The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-20
BOARD OF TRADE MEETING
Largely Attended-Many Matters for
the City's Welfare Ably
Considered.
Improving the Missouri En-
larging Wool Shipping FaciIi-
tics-Other Matters.

The regular meeting of the board of
trade Wednesday afternoon was well at
tended and many matters for the good
of the city were considered the most i'm
portant. of which were the proposition to
make this Il great wool center, the pro-
posed plan Of improving the Missouri
river between here and Townsend and
the land Office question. \ copy of Il
petition signed by some Of the leading
wool buyers of Boston, which had been
sent to General Manager Mohlcr of the
Great Northern. asking for ample facili
ties for storing wool here with the pur-
pose OF making this the wool center Of
the state, was read by the secretary aud
freely commented OH 10y different mem
bcrs. Messrs. Gibson, Chowen, Collins
aud others thought 1t a wise plan to seek
the 20. operation of the wool buyers in
this movement and to make certain
oyertures as well to the large wool grow
cr5 in Chotcau and Fergus counties to
induce them to bring their clip here
for shipment. Paris Gibson said
that u large part OF the wool
raised in the upper sun river
country went to Craig and Cascade when
it would naturally b. brought here if the
WACO rOad were in better condition.
Robert Vaughn was selected 10 visit the
ranchmcn along the line of the road in
Cascade and Lewis and Clarke counties
and interview the people living along
the road ON the question and, il possible,
induce them to sign a petition to have
the road improved as soon as convenient
this spring. The board Of trade will pay
his expenses and furnish him all the nee
essary information on the matter.
There were many good ideas advanced
by members OF the wool center question
which will no doubt be followed by the
board this spring.
The secretary read q letter FROM Burg
Bros. of Townsend to the effect that the
people of that vicinity you'd petition
congress for Il $4,000 appropriation to
improve the Missouri river from there To
Great Falls, and that they were emphat-
ically against the proposition 10 dam the
river at Stubs Ferry. T. r. Collins
said the people in and around Townsend.
i;cdrurd, Toston, Three Forks, and other
uoints at the head of the Missouri were
very anxious to have the river made nav
igable as far as here. The benefits to be
derived from cheaper transportation
would enable them to mine and send
here to be smcllcd much Of the low
grade ore with which the country
ahounds.
The secretary read the report uf c. f.
Powell, captain of the corps OF engineers,
which favored the idea of improving the
river. The letter is in part as follows:
| have the honor to report from an eX-
animation made 10y me that the Missouri!
river between Great Falls and the can
yon next below Stubs Ferry is worthy
of Improvement.
The water named is readily suscepti
bic of improvement for a profitable
I, light-draft navigation; the country trib.
utary to it is now productive in a SINAI
, measure, aud will be. il is Judged, extcn,
|, sivcly productive. of articles OF heavy
y traffic which generally seek water trans
pOrtation: it is timbercd and mineral, %
in part grazing and agricultural: usefu
stone and coal are also reported. A mar
ket for the products Indicated exists a
+ Great Falls, a place whose shipping ans
manufacturing interests. especially ore
smelling and lumber ones. are rapidly
growiug. The city. barely seven year!
7 old, already ranks in population as The
{ third one in Montana. It has an excel
! lent site for a large town. is the natura
center of a large country. has good rail
I road facilities, and a water power. fur
nished by the adjacent falls of the Mis-
= souri, river. not rycelled in the Unite
! States.