there is Il
very interesting collection of minerals,
agricultural products and natural curios
| itirs, and where fac -similies Of the oriyi
mai Lewis and Clarke maps are shown
Mr. Paris Gibson, the founder Of the
teous exponent of its advantages and Of
its advantages and of the resources Of al
the country.
Great Falls has two daily newspapers
the Leader and Tribune, both edited by
able men. There are two banks, with
ample capital. A dam across the Nilsson
ri furnishes power for Touring mill, bu
this dam is regarded as small atfai
and is only the forerunner Of an immense
solid structure to be erected near thu
Black Eagle Falls for future manufact
uriny enterprises. The stores are large
and carry heavy stocks. The citizen
are wide-awake to the interests Of th'
town and have unlimited faith in its fu
ture developement In its present up
pearance Great Falls is an exceedingl,
creditablc result Of efforts first begun a
recently as 1884 E. V. Smalley's North
west Magazine.
A Gigantic Trust.
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