The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-11-12
A PICTURE OF MONTANA.


49, III o"'h y
TRIBUNE readers will remember the
distinguished editors who visited Great
Falls last summer on n SPECIAL editorial
excursion. OF the able gentlemen who
looked at Montana several have written
interesting articles describing their trip.
Not one of the gentlemen is more promi-
nent than Hezekiah Butterworth, editor
of the Youths Companion, which visits
more than 100000 homes every week.
Under the head of "a Montana Ranch"
Mr.. Butterworth speaks of our state in
the following manner:
The state of Montana is nearly as large
as New England, New York and Penn
sylvania combined. For "A time it con
stituted a part of the territory of Idaho
a fanciful name, supposed to mean eight
on the mountains The suggestion of
this very pretty sounding name is at
tributed to joaquin Miller, the poet of
the Sierras. who does not disclaim the
honor.
The valleys of Montana are now filing
with emigrants, and the mountains and
buttes with miners. The latest tide of
emigration has set in toward this state.
The city of Helena, built in a gulch out
of which some twenty million dollars Of
gold was first taken, is said to contain
more wealth in proportion to its inhabit-
ants than any other city in America. 1t
is lifting long lines Of beautiful homes
out of the gulch and up on the buttes.
Great Falls, with its smaller Niagara,
IS rising into pr~ominence-a new Mime,
arolis, beautiful in situation and full of
faith and enterprise. Butte is TN. largest
mining town IN the United States.
| recently passed over II part OF this
empire of undeveloped resources. While
it was my purpose to see the new march
of cities from the Red River of the north
to the Yellowstone, | was aver more in
tereSted in the ranches of the new set
tiers. | was taken through Il part of the
so-called Great Reservation IN the great
bow of the Rocky mountains, seventy-five
thousand square miles in extent, and
which has Just been opened to settle
ment.
| was left by the train at the pretty
town of Chinook, which is only about n
year old, but which is more alive to
modern Improvements and the spirit of
the z than many an eastern town. Afar
lay the Bear Paw mountains, the highest
peak being some 1000 feet high-a home
Of the golden eagles and full of game. !
assembled Il butte and the Milk River val
ley, a rolling plain, stretched before my
eyes. This valley is filling with home
steaders.
Let us visit the ranch of Hans Meeker,
as we will call a typical homesteader.
Hans came to the Milk river several
years ago, before the pretty town Of Chi
nook was born. He was a 'squatter," as
the pioneers are called who take 1850
acres of free government land for a
homestead before surveys are made.
Hans had u wife and two children,
great faith and little money. He built IA
"shack" OF pioneers cabin out Of the free
cottonwoods on the Milk river. He also
erected "A barn of the same material aud
Of dried grasses. He purchased a few
sheep, planted a wheat field on sod, made
a potato garden and wen TO work on the
railroad for IA time. There were free
coal mines m the buttes neal his cabin,
so he had plenty of fuel hat cost him
! nothing.
A hard year passed. But with plenty
of game everywhere, and with working
| for a part of the time on the railroads or
in the mines, he did not suffer. The
next year his sheep multiplied and his
wheat field and garden grew. He made
Il large addition to his cabin. Then the
town of Chinook suddenly sprang up on
the hills, and gave him a neal market.
His flock grew rapidly this year, and
his ranch today would sell for more than
an ordinary New England farm. His
| prosperity is assured.
81 thought | would go wild at first for
lnnesomeness." said his wife, 'but one
day a travelling preacher came, and told
me about the town, which would have a
church and a school. That made me
happy. | Rugged my children close to
INV breast after the preacher left, and
knelt down and thanked God that ]
would n day have u church, a home and
a school. What more could a woman
have, except a right good husband-and
Hans has always been good to me. |
live for my children, and l am happy
here. 1t is pleasant prospects that make
one happy"
Some of her experiences curing her
first year in the then territory were novel
and entertaining.
I'VE had only II Cow at first" she
said, 'iand she was lots Vt company for
me. | and the COW were friends. Oh,
and she was a pretty creature! One day
a great smoke arose in the east. The
prairie grass was on fire, and the flames
came rolling like a sea toward the cabin.
"A cowboy came riding up, and he
leaped from his saddle and knocked my
poor 20 on the head, and stripped off
her hide, and tied the hide to his saddle
so that the raw part OF it would drag upon
The ground. Then he rode across the
track of the fire. and the fire stopped and
never touched the cabin. | never saw tine
cowboy again. He vanished. supernatu-
raj like. May God reward him; but how
| did miss the Govt"
Among the noblest of the natlon-build-
ers are the homesteaders and ranch
builders of Montana.
HEZEKIAH BUrTERwoRTH.