The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-07-25
The Land Of the Chinook.
Paradise of the Rancher and Gran
ger---Crops Without Irrigation.
Short Winters and the Balmiest Air
of the Continent.
McGinnis Talks of Northern Mon,
tana, the Goods Country"

y
obstacle intsrposed by that very reticent,
retiring and almost unapproachable gen
tleman, finally succeeded in gaining &C
cess to him in his private parlors at the
McDermott and reluctantly drawing from
him the following statements concerning
the newly found Arcadia, where the
warm west winds blow and the pure, clear
streamlets tlow--the beautiful Milk River
valley and the newly discovered Andu-
lusia of Northern Montana, including the
great northern reservation, at the base of
which Is Great Falls, with her incompar-
able water power, her vast tracts of avail
able table-lands, her coal, her inexhaust-
ible mines of precious metals, her rich
and extensive iron deposits and withal
her wonderful falls and Giant spring, on
the classic banks of the broad Missouri.
Approaching his august presence and
the sceptre being extended towards him,
the trembling reporter-just think Of q
reporter trembling in the presence of any
thing except charming woman-he ven
tured to ask:
"How large is the Milk River valley and why
has 1t not been settled before this?'s
well. the valley Is about 400 miles long and av-
erages from to miles In width. 1t isa part Of
the IL, 10000 acres Of the Big Blackfo0t Indian
reservation which, chiefly tn rough the efforts Of
Hon. Martin Maginnis, who has great faith In
that country, was opened to settlers May L. 1883.
Being reassured by the condescension
and candor of His Imperial Majesty, the
reporter ventured another interrogatory
'What are the general features of the country
along the Milk river?"
"The valley Is almost level for fifty miles east
and ten miles west Of Chinook, and It Is enclosed
by low hills or bluffs which, In the shape OF gent
ly rolling bench lands continue twenty-five miles
south to the Bear Paw mountains and north to
the British line."
Perceiving slight hesitancy on the
part of the interviowor, His ~Highness
here, In order to at once Danish all fear,
addressed him: "Speak freely, sir. Far
be it from me to silence any one with
whom deign to converse" Having such
assurance, the reporter cast aside his diff
tidence and, wading up to his elbows in
to the "milk Of the cocoanut," inquired:
"Are there many streams?''
| "Yes. Both on the north and south side Of the
MILK river. The many streams coming from the
Bear Paw contain water the year round, but
those on the north are not so constant III their
flow. The North fork, West fork and main Milk
river are all living streams within three miles Of
Chinook"
"Is the country we'll grassed over?"
ut is; am astOnshed to see the country so dl y
and the grass SO short In the western part of the
territory The country for fifty miles west and
sixty-fve miles east of Chinook Is as green us a.
garden. The feed on the range Is heavy, and the
grass the fiat though shorter than last season,
will turn of thousands Of tons Of hay"
| How has the season been this year?'
1.-THE early part OF the season was dry. We had
one big rain of sixty hours In May, followed by
dry weather in June. With the first Of this montl,
heavy rains set in and We have had six y0un:.
floods up to date, thoroughly soaking the ground
and converting the country into
| GREAT GREEN OCEAN
Of waving grass. Commencing at Big Sandy and
extending over 100 miles east covers the belt OF
heavy rains"
|
Milk valley while 1t Is so dry elsewhere?"
"Well, suppose it is the Bear Paw mountains.
The government signal station at Assinil,One,
twenty eight miles west Of Chinook shows that
the valley has tremendous rains every summer,
often amounting to nine inches for the single
month Of June"
Is 1t a fact that 1t Is granger country, that Is.
can crops be raised there without irrigati0n?'
"Well, you bet your life they can. All the Ole
timers along the valley call this the dryest year
they have ever seen but in this dryest OF dry years
we have wheat and oats that will average over tho
| entire field four feet ten inches in hight, and
even crops sown on sod will make a fair turnout
Our potato patches would make our Irish friends
mouths water with delight. Tom O'HanlOn, T.
G. Power d Co.'S man, declares that he has rases
crops for nine years ut Belknap agency, one mile
south Of Chinook, for nine years with success
Remember, these crops have been raised abstt
luteiy without irrigation except from the sky
| "What class OF settlers have located III the val
ley?'
"Mostly Americans or Americanized foreigners
The MILK river valley has
THE BEST CLASS OF SETTLERS
that have ever located In a new country There
has not been a disturbance even amounting to
quarrel since Chinook WAS started and we huy,
not even had q resident officer of the law In ou
midst until lately.
From what locality are the settlers coming?'
"The tides Of settlement from the east al.t
west meet OH the common ground Of the Mill
River valley, but about three settlers come from
west to one from the east. The eastern settler
are mostly grangers who want to go both into stool
and granraising and they come with their house
hold goods, plOws, harrOws, their cows, thei
swine, their horses and their asses, while thOs
from the west scOrn the plOw and commence t
raise stock exclusively. The extreme drouth Il
Oregon and Washington Is sending many ranch
men with their stock to the Milk River valley
while We have some Of your best people from tn
Bitter Root, the Deer Lodge and the Gallatin va
leys. The sheepmen are occupying the countr
in full force ut least GO COO sheep will be place
within 40 miles Of Chinook this year, but there
room for fifty times that number within u radiu
Of 100 miles. The people Of this section ca
have no idea of the thickness, luxurance an
hight of the grass down our way
what about your town Of ChinoOk:"
1.-The peonle of this part of the territory have
idea Of the ...pid development of the Milk Rive
country. On April LIST there was 10 such place d
Chinook and the surrounding country WAS inn'
cent OF the claim-shality now the town has thirt
well constructed houses and she Is a humnle
The country for five or six miles around Is dotte
with claim-shanties. The ranchmen Of course 4
farther out on the bench lands toward the mou,