Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1889-08-08
A II WAS AND As Ut Is.

the Delight OF TOurlst8-Ats Or"nu
Landscapes - The missourps stu
pendOus Gatcway-Notcs OF ehe new
states Early History-How n Reign
OF Terror Was succeeded by sno
Reign OF Law. =,
The following are portions of very aoie
and admirable article by Judge l.. e. Mum
son, of this city, in the new number OF the
New Highlander just issued. 1t speaks In
masterly manner of this new State, Its oli-
mate and great rivers, the grandeur OF It's
mountains and landscapes and of critical
period in It's social history, fraught with in
teresting materials for the future historian
of this new State of our Union:
Montana, OF according to the Spanish pro-
nunciation Montanya, which signifies the
land of mountains, or In the Indian dialect
"Ta-a-be-shock-up," country of mountains,
was organized and set apart as territorial
commonwealth by act of congress, approved
May 26th, 1854.
On the completion of twenty-one years OF
territorial life 1t proposed to lay aside its
swaddling clothes for the robes OF statehood,
passed State constitution, and after four
years of knocking at the doors of congress for
admission as a State into the Union was fin
ally admitted February 22d, 1889.
TERRITORIAL AREA.
II is bounded on the north by the British
Possessions, easterly by Dakota, southerly by
Wyoming and Idaho, and westerly by idaho.
These widely separated lines contain 1884,
776 square miles and near 100000 acres
of land In order to moro fully comprehend
the significance of these figures, will add,
that they embrace territorial area greater In
extent by 10, ia square miles than all the six
New England States, New York, New Jersey,
Delaware and Maryland combined-more
sets, and more than thirty-one times larger
than Connecticut.
THE PHYSICAL ASPECT
and properties of the territory are all the
imagination can desire. Greece never boast
ed of fairer skies; Italy never rejoiced in a
armament more deeply blue; Germany never
revealed sublimer forests, or Switzerland
grander mountains, or more romantic scene-
~ than may be seen in Montana.
No man has ever seen the beauty and sol-
emn impressive grandeur of American
scenery, who has not looked upon the Rocky
Mountains, with peak DER peak rising to the
clouds, the broad plains and emerald valleys
that nestle in their shadows, the bright full
moon and crispy northern lights that irradi-
ate the armament with evening splendor.
The pure atmosphere of these attitudes
seemingly brings the blue dome of the heav-
ems, Remmed with stars of electric brilliancY,
nearer to the earth than any other locality !
was ever in.
For two hundred miles of weary march,
across dusty, monotonous plains, the eyes OF
the traveller have watched their snowy crowns
and dingy sides, their lights and shadows,
their deep gorges and rocky precipices, their
sublime forests and leaping cascades, as the
alluring goal of his ambition, the end of his
journey where he is to search for that power
that rules the world.
THE GREAT RIVER.
It's river system is pronounced the finest on
the continent. "Think of the Connecticut
river with it's 450 miles in length from its
source to its mouth; of the Hudson with its
$50 miles from its source to the sea, and then
think of the Missouri river with it's 3,00C
miles of navigable waters gathering into itf
than the Connecticut, the Hudson or the
Ohio at Pittsburg, and you get some
idea Of the sweeping majesty OF
that stream, which cuts its way
through the Rocky Mountains, near 300 miles
below the confluence of the three rivers
spoken of like the moving of terrific power
rejoicing in its freedom with the song Of
called the. "Gate of the Mountains" defiant
of all opposition. Warren in his Physical
Geography says, "For distance of six
miles the rocks rise perpendicular from the
waters edge to the height of 1900 feet, and
for the first three miles there is only one
spot where man can stand between the water
aud the mountain side." have never been
through this mysterious "gate way" but /
have been told by those who have that 1t is
a scene Of awful sublimity and impressive
grandeur, holding man almost breathless as
the boiling waters hurry through the rocky
chssm where the human voice is answered
back with startling echoes, which reverberate
from wall to wall till the whole space seems
peopled with invisible, talking spirits, each
clamorous tor the last word in the contro-
veisy.
GRAND MOUNTAINS.
Regarding the mountains of Montana
Some of them lift their majestic heads above
snow line, and wear their white, shining caps
undisturbed from generation to generation,
flashing morning sunlight into teemng val-
legs below, around whose crowned heads
linger the last rays OF the evening sun, e'er
he sinks behind the pillows of the Pacific.
Out of these mountain sides, interlaced with
gigantic ribs of rock aud molten earth,
spangled with stars of glittering gold and
silver, at all attitudes, iseue living springs OF
clear. cold water, that ripple down the hill
sides and sparkle through the valleys.
Lol THE POOR INDIAN.
Following is given description of For
Benton, never military fort, but trading
post, established by tho American Fur com.
pany, and whence half o million dollar
worth of furs and robes were shipped annual
ly to the States; and then graphic descrip
ton of a trip made by the writer in 1866 II
company with the secretary and acting gov.
ernor of the territory, with an armed escort
to assist the Indian agent make treaty will
the Indians and witness the distribution o.
the annuities. At Benton they met abou,
2 900 Indians, composed of Blackfeet, Blood
Piegaas, Gros Ventures and Noun,
tain Crows, with whom the treaty
was consumated. By the treaty
gave up their coveted lands, the land of theil
fathers-the gamiest country in the world
and go into reservation on the borders Of
the British possessions.
10! THE POOR BUFFALO.
The writer's impressions of Indian charac.
ter were next given, and following 1t wa
stated, "a recent letter from one of til,
principal mercantile firms at Benton informs
me that as late as the years 1874, 1876, 1871
and 1877 there were annually shipped from
Benton 200 buffalo robes, IL, 900 to 90, 00(
mountain wolf skins and 100 to $50 tons OF
deer and antelope skins, realizing over $500.
600. After 1879 the number dwindled rap
idly until 1884, when hardly 1000 robes
were brought to market; and now there II
not one buffalo lett and the plains are being
bereft Of the dried bones which are shipped
to the bone mills to be converted into fertili.
xers. "The old trading post of the Fur Co.
at Benton, with Its quarter of a century OF
thrilling history, has been Abandoned ITS
walls are fallen to decay-the bats nest in
security upon shelves where have rested from
time to time millions of dollars worth of furs
and the boot of the owl breaks the silence oil
the midnight hour where once echoed the
busy tread of commerce.
The game is gone and the Indian is going
His proud spirit is broken his erect, stalwari
form is bending to the shadows of inevitable
fate; his step trembles upon the threshold
he is passing away before the march of civi.