The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-10-28
Conditions Which Led to the PeOpling
of West Side Counties in
Early Days.
Years AgOne and Their Results
Brought Into Contrast With
the Living Present.

of the Rocky mountains. This is easily
explained. Five years from today IS
per cent of the voting population will be
east of the range and Great Falls will be
the most populous city in the state.
This statement is equally easy of proof.
In the first instance western Montana
was the first place in the state where
gold was discovered, and the placer
camps of Deer Lodge County, most of
which are now almost deserted. were the
principally settled portions of this sec
ton until Bannack, Alder gulch. Last
Chance gulcn, Confederate gulch. and
other places attracted the gold-seekers
from the placer camps OF the west side.
Until 1876 Butte was Il mere hamlet. and
ithas grown continuously: until 1888 Ana
conda was not on the map and it now
ranks second in size among west side
towns; Philipsburg and Granite Noun
tam were small villages until j. w.
Eastiil and +. ID. Holland sold to its
present owners the greatest silver mine
in the world. and gave new life to the
old quartz camp. Deer Lodge has been
a residence and supply town for over "a
quarter of a century, and MissOula has a
like history; Pioneer. Blackfoot, Pixies
Peak, Beartown. Nreka aud other places
of lesser note have become almost de-
serted. but Butte. Anaconda. Philips
burg and Granite give employment to
more men in the quartz mines and mills
and smeltcrs than ever before made
Silver Bow or Deer Lodge counties their
home. The mines were proven produc-
tive and they are still yielding their
treasures to the hand of man. This.
then, explains why "a percentage of the
voters of Montana are shown by the
tabulated statement of returns as living
west of the main range at the last gem
eral election.
The second proposition. that within
five years there will be - per cent of the
population east of the main range Is
easily established. Six years ago the city
of Great Falls was no, in existence now
it is the third city in size in the state;
Barker, Neihart, and other mining com
uIitI "C't uiIiloSl ilON II, Il uOLtu
years ago the Yellowstone. the Judith,
Musselshell, Smith River, Sun River,
Milk River. Gallatin. Madison, Jefferson.
Tongue River and other fruitful and fer
tile valleys, with a possible exception
here and there. were sparsely settled.
The tide of emigration so long turned
toward states further west is headed
toward Montana and within half a de-
cade the population of the valleys will
be increased by thousands. The agri-
%culturists of the Overcrowded east are
looking for homes and no section of the
American continent presents greater at
fractions than Montana. That portion
of the state west of the main range COM
prises only a comparatively small por-
ton of its available agricultural area.
Deer Lodge, Missoula, Silver Bow and
Beaverhead counties have large quaint
ties of available land, but they pale into
insigniiicance in comparison with the vast
domain in the eastern division of the
state.
Agriculture is the basis upon which
nations rest. and its origin and product
are nearly identical with those of evil
zation. The fertility of the soil in Mon
tana. and its adaptability to cultivation.
is just beginning to he appreciated by
the homeseekers elsewhere. The i'm
mense areas of agricultural land cannot
long remain unclaimed or uncultivated,
and within a few years the agriculturists
in eastern Montana will outnumber the
present voting population of the state.
Following the agriculture of the state
will come the manufacturing industries.
The cultivation of TIT immense available
areas of land will result in the produc-
ton Of quantities of wheat and other
cereals, and the manufacture of flour
will be a great Montana industry in a
short time. The favorable climatic con
ditiOns for successful sheep-raislng and
wool-grOwing in Montana are too well
known to need repetition. and wooden
mills are an assured fact in the near
future. These manufactures will give
employment to more men than the mines
of Western Montana.
Taken IN connection, the foregoing not
only point to the large percentage Of
population Montana will have east of
the Rockies in five years, but they point
to Great Falls as the great manufactur-
ing and COMMERCIAL center. Tributary
to it are over 20,0O0,00O acres of as fertile
farming and grazing landing as are to be
found within the confines of any state
in the west. and whose products Outvie
those of any other portion of the Ameri-
can continent. The railroads now built
to this city or to be constructed and in
operation within two years from this
date will bring every section of eastern
within easy reach of Great
Falls.
The first consideration to be taken up
in connection with manufactures is
power. This city has at its doors one
horse power which can be utll-
lied as occasion requires for every pur
pose Of manufacture.
Fuel is abundant and cheap. mex
haustible coal measures lying at the
gateway to the city, while the Belt and
Milk river fields are but little further re-
Sand stone, limestone, iire-clay, com
mon clay, marble and other building
material are convenient and abundant.
The foregoing are some Of the reasons
on which Great Falls bases her claims