Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-24

KNOWN.
IGflk River Valley the Rancher and
Granger's Paradise-A Land Where
Tremendous Crops Grow Without Ir-
riestion Excepting From Heavens
Founts-Heevy Rains and Luxuriant
Grass-Chinook the Town of the
WARM West wind-A Hummer Where
Sunday Schools and Base Ball Rum
Opposition and Play TO Large Crowds.
In looking over the register at the Nc
Dermott Last evening, q MINER reporter
egpied the name of Id. r. McGinnis oppo-
site the name OF Chinook, and as this thriv-
ing young burg 10 in the heart OF the Milk
River valley, asection now attracting such
general attention, Mr.. McGinnis was sought
out and subjected to the r~eportorial pump
with the following results:
"How large in the Milk River valley and
why has it not been settled before thisf"
"Well. the valley lie about 200 miles long
and averages from 3 to 8 miles in width.
Il ia o part Of the Is. OOO. 900 acres Of the
big Blackfoot Indian reservation which
chiefly through the efforts OF Hon. Martin
Maginnis. who has great faithin that coun
try, was opened to settlers, May I, 1885,
"What are the general features OF the
country along the Milk riverf"
''The valley is almost leveffor Fifty miles
east and ten miles west OF Chinook, and it
is enclosed BY low hills or bluffs, which, in
the shape Of gently rolling bench lands,
continue twenty-five miles south to the
Bear Paw mountains and north to the
British line.n
"Are there many streams?"
'Yes. Both ON the north and south side
OF the Milk river. The many streams COM
ing from the Bear Paw contain water the
year around, but those on the north are
fork, West fork and main Milk river are
all living streams within three miles OF
Chinook"
els the country well erased over?"
at is; / am astonished to see the country
so dry and the grass SO short in the western
part Of the territory. The country for fifty
miles west and sixty-ive miles east OF
Chinook Ii rs green al q garden. The feed
on the range Is heavy, and the grass on 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 month heavy rains set in
and We have had six young foods up to
date, thoroughly soaking the ground and
converting the country into
A GREAT GREEN OCEAN
OF waving grass. Commencing at Big
Sandy and extending over 100 miles east
covers the belt OF heavy rains"
"What accounts for the rainy weather
in the Milk valley while it is 10 dry else.
where?"
"Well, 1 suppose it is the Bear Paw
mountains. The government signal sta.
rion at Assinaboine, 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"
sis it q fact hat it is a granger country,
that 10. can crops be raised there without
irrigationf"
"WelI, you bet your life they can. All
the old 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 the entire
field four feet ten inches in height, and
even crops sown on sod will make a fan
turnout. Our potatoe patches would
make our Irish, friends mouths water with
delight. Tom 0'Hanlon, T. C. Power &
Co.'S. man, declares that he has raised
crops for nine years at Belknap agency,
one mile south Of Chinook and for nine
years with success. Remember. these
crops have been raised absolutely
without irrigation except from the sky"
lGvvLak .lAu- - -zAkI1.c L-- =
the valley2"
Mostly Americans or A~mericanized
foreigners The Milk river valley has
TEE BEST CLASS OF SETTLERS
that have ever located in a new country
There has not been a disturbance ever
amounting to q quarrel since Chinook was
started and we have not even had a resi-
dent officer OF the law in our midst until
lately.
From what locality are the settlers
coming?". Do H.. 5r,e
"The tides OF settlement from the east
and west meet on the common ground oil
the Milk River valley but, about three set.
tiers come from the west to one from the
east. The eastern settlers are mostly
grangers who want to 60 both into stock
and grainraisipg, and they come with their
household goods, plows, harrows, their
cows, their swine, their horses and their
asses, while those from the west scorn the
pillow and commence to raise stock exclu.
sively. The extreme drouth in Oregon and
Washington is sending many ranchmen
with their stock to the Milk River valley,
while We have some OF your best people
from the Bitter Root, the Deer Lodge and
the Gallatiu valleys. The sheepmen are
occupying the country in full force; at least
$4,000 sheep will be placed within forty
miles of Chinook this year, but there is
room for fifty times that number within a
radius Of 100 miles. The people Of this
territory can have no idea Of the thickness,
l%uxuriance and height OF the grass down
our way" sea-" sr"
What about your town OF Chinook"
1.-THE people in this part OF the territory
have no idea OF the rapid development OF
the Milk River country. On April 1 there
was nc such place as Chinook and the sur
rounding country was innocent of the claim
shanty; nov the town has thirty well con.
structod houses and she Is q hummer. The
country for five or six miles around is dot
ted with claim shanties. The ranchmen OF
course 60 farther out on the bench lands
toward the mountains where the land
though we'll erased, cannot be farmed by
the all ~conquering granger and there will be
plenty OF range. We nave the finest depot
on the road west Of Grand Forks; we have
o brick yard, stone quarry, two lumber
yards both bucking each other on prices, and
q 22-foot vein OF coal cropping out
OF the bluffs three miles north OF town; 80
you see we are we'll fixed for building ma
terial. The hotel 10 constantly crowded
with land and ranch prospectors and there
lie q general buzz Of people -ustling for lots
in the town OF eligible ranch locations.
Why, On the Fourth OF July we raised a
purse OF $3.50 and pinched the eagles tail
Gill he screamed again, while on Sundays
the base ball fend runs opposition to q
full.aedged Sunday school.
well, when l get wound up on Chinook
/ don't know when to quit. / guess I'll
stop right here, so good night"
Mr.. McGinnis 10 In the city on business
and Will remain several days.
IVAFY nYYr