The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1895-10-12
CAUGHT ON THE FLY.
Notes Taken by the Wayside For the
| Times- -Mountaineer.


BIG TIMBER, Mont, Sept. %.
Editor Times Nouutaineer:
| Started from Puyallup Saturday
afternoon at 4:20 and arrived at this
place this morning at o'clock, Rocky
Mountain time. being 7 o'clock accord
ing to The Dalles meridian. The ride
Saturday night was uninteresting, be-
cause we were not in conscious state
of existence, having glided into the
arms of Morpheus after having seen
the snowbanks at Stampede about 10
o'clock.
Yesterday, in the morning we fol-
lowed up the coulee in which is located
the thriving towns of Ritzville and
Sprague. The latter place is SPRING
ing from the ashes in commendable
style. Nearly the entire business por-
ton was destroyed in the conflagra-
tion, but many bricks and several
frame buildings are in course of con-
struction, and the site is dotted all
over with canvas shacks in which diff
ferent businesses are carried on. If
the shops are rebuilt Sprague will soon
regain her former prosperous condi-
tion; but if these are constructed else
where her growth will be retarded.
Sage brush plains continue until the
| fringe of timber which skirt Cheney
and Spokane is reached. The land be-
| hrnlynn on1 IL hoS tho
forbidding appearance of sage brush,
alkali lakes and treeless wastes.
A few years ago Cheney was for
midable rival of Spokane, but she has
prospects of recovering lost ground.
What is true of Seattle is also of Spo-
kane. There is unanimity of senti-
ment in favor of developing every pos
sible natural resource, and the bene-
fetal results are being shown. With
| the falls in the river as the only supe-
rior advantage over other points, Spo-
kane has grown from a town of few
hundred to city of $4,000. There are
! several brick blocks, some buildings
six and seven stories high, miles of
street railway and steel bridges span
ming the river. Business is said to be
dull in Spokane, but it is so every
where. There are vacant buildings,
but these are principally frame, while
new ones of brick and stone are being
erected. 1t may be that Spokane grew
too rapidly for a while; but she is fill
ing in all vacant places, and in the
future will be solid and substantial.
Passing rapidly over the level Sro-
kane prairie, past the beautiful Coco
lala lake, the Pend Oreille is crossed
at Sand Point, and the iron horse
skips rapidly along the shore of this
placid sheet of water until Clark's
Fork is crossed few miles below old |
Cabinet Landing. Some of the log
buildings erected during construction
days still remain, but the site of Hal
let's city of tents on the opposite side !
of the river can hardly be discerned.
Following down Clarke's Fork the
next city of Importance reached is
Missoula. located in the fertile Bitter
Root valley. 1t is the center of trade
of large farming, grazing and min
ing region. and is thrifty city of sew
eral thousand inhabitants. Here we
met Johnnie Moabus, who is in the
employ of the Northern Pacific. He
hes managed to develope moustache,
is quite manly in appearance, and is
altogether different from the little boy
we patted on the head few years ago
on the streets of The Danes. From
him we learned that DIR. w. F. Robin
son is located at Missoula, and does
a thriving dental business. He is the
leading dentist in the city, and is re-
ported to have accumulated considera-
BILE filthy lucre. His daughter, Miss
Fannie, is one of the teachers in the
public schools.
Helena, Drummnod and other i'm
portant points are passed in the night,
and at daylight this morning the train
passed down the Gallatin valley with
the ground covered with snow, which
continued until Livingstone was
reached. The valley is several thous-
and feet above the ocean, and to an
is bleak, cold and forbid
ding. Snow in September is contrary
to the eternal fitness of things to one
who has lived several years in Eastern
Oregon.
These scribblings, penciled while
the train ran at the rate of % or 80
miles an hour, are enough for the
present, and may be continued at a
future time. ]. M.