The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-08-11

estimate Of Montana as an agricultural
state at least one hundred per cent, for
we veritab)y believe there is as much till
able land in the Milk River valley as in all
the rest Of the valleys pvt together.
The provocation for the trip was an arti-
Gle that appeared in the New York Times
under date of July IL, over the sig
nature of Frank Wilkcson. His state
ment, in brief, was that the Milk River
country was the most worthless, God for
saken region in the world, blasted by si-
roccos in the summer and swept by con-
gealing blizzartls in winter, lesti-
tute of water and vegetation and perfect
charnel house, where the chief occupa-
ton was in gathering up bones of the an
imals that had made the perilous venture
Of trying to live there.
A more mendacious, baseless story was
never retailed by a perjured hiveling than
in the account of Frank Wilkeson. There
was but one single item of his story that
was ever founded on fact There were
some piles of bones that the Indians had
gathered near stations, from the sale IF
which tho squaws eke out their pin
money. But the fact of the bones being
there in such quantities is proof posi-
tive that it was the favorite resort and
camping ground of wild game for long
time. Wilkeson's statement that the
grass had to be burned so that the bone
gatherers could see their quest, is evi-
dence of the rank growth of grass.
Though there has not been third of the
usual rain fall on the Big Sandy and
along Milk river, there is not greener
lawn in the city than the hundreds of
square miles that we passed through yes
terday and crops are growing vigorously
at the present time and will mature if
there is not another drop of rain. No
doubt if more lain, or irrigation, if prac-
ticable, would be a benefit. But we
justly regard the present crucial test
Of the durable qualities and certain pros
perity of this portion of Montana. The
MIX Rivcr valley is the veritable coun-
terpart of the valley Of the Nile in m1nia-
ture, and far to the north and the interior,
The soil'is friable sandy loan of great
depth, resting on a clay subsoil. Milk
river is sluggish, serpentinc stream,
which, when filled to ovcrtlowing, spreads
out all over the valley, depositing its rich
slime and doing no wearing or cutting.
Back from the valley stretch the uplands
with easy slopes, and furnish rich, sure
and ample pastnrage.
Ills Excellency Gov. White, the chief
justice and territorial secretary joined in
the following certificate:
The undersigned, having at the request
of the inhabitants in the Milk River val
ley, made a personal visit of inspection to
that section of Montana, which was de-
scribed in recent letter in the New
York Times as q "wind-swcpt and sun
baked, sirocco-blasted, blizzard cursed
and uninhabitable region" feel it simply
justice to the settlers Of that section of
the territory to say the statements in the
article referred to are wholly without
foundation in fact.
The rainfall In the whole territory the
present season has been the lightest
known in many years, as that in the At
lantic seaboard states has been the great
est. But with one-third the average
amount of rain the valley is green from
one end to the other, hay is being cut in
large quantities, grass is abundant and
live stock in fine condition. We went
into fields OF wheat and oats breast high.
which have never been irrigated and will
be ripe for harvest within a week.
In our opinion that section of the val
ley visited by lis will produce thirty five
to forty bushels of wheat per acre, with
as little risk of failure as in any region
OF the United States. AS Il grazing coun-
try it has 10 superior anywhere, us the
condition Of the herds IN this unusually
dry season will testify.
The soil is rich, the climate healthy
and pleasant, and the prospects of the
settlers as favorable as in any part of the
country.
HENaA. Il. WHITE, Governor;
Henry n. BLAKE, Chief Justice;
l.. A. WALKER, Secretary of Montana