Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-03-08

published at Fort Benton. and wool ship
ments annually run into millions Of pounds.
eheep pelts and COW hides have taken the
place OF buffalo hides and furs which form
erly gave prominence to this region. Horses
10 quite Us we'll as sheep. and every year in
G or the demand for Montana horses.
The mounted police Of the British Dominion
araw their supplies from this Territory, and
IN recent call for the purchase of cavalry
horses for the United States army the Quar-
for Montana stock. The possibilities of the
country. however. are not confined to stock
raising alone; the soil is exceedingly rich,
and wherever cultivated yields prolific
crops. The first settlers gave little atten-
tlon to agriculture; and it has only been in
recent years that they found out what the
country Is capable Of in this direction.
Sixty bushels of wheat to the acre is not
uncommon. and other grains in proportion.
Petatoes. onions and other root crops and
vegetables are easily produced and the
yield is often enormous. The demand for
farm produce among the miners and stock
raisers has So ar kept prices at high fig
ures. eggs and butter in particular bringing
about double the prices Of the States.
The coming Of the st. Paul. Minneapolis
impetus to affairs in North Montana.
and tho next few years will witness q
marvellous growth. No transcontinentalr road
passes through region of such varied
wealth as lies between the mountains and
the Mississippi River. Passing through the
and the Mouse-the vast pasture fields and
valleys OF Montana. it taps the granite vaults
of the great hills. filed with gold and silver
and copper. but guarded with time locks. to
De fully opened now by the advent of COM
petitive railway facilities. Arough noun
tain is valueless for agricultural purposes,
but when full of rich ores single acre as q
wealth producer compensates for thou
sands OF acres Of arabic land. Montana
Is the richest mineral bearing district in
Inc United TED states; the output Of precious
and Territories. the total being nearly one
fourth OF the entire production Of the coun-
try. The dream Of the alchemist has been
realized; the laborer of yesterday is the
millionaire of to-day. The mountains are
not not only lined with veins of precious metals.
put iron, lead, coal. and building stone
exist in limitless quantities. Coal is scat
tered over the entire Territory. in North
Montana cropping out in many places along
the Missouri and other rivers. North Of
inc missouri River. along the st. Paul. Min
the conch shell formation. black and shiny,
and burns to a red ash. while the variety
south OF the river is known as the Peacock
coal, on account of its chromatic coloring.
and leaves a white ash. The coal of the
plains, eastward into Dakota, is Ignite, but
other day 1 went into coal mine, eight
miles from Great Falls. in which the vein
was ten feet thick, the entrance being in
the side of hill under heavy roof of rock
1t could not have been more conveniently
planned by man. This mine is reached by
branch of the Manitoba. The extension
OF the Manitoba road. the rapid and solid
construction of which Was one of the me-
chanical feats of the age, has opened up a
large area OF both agricultural and mining
territory. and the wise and practicable
course OF the company in dealing with the
public will soon result in large settlement
and great prosperity to the entire country
traversed.
Near where the Sun River enters the Mis-
souri, is the city OF Great Falls. from whence
40 miles from Fort Benton. From here to
the Gulf. as the river runs, tits farther than
from Chicago to London. To St. Paul it is
1.O73 miles. There are five distinct ranges
OF mountains in sight from the city, and
none nearer than 35 miles. yet a person not
after-supper walk to reach any of them.
The valleys and plains leading up to these
mountains are covered with grass.
AS far as the eye can reach. and
thousand times further. not an acre is val
ueless, and in time will be covered with farms
eminent land and free to settlers. The
grandeur is not all in sky pictures, lofty
mountains. winding rivers and grassy
plains, but near by is a cataract second
only to Niagara. with an ACCOMPANIMENT Of
| other falls. giant springs and cascades
combined fall of over 500 feet-which mus
make this u leading Northwestern resort
Henceforth the great river will not be al.
lowed to idle away its time in rushing and
leaplng. year in and year out. over the
| rocks. 1t is being put to work for the good
of tho human race. grinding wheat and
corn. weaving cloth. crushing ores, saw
ing lumber. and in making this a great mart
of industry-a city of homes. of comfort and
prosperity. Already the most perfectly ar
ranged smelter in the country for handling
gold and silver ores is in operation. with a
daily capacity of250 tons. and so construct
ed that enlargement can be made to 1000
tons without an increase of buildings or
machinery. A roller flour mill. the first in
dustry iniugurated. is the only one for 1000
miles along the upper Missouri. A great
sooner or later u railroad from here will
penetrate the wheat fields and pasture
lands OF the Saskatchewan. far to the north;
even. now the project is being formu-
lated. Readers of this will live to
see railroad to Asia and Europe by
way of Alaska and Behring Strait. Iron and
steel works. wooden factories. and other in
dustries are contemplated at Great Falls,
and not 1.-THE Of the rivers strength is yet
laid out; there is power enough to build up
IL MAAucdpOuS ttuu d LOWoll COulUluou. WIFI
wide streets. spacious business blocks, fine
residences. churches. and school-houses. a
city is being reared by men born in the
East but developed in the West Barely in
its third year. it supports two bright daily
papers. Nature could not have made Il
more suitable site for a city, and one laid
out on u scale commensurate with its
mighty surroundings There are already
three railroads. the st. Paul. Minneapolis
and Manitoba, the Montana Central. and
the Neihart Valley. The former, in connec-
ton with the Union Pacific at Butte. gives
from st. Paul through line to Washington
Territory. Oregon. and California.
SEsoM
People Who Fret.