Great Falls tribune., 1890-01-11
THE LAND Of MONTANA.

The following extracts from the Rocky
Mountain Gazette, IL newspaper published
at the capital of Montana twenty years
ago, will prove of interest, both for the
geographical Information they contain
and the comparison of wealth and re-
sources that may he made with facts and
statistics of the present day found in
this publication:
''rhe name Montana is Spanish and
means mountains. The Indians gave it
the name OF Tayabe -shockey, or the
country OF the mountains, it having heen
their home anterior to the discovery Of
America. 1t consists OF a series Of basins
five in number. -Four of them lie on the
east side Of the mountains and one ON the
west side. The basins are subdivded
into number OF valleys by spurs jutting
down from the main chain of the Rocky
mountains, which freque-,ly exceed the
main chain in altitude. The basin west
of the mountains is in the northwest
corner ut the territory and is drained by
the Missoula and Flathead rivers, the
last named being the outlet OF the lake of
that name, tine sheet OF water forty
miles long by twenty miles wide, lying
ut the foot OF the mountains near the
northern end OF the basin and not far
from the line of British Columbia. This
lake is surrounded by beautiful coun-
try, n portion of which is valuable for
agriculture. From the lake there ex-
tends southwark, to the Pen D'Oreille
mission, Il distance Of more than forty
miles, a we'll wooded country (rOlling)
clothed with a fine growth of grasses.
Across the hills to the south is the Jocko
valley, which is small, but in beauty and
fertility is unsurpassed. Here is the
Pen DOreille reserve. Across the spur
of the mountains lies the Hellgate valley.
average width OF six miles. 1t Is nearly
aAsfarming land. Tiie fertile valley of
the Bitter Root extends sixty miles, with
an average width of seven miles. The
mineral wealth of these mountains is
great
;" The northwestern basin contains
eight principal valleys, viz :. Valley of
Flathead lake, Jocko, Hellgate. Bitter
Root, Big Blackfoot, Flint creek and
is to the northwest. and is $50 miles long
by seventy-five miles wide. 1t is the
best timbered part of Montana
The northeast basin extends from the
Rocky mountains to the eastern border
Of the territory, along its north side near
" 600 miles, by $50 miles wide. The
eastern portion of this vast basin is com
OOS&O Oh Guy t0Ulc 4AUNAS OF m8UVAlRQS
terres,' but there Ia good farming land
along the streams. There are several
spurs and mountains in this basin. The
Hears Paw, Little Rockeys and Three
Buttes. This basin is drained Il, the
east by the Missouri, Milk, Narias, Teton,
Sun and Dearborn rivers, the first three
emptyiug into the Missouri river below
Fort benton and the last three short
distance above the Great falls. The
western portion Of this basin il but little
broken" 5.
the east By the Jefferson river and ita
tributaries. The basin lies In the
shane Of spreading fan and is one
hundred and nfg miles wide by one
hIndred miles long. Traces
are still Visible Of glaciers throughout
the Rocky mountains Of depth showing
that only 10 loftiest mountain tops once
n0se aboye tie eea.
ina numbsf 81 acres Of mineral land II
Ioutana B salinated at 0,900,O19; aeri
- ~ ts4spSsa.