The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-03
BUSINESS MEN ACTIVE
The Association Rapidly Increas-
ing It's Membership Roll.
THE NEW EDMONTON TRAIL
Gold Discovered on the Route-A Map
Being Prepared - Robert Vaughn
Thinks There Is "Nigger in
the Wood Pile'

Great Falls, Feb. 1.-The executive
committee of the Business Mems asso-
citation met at the office of its chair
man, w. G.. Conrad, on Tuesday even
ing. All of the members of the com
mittee We're present and the meeting
was a very enthusiastic one. At the
close of the reading of the minutes the
secretary produced a large number Of
letters which had been received, and
also the answers which he had sent
The fact that so large an inquiry had
started was very encouraging 10 the
committee.
w. G. Conrad, as chairman of the
committee on soliciting membership,
reported that the committee had OBJ
tanned lis signatures to the rolls, and
that many more would be obtained in
the near future. The list now contains
nearly all the business men of the city
who are in town He also stated that
Prof. O. G.. Morrison was now a work
on and would soon have finished a map
showing the route from Great Falls to
the Klondike by way of Edmonton. W.
d. Barclay of the Great Falls & Can
ada railway, was expected in town the
following day, and it was thought that
he would be able to offer many Valu-
able suggestions. Mr. Conrad said that
he had noticed the newspaper report
that gold had been found on Hay river,
which he thought was not over 200 or
400 miles north of Edmonton. If this
discovery proved To be all right it
would afford a great stimulus to travel
over the Edmonton route to the Klon-
dixie, and hence travel through this
city.
Paris Gibson suggested that it would
be advisable for the committee TO have
a regular order of business and the
matter was left to the chairman and
the secretary to arrange. Mr. Gibson
stated that he had seen Mr.. Morton's
incompleted map, and that be believed
that it was a very fine thing. 1t would
not only serve to answer the many
questions which would be asked about
the route but it would be one of the
finest advertisements of Great Falls
which had ever been issued. 1t took in
that part of the United States lying
north of Omaha and showed all of the
railway routes to this city as well as
the Mackenzie river route to the Yukon
and all the land route thither. He
thought that the committee should de-
eide at once what was to be done With
the map so that there should be no de-
lay in having it autographed when it
.was completed. The matter was left
with the chairman, secretary, and Mr..
Barclay. with power to act.
= The secretary then read letter from
Robert Vaughn i'm which the writer
edreWythe attention of the association to
The circumstances surrounding the
Opening of the Blackfeet reservation or
rather the coded portion of it. The let
Ter stated that while the strip had been
-eeded three years ago and since sur
yeyed it was still closed to the public.
He thought that there was a good deal
of dirty work being done in the deal
a niger. in the Woodpile-and he
thought that it would be TO the inter
,ests of the city and of the state at large
10 have the matter investigated and If
possible cleared up. The letter lauded
the wealth of the land in mineral and
urged immediate and decisive action.
The letter called out some comment
r. $. Ford suggested that il would be
"a good thing for the town or the state
If it could all be made an Indian res
servation and the public excluded for a
year or So Then when it was thrown
open all of the people of the United
States would rush on ii because they
had been kept off from ii so long and
their imaginations had had a chance to
work. The letter was referred to the
secretary with instructions To commu
nicate with Montanas members in con-
gress. 1t led to the suggestion that the
mineral strip and also the Crows Nest
Pass railway be included in Professor
Mortson's map. Several of those pres
ent spoke of the advantages of the map
if used as a folder with advertisements
of the town and vicinity included on
the back.
The meeting then resolved itself into
an informal discussion of the best
methods of advertising and then adj
1ourned for one week. The members of
the committee expressed themselves as
short notice and their belief that the
movement would result in lasting good
to the city and state.