The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-20

miles distant from the Sand Coulee coal
mines, which supply a large part Of
Montana and North Dakota. A railroad
connects Great Falls with these mines
and continues to Monarch, tifty-eight
miles, whence it will be carried shortly
to the silver, gold and lead mines of the
Neihart and Barker districts. twelve or
twenty miles farther, respectively, (since
completely.
The town is now the terminus of four
railroads. A Touring mill aud "A large
silver smelter which cost S2,OCO.0OO are
now in operation. An immense copper
smelter to cost SG.0OO,OOO is being built
at Black Eagle falls, and a dam to cost
100000 is nearly completed Just above
those falls. y large lumber company eX-
poets to put up a plant costing $3.50 900
at Great Falls for saving and finishing
lumber, bringing it's logs down thu Mis-
souri, ami its tubutnriet. At present
thrco-fou tbs Of the lumber used IN Mon
tana on the east side of the main rockies
is brought from MisspuIa and other points
on the west side al great expense. \
careful examination made tli5 year of
most Of the tributaries Of the VI se0uri
has proved both the existence Of cOnSid-
cradle supplies uf lumber along these
tributaries and the practlcabllity Of using
the streams for driving logs to Great
Falls. During my visit the announce
mcnt was made that the Anaconda Cop
per Mining company Of Butte had de
cidrd to locate their smeitcr at Great
Falls. but | cannot vouch for the truth
of this. Such a smcltcr would give I'm
ploymcnt to 1000 hands.
From what | saw of Montana il APP
pears to me probable that nearly all the
mines of the state that lie on the east
said of the Rockies. and many Of those
on the west side. will eventually send
their ores to be smeltcd at Great Falls.
or the five silver smeltcrs that | saw on
the east slope only the one at Great Fails
was in operation. The 3G,000.0UO copper
smclter above mentioned is being built
by the Boston 4 Montana Copper Min
ing company of Butte Ton the vest side
Of the man divjdc). and IA contract has
been made with the Montana Central
railroad for hauling 1000 tons Of ore
daily after .April |, 1892. from Butte to
Great Falls.
Were the Missouri regularly nayisa
be some ore would probably br shipped
t. Great Falls by water. The silver
stnrltcr at Great Fails receives ON an av-
rragc twenty tons Uf ore per day from
TostOn. Townsend. and Bedford. stations
on the Northern Pacific railroad, and sit
uated on the river. For this transpor-
tation the miners pay local rates on two
railroads. AS the Northern Pacific docs
not reach Great Falls, making the cost
several dollars per ton. am told that
some Of these miners have threatened
this summer to send their ore To Great
Falls On bargrS If the rates were not re
ducCd.
Most of the cultivated land along the
Missouri above Great Falls is contained
in two large valleys that in which the
Long Pool is situated, and the Townsend
or Missouri valley above Stubs Ferry.
The first has Cascade population 5eol
for its principal town and contains
a populatjon estimated at be
tween 1000 and 5000. Much wool ~
grown in this valley. The population Of
the second valley is estimated at between
1900 and 1000. Townsend population
300 is its principal town.
In ordinary seasons agriculture every
where in Montana requires irrigation,
and. and on account Of the impractical
bility Of irrigating the high levels, is con-
fined 10 The river valleys. The compare
tive small area OF these, and the cXorbi-
tant rates Of transportation from the east,
keep the prices Of farm produce in Mon
tana very high. and justify expensive sys-
TENS of irrigation. ln both Of til" val
leys mentioned considerable irrigation
has been done. and much more extensive
svstcms are in progress. ! am Informed
thOt ..COD.ON bushels OF grain were
raised iast year in the Townsend valley
and $1,000 in Crow Creek valley "a tribu-
tary yalleyL The soil is very fertile. and
with incrcasedirrigatiOn largely increased
production may be looked tor.
There are large charcoal furnaces IN
: thc Prickiy Pear canyon "a side canyon
!, about tour miles from the Missouri.
!. These ship 1000 bush Is per day 10 the
, silver smcItcr at Great Falls.
5 Judge IIilyrr informed me that there
was . copper min" two miles from hlh
o. place. and numerous veins of gold bear,
in. quartz Of rather low grade; that
there were immrHs" quantities oi iron
e. ore at Bear Teeth mountain near the
p river. and Il bed Of slate of excellent
/ quality. all these awaiting cheaper trans
portation and labor before being de
yeloped. x If II the whole river
were ever so improved, with proper ar
p rangcrucnts for the t~ransfe" OF cargocs
/. around the falls, AS to render a reliable
A and economical transportation route t"
e the Mississippi. the whole OF Montana
4: would receive immense benetf. IRON!
: merely local navigation. however. tn"
: benefits would be derived mainly by
> Great Fails. ia which the Whole upper
: upper river would become II feeder. and
4 by the smaller towns along the river:
while the trade ~ Helena nigh, even I'
c injured thereby.
8 Pat Hughes made a few pertinent sug
pestions about increasing the facilities
J for handling grain here. He said il was
an important subject and one in which
| the farmers of this vicinity were inter
ested. W. ID. Dickinson said the ON.