The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-27
may not injure the prospects Of its pas
sage if it be generally known that Mr..
Hall is a democrat.
a WORD TO TIE JOURNAL.

filcted contemporary at Helena-the
Journal seems to have among its other
numerous complaints a bad case of
Great Falls on the brain" Not con
tent with wrccklng the NeihaIt aud Cas-
tie railway and compelling Great Falls
to buy all its ores in Helena, it proceeds
to make a trout stream of the Missouri
river above this city and render It unit
for navigation except for skiffs and ga
noes. Now, while the journal is en-
gagged in this-to livery pleasant, il
not profitable. occupation the TRIBUNE
will recite a little history which may pos
s!bly incline it to dcsist from its Quixotic
nterprise. Here it is:
Some years age when the SUNDAY
Sinner" of our crratic Helena contem-
porary was a barefooted boy gathering
sweets from the tall naples of his native
state. and the ''heavy writer" of the Har-
rison organ was making mud pies in the
cross roads at his childhood's home.
Helena had no railroads, nor no prospects
Of II could be seen in the near or far
distant future. But it had enterprising,
plucky men, rs it has today. Helena
was the distributing center OF not only
all Of the then territory of Montana. but
of Salmon river and other portions of
eastern Idaho. All the provisions and
clothing and mining supplies consumed
hy fha lnr1y ,lrnpf,rnr nc ,nJ ,r,,,n =
ors and permanent residents of this vast
area of country were brought up the
river to Fort Benton. whence il was
loaded upon long trains of wagons and
hauled 80 miles to Helena. then the
livelicst city in the west.
1t was a slow and expensive means of
transportation and the business men of
the Last Chance city cast about them
for a specdier and cheaper way to obtain
the great stores Of goods which they
were compelled to keep on hand. With
Il accord they locked to the Missouri
river for their means Of transportation.
Col. W. +. Wheeler was the first, we be-
lieyc. who was deputed TO 20 down the
river and look it over and report rs to
its nayigability. A boat was built at
Helena and transported to Stubs
Ferry the point where our Helena
friends are about to build a great dam
on paper. Here the boat was launched
and the redoubtable colonel and his
party made that ever memorable first
trip 10y white man" through the
Gate Of the Mountains. He came down
as far rs the present site Of this city in
his boat and then returned to Helena to
report.
1t is right here we claim the ears Of
the Journal writer's. The colonel re-
ported the Missouri river could be made
navigable at comparatively small cost
not only from Stubs Ferry to the
Great falls but from Gallatin city down.
His report. as published in the local
papers at that day, is now on file in the
rooms of the Historical Society of
Montana in the court house in Helena,
where Colonel Wheeler himself may be
found every day during office hours.
Other parties, including eminent civil
engineers, afterwards made the same
voyage down the river from Stubs
Ferry and all united in declaring the
river could be made navigable for light
steamers and barges at little expense. A
few rocks to be blown out of the water.
and some dredging here and there and
the business would be done. The propo-
sition then assumed this shape. The river
from Fort Benton up to the Great
falls was to he improved SO that boats
could ascend to the latter point. a
portage by wagon or railway was to be
made UP to the point TO where the city
Of Great Falls o stands, and from this
place freight and passengers were to bc
sent up the river to the nearest point to
Helena. This is AT the mouth of the
Pear. where, in anticipation Of
the carrying out Of this scheme. Colonel
B~roadwater obtained possession of 100
acres Of land bordering on the Missouri.
No one then asserted the Missouri
river could not be made navigable above
the site Of this city without an expendi-
turc of millions of dollars. 1t has been
left all these years to the gentlemen of
the Helena Journal to make this dis
covery and thus give the lie to the ex-
pressions Of experienced river men whose
opinions are OF file right under the nose
of the Journal wiseacres.
No one at this late day doubts the
feasibility Of river navigation above
Great Falls to Townsend or to Gallatin
City, at the Three Forks. With a much
smaller appropriation than is frequently
made for the improvement OF streams
carrying a less volume of water than the
Missouri carries above this city it can
be made navigable for light draft steam
and barpeS pyprv mnnth in the wear