The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-06-19
THE GROWING JEWEL.

the crowned queen of sovereign states
the other the browning jewel in the tiara
which rests upon her brow-bright, bril-
liant, matchless. No city in the west
possesses such a wealth Of resources, and
none in the union can boast of possess
ing any in such harmonious proper
tons. All are cast in ponderous molds.
From the surrounding plateaus extend
ing as far as the eye can reach, broken
only by silver-ribbed mountains piercing
the heavens, to the vast volume of n
harnessed waters bearing Unreasonable
power, nature planned all after its most
generous patterns. Its vast coal meas
ures; its wealth of precious metal bear
ing ores; its iron mines; its stone and
lime quarries and its rich agricultural
and grazing lands were fashioned upon
lines of magnitude SO broadly marked
upon their surface that the idea of small
ness cannot find Judgment in the mind
of the beholder.
1t is questionable whether there is a
city in the world-large or small-which
possesses to such a marked degree all
the and native wealth named
above. Certainly there is not one in
this great west which approaches Great
Falls in these attributes. To the observ-
err of the practical in life it would appear
that the Master Builder of worlds had
bent down the backs of mighty mou
tains, forcing streams of gold, and silver,
and lead, and iron, and coal from their
throbbing sides and at their feet He had
scooped out a beautiful valley washed
by a great plunging river, carrying the
strength of Titanic hosts in its embrace,
and over all He had written the word
"%GREATYEss' in indelible living letters
which even the blind may see, and which
men read "Great Falls" We say it
would thus seem to the disintcrested
observer, for greatness is plainly
stamped upon the fair city and its sur
roundings.
Great Falls is not a city depending
upon a single resource or a single indus
try. If this were so its people might
hang their harps upon the willows and
profitably seek other fields of labor But
it is the number, the harmonious pro-
portions and the wealth of it's resources
which make it the most promising city
in the entire west, and impart confidence
to and infuse the spirit of enterprise in
the minds of its citizens. Its coal meas
ures, which, by no means, are the great
est among its mean of wealth, are vir-
tually as inexhaustible as the waters
which flow by its doors. Underlying a
known area of forty miles in length by
several in width their product is limited
only by the force employed in mining.
For steam heating and for domestic pur-
poses the coal is all that can be desired.
1t burns freely and produces a steady
and intense heat. AS distance and
depth from the groupings are attained
the coal improves in quality and in value.
1t is largely used in the city for all pur-
poses and burned exclusively by the
Great Northern system of railways in
Montana. The vast coal measures of
Great Falls is a powerful factor in the
prosperity of the place.
Great Falls may also justly boast of its
magnificent stone quarries. Business
everywhere appreciate the value of
a good stone quarry in close proximity to
a city. Stone enters, more or less, in all
the large, substantial structures of the
day, it's cheapness determining the extent
its employment. In the matter of
quantity, quality and cheapness of build
ing stone no city in the state, or, as to
that matter, none in the west, is so ia
vored as Great Fills. Sandstone of
nearly all hues and shades may be OBJ
tanned, but the red, brown, gray, and
white predominant. The red is beauti-
full and is being largely used in buildings
now in course of construction, while the
gray forms the foundation and first story
oi' VI III Vi liz iiiSot III
ings in the state, now being erected in
this city. W. j. Mcnamara of Butte
will use Great Falls sandstone in a build
ing he is about to erect in that city. The
principal quarries lie directly on the line
of the Sand Coulee railroad, a short dis
lance from the city. Coal and building
stone are thus abundantly provided for
the use of the city.
An abundance of brick making ma
terial is also found zeal at hand. 1t is
practically inexhaustible and makes a
most excellent article, its crushing power
ranking at the top figures. No place in
the west can produce better brick than
Great Falls. Quarries of superior lime
stone are found in a couple hours ride
from the city, and on the line of a rail-
road. Several kilns are kept constantly
burning during the building season. Thus
it will be seen that fuel and building
material, two very essential factors in