The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-04-21
MOUNTAINS FIXED CENTER
Great Falls Is the Divinely Appointed
Site of the Future City Of the
Great Northwest.
"A W0ndrOus Concentration of Mining.
Manufacturing and Agricult-
ural Resources.

Mich Herald We find the following
glowing accoun of the grandeur of the
scenery and the wonderful of
Great Falls and her surroundings, from
the pen of Prof. G. G. Swensberg, who
visited this section of Montana recently:
THAT there is something in a name
was never more forcibly impressed than
in that given to Great Falls and it's sue
cesslon OF falls, OF which we are about to
write a short letter. The scenery along
the Missouri river banks is varied and
beautifully. romantic. We pass over un-
dulating table lands, delightfully."- in con-
trast with the precipitous and rugged
country from which we plunged but yes
terday. and through which unparalleled
formation the careful observer was con-
fronted With sights commanding inter
est, almost bespeaking the special design
OF the Omnipotent to carve out for this
Gods country of rocke, of vale and dale,
a destiny in contemplation of which ali
other sections Of the terrestrial should
stand aghast.
"Of the superhuman gorge az d chan
n~elways it is not overdrawn to say that
the physical geography of the earth here
Nv Va q ,CltIlCl Ill COll-
position, extent or formation, than does
this succession of rollicking rock and
tumbling of water, blended and beauti-
fled by the shadows and SUM-, the moon,
the glimmering stars and the everchang-
ing, variegated clouds which pass swift
ly over, casting their reflections into the
wild, fantastic Missouri waters below.
The word change seems to be written
on everything, and there were not two
scenes just alike in our travels. The
world is an e~vcr-changing panoramic
scene, grand n sublime; what one
lacks the other supplies. For fifty miles
or more, between perpendicular walls of
mighty rocks, rolls the furious, rushing
river which, in springtime, when the
melting SHOWS from the mountain tops
send down their foaming torrents, pre-
sent a spectacle Of horror and exceeding
delight beyond all human power of pen
and ink description.
Emerging from these awe-inspiring
rocky recesses We are presently ushered
upon the poets Transformation scene of
Pleasant wales and pastures green, with
gentle slopes and groves between
Other beautiful scenes.
we now gaze upon the broad plateaus
and fertile bottoms Of the Missouri and
the rich alluvials of the Belt mountain
foothills, the vast extent of grass.laden
tablelands stretching out before us in
every direction. We viewed with awe
and admiration the mighty cataracts of
the Missouri and the Giant spring. We
cast our eyes over Great Falls and the
most charming basin of the Missouri,
hemmed in on every side by the gentle
sloping pampas; the broad and placid
river coursing the young city in a semi
circle, and the romantic river of the Sun.
making its confluence at the upper point
of the arc, and we said to o%urself: Here
is a spot of surprising loneliness" To it
point the surrounding thoroughfares:
toward it flow the streams; the grades
from all directions incline this way. and
here is natures %gravitating point-Mon-
tana's fixed and inevitable CENTER; the
%wondrous concentration of mining, man
ufacturing and agricultural resources.
Here is the divinely appointed site of the
future city of the great and new north
west.
Here is the monster dam. This
mighty work of skilled mems creation
means the injection of various important
industrial elements into this young and
prosperous city. 1t means that the Mis-
sour shall no longer flow listlcssly to
ward the sea, but that its power shall
turn h wheels of manufactures and
line the river banks with varied indus
tries, The dam is located about 200 feet
from the pitch of Black Eagle falls and
extends across the river. No expense
was spared in its construction, and it is
pronounced one of the most perfect
works of its kind in America. The cen
ter of the dam is built of square timber
and stone combined, while the forebays
and head are entirely OF cut stone. The
river bed being solid rock, the dam will
bid defiance to all the floods that may
sweep like resistless torrents down the
Missouri valley. The dam and headgates
are LOO feet in length and required
100000 feet OF timber, 10000 feet Of
plank, 100 tons of iron and bolts. 5000
cublc yards OF stone filling in the cribs,
3,Vuo cubic yards Of gate chamber ma.
sorry, and twelve %hcadgates. The dam
ana manufacturing plants are estah
lishcd at IA hoalthful distance below tho
city.
Sour"" of Noti,c Power.
railroads and sidetracks center at
this point and load the products and
directly from the doors Of the fac
tories to all points without the least in
convenience to the producers and the
city. The power for electric lights.
street cars, motors. elevators, etc, is
taken from this great water power. We
are now at nm elevated point, command
ing full view of four different mountain
ranges. The sight is ideal as we'll as
real Here we are in sight of the great