St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-22

earnest, too, with the force of convic-
ton. The building of Jim HiIl's road
the Manitoba. has benefited Helena
greatly,as prior to that event the North
ern Pacific had what the Westerners
call the Immortal cinch" on all bust
ness. Competition lowered freight
rates and introduced other accommodate
tions. which the Helenites fully appre-
clate, and, as consequence, the Mani
toba, or Montana Central, as it is called
from Great Falls to Butte, is deservedly
popular in Northern Montana. The
whole townsite of Helena coll
tains gold dust, and pam from
almost any spot will show good
color" Butte, on the other side
the range, is rich in gold and silver. but
Helena, on the east side, was the Origi-
nal depository for all the "dust"
washed down the mountains. While
1the gulch has been thoroughly worked,
Old-timerS declare that fully as much
could be taken from the down town
sites ''if they hadn't built up the city
so blamed fast" Helena is the entrepot
of supplies for all Montana, and is
destined to become a great commercial
city. 1t does not require much gift of
prophecy to assert that i'll ten years
other in the enterprising capital.
SPIRIT OF INSoLENCE.
AT present, while naturally hOSpi-
table. as all Western people are,the line
between sturdy independence and
downright insOlence is not very strongly
defined. Among the tradesmen the
spirit OF "take it or leave it' prevails
to an intense degree, and, OF course, the
clerks, especially those fresh from the
Eastern cities, have imbbed this nau-
seating proclivity. AS they grow Older
they will grow wiser, it is to be hoped.
Uncle Sam is represented at the post
office by very accommodating post
master in the person of Col. Curtis, one
of Cleveland's appolntees, who is
deservedly popular among the citizens,
but he has succeeded in gathering a
wretchediy inefficient force of clerks.
The general delivery closes at o'clock
in the evening, an hour earlier than in
any Eastern city, and if stranger ar
riyes one minute past that time, no mat
ter how urgently he desires his mail,
Surly negative is the only response he
gets to his polite request. 1t is said
that a farmer in the Prickly Pear valley
lost three hogs some time ago which
never returned to the ranch; they are
all clerking at the Helena postOffice.
Many bitter complaints have been made
by the merchants of Helena because of
the arbitrary and unaccOmmodating ac-
ton of this escaped stock.
A YOUNG GIANT.
The roadOed of the Manitoba railway
from Helena to Great Falls. 100 miles to
the east, is as smooth as any Eastern
track. The scenery through the Prickly
Pear Canon is simply magnificent: on
the left tower the rugged, awe-inSpiring
mountains; on the right flow the blue,
bustling waters of the Missouri river,
which at this point in nowiSe resembles
the Big Muddy that later on pursues its
erratic course TIL! Ough the DakOtas.
Great Falls is only three years old,
but in that short space of time it has ac-
cumulated population of 5000. Every
resident of the young giant is an en-
thusiast regarding the future of the
city, and is willing to stake big odds
that in few years it will have left
Helena and Butte far in the rear. 1t
has magnificent water power, which
capital is improving and utilizing,
while just south of the city are the fam
Gus Sand Coulee coal fields, which
supply fuel to the cities east and west
and furnish the great smelters
at Butte with most of the coal
they use. Ground has been broken for
a million-dollar smelter to be erected by
the Boston Montana Mining company
for the purpose of reducing the ore and
refining the copper and silver taken
from its system of mines at Butte.
This is but the advance guard of many
others, say the Great Falls boomers,
and the real estate has been marked up
in anticipation of the more to follow"
Prices for good CORNERS" are some
hot fop Il lint Ia al
the "future" warrants the figures
asked. South of Great Falls lies
the rich Judith basin, where
are located some of the largest sheep
ranches in the state. Sheep have al
ways thrived in this section, and the
wool and mutton shipped East from
Great Falls in the past three years
prove the truth of this statement. Far
beyond is the famous bolt" range, rich
i'm gold, silver and copper deposits,
which vie with the sheep and cattle in
dustry in adding to Montana's wealth.
From Great Falls to Benton the Mani
toba road passes through rich graz
ing country, and even from his
snug seat in the parlor car one
can see thousands of head of
ing on the nutritious grasses. At Ben
ton. the head of navigation, and depot
of supplies in earlier days, has grown
prOvident town of 1000 inhabitants. In
1876 the chief export was buffalo hides,
some 10000 being shipped East in the
fall of that year. To-day not a buffalo
hide is to be seen there, but in place are
transported many thousand pounds OF
wool yearly, together with carloads of
young mutton for the Eastern markets.
which more than compensate for the
passing of the buffalo.
In her cattle, her sheep, her wool. her
gold, silver, copper and lead deposits
Montana literally possesses mines of
wealth, which bespeak glorious future
for the sturdy young state. Last year
the total output of the mines amounted
to 100000, and yet, as and old-timer
expressed it, 1.-The surface is hardly
scratched. "-ChicagO Herald.