The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-30
M0hTkNAS GARDEN CITY.
The Outlook Of the Prosperous Bit
Il. ter Root and Missoula
Valleys.
Many Handsome and Costly I'm
provements Contemplated
the Coming Season.
The Electric Car Company Has Franchise
and Is About to Build the Rail-
roads,, Etc.

sI1ssounA, March 29.-[Special. THE
city of Missouln can proudly boast of as
lovely a aite and as bright prospects for the
future as any city in the northwest. Dur
ing the past twelve months the growth Of
this city has been unprecedented. and its
population has almost doubled. Thu
change within the past year has been
almost magical. and the results are entirely
due to the indomitabls energy and perse-
verance of its merchants and citizens, and
in no small degree to railway enterprise.
To-day Missoula is the centre of an extern
sive railway system, its ribs of steel span
ming the east, west, north and southeast
to the commercial world, west to the great
est l~ead-producing country in the world,
the Occur d'Alsne, aud through the produc-
tive farming and mining sections OF
western Montana; to the south, traversine
that beautiful and fertile valley. the Bitter
Root, and with the completion OF the Mis-
soula d. Northern to the north, into the
Flathead country, opening up one of the
richest and most productive sections in
Montana. This city has the advantage of
location, provided with an i~nexhaustible
water supply and outlets III all directions.
Missoula has had no "boom."
A town cannot be built up on
..booms." The places where nature
alone will they become established. Nature
has thus endowed the Garden City. 1t oc-
cupies one Of the most beautiful sites ever
prepared by nature for the development ct
q large city. 1t is the only important city
between Helena and Spokane Falls, and
A. =. - oAhn. vntrvral nvfn within sSSJ
mites.
The Bitter Root ia the only fruit-growing
valley in Montana and this fact alone tells
a true story of our mild climate. Enjoy
ing the invigorating air and inspiring
mountain scenery and having in that same
place all the fruits that grow IN the eastern
states, except the peach. 1t IS a region that
comes about as near being an earthly para
disc, SO far as climate is concerned, as any
spot in this broad land.
The real estate market for the past month,
while perhaps not wild enough to suitR
professional boomer, has evolved one graft
tying feature, which is a tendency towards
bona 6de and substantial purchasers.
There have been at times complaints heard
that prices of Missoula realty are too high.
There nave been no reduction in values and
this alone is conclusive proof that the con
fdence in the natural growth of the city
is retained. The fact of the matter is, that
III WV pAS ONAh
tributary to M%issoula. many of which are
still awaiting development, property is not
too high and in many parts of the city it is
cheap enough to be considered what in the
parlance of real estate men is termed q
SNAP to the purchaser.
county hundreds and hundreds of mineral
locations have been taken N which promise
to prove great and valuable mines in the
near future. The Flat Greek, Mineral Hill,
Curlew, Fisher Greek. Thompson Falls and
Clark's Fork sections have been as yet but
as the Curlew, Iron Mountain, West Iron
Mountain 0. Il. g. ~, Buckeye, Little
Pillsburg, Little Anaconda, Maggie and
other valuable properties are now being
rapidly developed. The prospectors with
their picks, shovels and cayuses are amid
Missoula's mountains and hills IN every d.
rectien and the discoveries OF these pros
pectors will bring to the county naturally
the capitalist and the spectator.
What this city wants and it wants soon,
is 4 smelter and reduction works. With
the completion of the Missoula & Occur
d'Alene railroad to Wallace, Idaho, Missou-
la has become the nearest central location
for the furnishing of merchandise and sup
plies for the largest lead producing section
of the west. Situated as it is, with these
great lead fields on one side and surrounded
on all sides by mining districts producing
enormous quantities of dry ores of every
description, and with abundant fuel and
aims il offers a smelling plant the very best
advantages, and that such a plant would be
successful here there can be no question.
Mining men say that with plenty of lead a
smelter can be placed upon a paying basis.
Nc known mining region is as we'll supplied
with this character of ores as is the coun-
try surrounding this city.
No small mart of MisaDula,s intereata ia
the railroad shops, round houses and divi-
sion headquarters OF the Northern Pacific.
The are some AGO men employed in vari-
GUS vocations and $4,000 Is monthly dis
tributed among the employees Of the COM
pany residing here. The freight and pas
senger receipts at Missoula average $65, COO
per month. Thestonnage handled at this
city last July was 90, ,473 pounds while
that of the past month. which is considered
a dull month in the year ran up to LIZ, 577, 204.
Trains are now running trl-weekly on the
Ceur D'Alene branch as far as St. Regis
and from there on to Moscow they will rul
daily. AS soon as the weather pei mits con
struction trains will be put on this line. get
ting it in shape and surfacing up the road sc
that inside of Six weeks the line will b,
ready its entire length to Wallace, when i
is proposed to arrange a large excursion from
the Occur D'Alene towns to Missoula, ant
later on one from this city to Wallace, tn
terminus of the road. The Helena local i
shortly to be run up the Bitter Root road t.
its terminus, Grantsdale, placing the citi
Zens of the valley not only in daily railwa,
connection with Missoula. but also with Hell
ena. Butte and other cities east of here
The Missoula d Northern has through an &C
of congress procured the right of wa
through the Flathead reservation. The lin,
is now being surveyed and the graders viii
soon be on the field. The new road will rul
along the east bank of the Flathead lake an,
river to Demersville, traversing some of tn
most picturesque scenery in Montana. Grea
credit for our railway enterprise must b
given Col. S. G.. Ramsey, superintendent o
the Rocky Mountain division, who has hi
headquarters here, and has become one o
Mlssoula's most valued and esteemed citi
zens. When Manager W. S. Mellen wa
here on his recent tour OF inspection he pai,
a high tribute to Col. Ramsey's efficien
management and stated openly that tn,
Rocky Mountain division through his energ,
and efficiency had become from one of tn,
poorest to the best division on the system
An item of great Importance to Missoult
is the development of its water power ir
the near future. The proposition is 4
build a dam across the river at the mout]
OF the canyon and take out a canal tina
will reclaim 5000 acres of land on the soutI
side OF the river, and to carry the canal be
Low the city and then on down to Gras
valley. 1t is estimated in this way that
claiming $4,000 acres of valuable farmin
lands. 1t will also develop 10000 hors
power to be used for manufacturing mn
poses, and negotiations are now pendin
with eastern capitalists for the establish
mAnt 0f several manufactnrinU iOduotr;.