The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-05-05
SAID BY
How the Traveller Talks About Great Falls
in One of His Letters.

III VI hIis LctteTss
In a series of newspaper letters from
the west Frank G. Carpenter, who lect-
ured here recently, is giving his impress
sions and certain facts CLEANED by him
concerning the country he visits. In q
late letter, printed in several leading pa
pers, he makes the following observa-
tions On Great Falls:
l spent several days at Great Falls,
Mont. Have you ever heard of it? 1t is
half a days ride north Of here at the
head of navigation Of the Missouri river,
and it is the newest of the promising
cities of the state. 1t is only four years
old, and it contains about 10000 people.
1t covers enough ground for a city OF
$4,000, but it grows like a green bay tree
and it promises to be the largest city be-
tween Spokane and st. Paul. The town
has n Of the greatest water powers of
the world. The Missouri river here
jumps downward in a series Of falls more
than 500 feet in a distance Of ten miles
and goes seething and foaming on to the
sea. 1t has great coal beds near it, and
these are, | am told, owned almost
wholly by Jim Hill, the railroad mag
nate, who has made the town his pet and
and is pushing it for all he is worth. His
town site company laid it out and
as they have reserved a certain number
OF lots in all parts of it they are bound
to make a fortune out of their sale. The
coal fields already net Mr.. Hill, | have
been told, something like a quarter Of a
million dollars yearly, and he is inter
ested in many of the institutions of the
city. Great Falls has a rich agricultural
region about it. 1t is near the richest
mines and it has two railroads and ex-
poets a third this summer A baby city
of four years, it has a bank building that
cost S150,O00, the interior of which is
lined with marble, and it has an opera
house, just completed, which cost $780,
coo, and will seat loo. All of it's houses
are lighted by electricity furnished by
the water falls, and it has electric car
lines and great smelling works in which
electricity is being used to separate the
gold, silver aud copper. ""nator Wash
burn is, | think, interested in the big
Washburn elevators and Touring mills
which have recently been built there,
and the people of Great Falls think it
will be a sort of Pittsburg of the west.
The population of the town is made up
Of young men from the middle and east
ern states, and | met many young men
who told me they were making money.
One young New Yorker was building
houses which he said he could rent at
about Ii per cert on the investment, and
which he could usually sell at "a profit.
a great many sheep are owned about
Great Falls, and | found a number of
men who had gone"-as they say here
into the ''sheep business" Sheep
raising is in fact taking the place Of
stock-raising in the northwest, and there
are men here who own tens of thou
sands Of sheep. The climate and grass
of Montana are said to make the best Of
mutton, and 'the wool clip of the state
now runs close to 100000 pounds a
year. The country about Great Falls is
good for grazing and will be much i'm
proved by irrigation. Within a radious
Of 100 miles of Great Falls it has been
pretty we'll taken up, but l am told there
is still a vast deal of good land in Mon
tana, and the people say that IN the in
terror Of the state are great valleys and
vast tracts which are as yet u%ntrodden
by the farmer and untouched by the
plOw.