The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1894-12-28
DEER LODGE VALLEY.
HEARTH AND HOME or SOME ar
OUR UPPER VALLEY PEOPLE.

The New Northwest's Correspondent Fur-
nishes Another Interesting Letter About
the Homes and Progressive People of
Warm Springs and Vicinity,
among the most prosperous ranchmen
on, and in the vicinity of, Lost Creek are
the staffersens. The father of the family
has been in America about forty years
and is one of the pioneers of Montana.
The rich inheritance of integrity and per-
severance brought from the fatherland
by the paterfamilias has been transmitted
TO MS children, which is evidenced by the
many marks OF secular prosperity that
surround the homes of his sons, Despite
the advanced age of their father. who has
confronted the storms and SHOWS of abont
eighty winters, his health is as firm and
hale as that OF any Of his children, His
excellent wife, who has patiently borne
the burdens of busy domestic circle. is
in rather delicate health and suffers more
or less from acute attacks of rheumatism.
N. t. Statfersen recently returned from
a trip to Big Hole where he was looking
after his cattle interests, and he reports
all the stock in that valley in good con-
dition for winter. His brother. r. staf-
fersen, has erected blacksmith shop
ana ntted 1T up with a complement of
modern tools sufficient to do the work
and make the repairs incident to the
average ranch, and will thereby save the
expense and time Of going several miles
TO Anaconda for repairs on farming i'm
plements. His comfortable home of six
rooms and his shingle-roofed barn, 33x
3O feet, show that considerable attention
has been given to home comforts.
One OF the most ardent and intelligent
opponents of Populism in the neighbor-
hood is j. M. Emmons. He has the
moral herosm to voice the courage of his
convictions on all current questions and
his aggressiveness is leavened with Judi
clous modesty. His father recently in
vested IN some Anaconda property and
part OF the consideration therefor was
several of his dairy cows. 1t is said that
he has also made arrangements for buy
ing the ranch on which he now lives.
The family removed to Montana from
California about four years ago. There
is ample room in Montana for thousands
of such families.
The brick homestead of William James
is tenanted by his son, W. NJ. James, and
the former is occupying the frame house
few rods further east and on the oppo-
site side OF the road, and a part of the
secular literature Of his old age is the
New York Sun, whose pages are as fa-
mlllar to him as the faces of his immedi-
ate family.
His next door neighbor is Thomas
O'Neil, who has charge of the "Widow
Thomas ranch" Mrs Thomas and her
widowed daughterin-law occupy neat
little frame house, and though the pro-
jected shoulders of the former show the
effect OF the heavy weight Of many years,
yet she still feeds, milks and waters her
COWS and attends to the domestic routine
apparently with the yigor and elastic step
of early womanhood.
Although Israel Gibbs, one of the rep
utable and influential citizens of upper
Deer Lodge valley, is welded to his idol
OF single blessedness,' yet he seems to
be we'll represented in Montana by his
enterprising nephew, F. A. Gibbs, who
lives on the ranch formerly owned by J.
X. Eardley. The latter is giving his at
tention for the most part to dairy cows.
The residence of B. F. Crosswhite, be-
sides important repairs, has received a
handsome log addition which doubles his
facilities for the entertainment of guests
and enhances no little the comfort of his
family. Mr.. G. is votary at the shrine
of the Standard, and but few readers
among ranchmen are better informed
upon local and national politics than Mr..
Crosswhite.
Contentment is the child of true Chris
tian, as we'll as profane, philosophy.
From this angle of vision E. Strom is
man of wisdom, acquired by needing the
proverb, "ln all thy getting get under
standing" His public-spirited and
charitable views of all local questions.
about which men entertain diversity of
opinion, conspire to make him a sympa-
thetic, broad gauged man, a good neigh
Dor and typical American citizen.
The citizens of Warm Springs school
emphasized their increased appreciation
Of Andrew Peterson by re-electing him
trustee of school district No. 10, knowing
that his pacific disposition would conserve
the vital interests of the school. Mr..
Peterson's good executive ability, in con-
junction with the valuable domestic ac-
complishments of his excellent wife, have