The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-08-16
A Great Wool Centre.
4 SagaciOus Wool Dealer Tells Some
Of the Secrets
That Have Contributed to Make Great
Falls
A Permanent Metropolis and Leading
Wool Market.

The very intelligent author of the fol-
owing letter spent the greater portion Of
The summer in this city, became thor
ot,ghly and specially advised on the wool
prospects of Great Falls us we'll as our
resources in general and is gentleman
long and intimately connected with the
wool-buying and wool business. His oh
therefore, will have weight
with all of our readers interested in the |
wool and woolen trade in this country:
10 persons familiar with the slow pro-
cesses with which commercial centres of |
continents are ordinarily built up, it is
matter of surprise and Of admiration to
find that III Montana,in the short space Of
three years, a commercial metropolis Of
several Thousand active inhabitants and !
doing business footing up millions every
year, has almost risen out Of the sterile |
ground, in what may be considered !
wilderness. What has planted, on the
prairie of the Missouri river, forty miles |
above its head of navigation ut Benton, in
Montana, the promising town OF Great
Falls! And what is there at that place
to sustain and warrant the perinanency
and stability OF trade, in case eastern CAPT
tai, now going begging for three or four
per cent interest, at home, should be
tempted to make investment here, where
three or even four times that profit is no
unusual thing? In attempting to answer
this question we will contine ourselves to
the one subject of sheep and their pro-
ducts. We propose to present the factor
that has been one of the foremost to make
and also to sustain the perma,lcncy Of
Great Falla.
When only one year ago, or tllereabouts
the feeble, insi gniiicant little town com
menced to talk about diverting the wool
trade of northern Montana towards itself
from its ancient sister town, Fort Benton,
forty miles down the river, the venture
was regarded as absurd. However, with
tho superior railroad facilities of Great
Falls and the correspondingly step-moth
er treatment of Fort Benton by the origi-
nators Of the st. Paul & Manitoba Rail-
road Co., whose object was to make Great
Falls the metropolis Of northern Montana,
the latter obtained such an impetus that
in the first year of its existence us a wool
shipping point it forwarded nearly one
million pounds of fnorthern Montana clips,
and this seasons prospect is still more
promising. To say that part Of this ship
ment is 1T the expense Of Fort Benton is
undoubtedly true, but it must also be con
sidercd that large portions of it are woods
that formerly found an outlet through
the channels of the Northern Pacific rail
road, and ihc major portion is from the
constantly increasing yield of new tlocks
driven in from the adjoining states and
territories, particularly California. THE
latter, seemingly, has reached H. ,llaAi
mum as y wool growing state.
1t is u we]l-known fact that less than
six weeks previous to shcariny, tcrriio.i..l
t1ockmastcrs were jubil;nt over The re-
Sullo VI ltsSl sci.sou I''I't "llttl. iiia t'!c
abundance of feed promised y s;ti., .!:!,
uuall,d by amy raised Ia Montana; and
the freedom from sand OF the ~cc" wa,
phenomenal. But with the "rnt,,rl of
spring, and it may be said witt! tie total
absence OF rain (fpr it is acknowledged
that Il worse drouth than the pro.cft has
not been experienced III ;.,n ',!,i*st resi-
ccnt), the grass had hardly commenced
to grow when hot, dry weather set in, and
when after the middle of July no rain is
expected and the grass there begins tc
cure, the result has been that the WOO
has dctcrioratcd, and the Montana WOO
is this season not what was contideptl,
expected from its early growth.
Most Of Montana's fiockmasters are
known to the trade principally by thci
} clips, which are sought season after sea-
son by the same connmiasou houses ol
manufacturers. We predict time whe,
sheep-herders will be classel anon!
skilled la1orers and remuneratetl; such
The price of $50 and board, or equal tt
$50 per month about, for hertiny, wllel
seven days constitute a weeks labor, i
no, big pay. but og course more ski|lr.
mon about the ranches, understanding!
! sheep husban,lry, Obtain better wages.
The fockmastcrs OF Montana are til
class of men who will be able to pr,
q ducc perfect fleece and fibre if such
thing is possible on these wild prairi
I grasses, without winter feeding wit
grain; for more Intelligent and hattc
q informed class of men cannot be fOul
among any fraternity. As an in lance,
would be task to find u sheep owne
not versed on the subjcc. of the ts.til
market and the conditions of the ~;
lofts in the east. lie invariably will li
cuss the subject Of some recent prom
~ ~ nent auction sale Of flannel, etc, and i
Il. consequent result on the wool marke
IT and do it with a precision creditable to
h. tinancier, Besides, the local papers a
1t It over the territory give daily enligllte
it. ment on the condition Of the market
IN IN though invariably the sunny side. II
e, result of all this is, the wool buyers a
d. knowledge this to be the most delic;,
III market to buy in, and the wool owne
are at their wit's-end whothcr to sell
in to consign to commission houses.
y The sales open up III Montana tho Ii,