The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-09-12
CHOTEAU'S BEAUTIFUL VALLEY.
Well watered and an Excellent Place
For Grazing-Large Ranches.

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For Grazing-Large Ranches.
The large strip of country northwest of
Choteau, east of the mountains and
traversed by the hundreds of small
branches of the Teton and Marias rivers,
is undoubtedly the finest body OF graz
ing land in Montana. 1t is watered by
numerous mountain brooks that trickle
down with pure and clearest water.
These seem to entwine the whole region
and then join in the numerous creeks
and finally in the rivers which lead from
the region. The country is not ex-
c%eptionally broken and lies between five
and six thousand feet above sea level
which gives it a cooler climate and adds
another important feature to its grazing
qualities, especially for sheep. The
country being well watered and cooled
by its elevation the grass does not grow
coarse or rank, nor is there wire or
swamp grass or cactus but almost
everywhere the ground is covered with a
short, tender grass that is sweet and
nutritious, the kind particularly adj
apted to sheep. Below this region in the
broader expanses between the streams
where the country is wide and open are
found the great cattle regions because
of the coarser grasses which are better
suited for cattle, especially for winter
grazing.
In the sheep belts are the large Hooks
of the Clarks and Coopers on the Muddy.
Leach and Jones on the Dupuyer. and
LutZ, Cramer. and Magee on the Birch.
Among the best equipped and most sci
entifically conducted is the Clark Bros.
ranch, which extends from the Muddy
to the Dupuyer and west to the mount
aims. The tiocks are of the best blooded
sheep in the country and the wool from
this years clipping, nearly 2OO,OoN
pounds, ranks among the finest wool In
Montana or west of the Mississippi, an
area which contains 25,OOO,OOO sheep, OF
two-thirds of those in the United States
Mr.. Clark showed us the following tel.
egram from his commission merchants
"BosToN, Aug. 26, 1S9l.-Clark Bros,
Choteau: Char (the BRANDY takes prize
for best wool grown west of Mississippi
river. Congratulations.
Luce "
This company has one of the most
perfect haying outfits in the west. They
run from five to seven owe and about
thirty men for six or eight weeks each
year. The company has a ~hay-loader,
which of course is no uncommon thing,
but the unloader is very striking
and it's labor-saving qualities can only be
appreciated by those who cut immense
quantities of short prairie hay. 1t is
very simple and cheap and is "a net in
place of a fork. The net consists Of two
pieces of timber two by four inches and
the length of the rack. They are sus.
pended at the top and sides of the rack
and about every two feet ropes are at
tached to these, dropping loosely into
the rack. forming a basket in which the
hay is loaded. When loaded the Wagon
is driven to the end of the stack where Z
stout trestle has been erected just the
height and length Of the rack. At thu
opposite end of the stack are two poles
probably fifty feet high joined together
at the top and held in position by gu.
ropes. A rope passes from the top o
these to the load with pulley and hooks
the hooks being attached to the frame
work of the net. The rope then passes
back over a pulley at the top of thu
poles and to the ground where the horses
are attached. The load is lifted out cas-
lily and clearly and carried to any par
of the stack or to any desirable height
The work is done without labor ant
takes only a minute. 1t is labor-savine
in the fullest sense.