The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-21
It IS A RICH REGION
The Farmer Is Crowding Back
the Frontier.
THE PLOW Is AT WORK
Scenes on a Trip From Missoula to
Wallace Are Busy.
Great Activity in
Mining.


tensive is the development that is
going on in the rich region that lies
between these two cities, region rich
in agricultural, mining and timber re-
sources. The farmer is crowding back
the wild land to line far up the foot
hills. planting orchards and charging
his grain fields; the miner is opening
new and promising leads with shaft
or tunnel or else is washing away vast
banks of gravel in search of the yell
low dust that lies beneath them; the
lumberman istransferring the splendid
timber of this section into building
material and squared timbers for the
mines and the railways. There is
hardly any portion of the district that
is traversed by the Occur d'Alene
branch that is not busy at present and
that does not show decided improve
ment over it's condition year ago.
To one who does not make the trip 10
Wallace frequently, the change is
readily apparent and makes the pleas
ant ride across the range all the more
interesting.
The broad acres of Grass Valley and
the Frenchtown country are becoming
more and more extensive and this year
the pillow is at work farther up on the
foothills than it has ever been before.
Looking across these beautiful valleys
the traveller on the railway sees hardly
a foot of land that is not fenced and
cultivated. Huge stacks of hay and
grain dot the landscape and the smoke
that rises from the steam threshers
that are at work in the valley testl-
fies to the activity that prevails. Far
Their down the river farmers are ciea
ing new forest land or following the
virgin soil of the open meadows. Or
chards are being planted by many o.
the farmers and this section Is adding
constantly to it's possibilities in the way
of farming Its richness has already
been attested and the farmers are i'm
proving their opportunities. Inc
grain product of this district will be
much larger this year than was ex-
pected during the rainy season of the
early summer and the quality of the
wheat that these farmers have raised
is high.
The sawmills along the Occur
d'Alene branch are busy and are pill
ing up lumber at nearly every station
between Missoula and st. Regis. Al
Huson, NJ NJ Ross and John Hanratty
are getting out a lot of good lumber;
at Nine Mile, Ed Donlan has GOOD
setting and is shipping lot of lumber;
at his new spur Perry Steffee is pre-
pairing for immediate Shipment at
Quartz, John Purtle's mill is making
lumber out of the three million rect
of logs that he cut last winter; at SUI
perior, John Lynch has his mill in ac-
tive operation; below him, Sullivan
Brothers mill has an increased out
put; at ST. Regis, the new mill OF h:
Goughnour has all that it can do ana
the big plant of the st. Regis LUMBER
company is turning out large quantltles
of building and mining material. Ihe
logging camps of the st. Regis com
many are scattered along the right
bank of the river and are objects of
interest to those who ride along the
opposite side of the stream in the
train. Several million feet of logs are
now in the river on their way uo"h
to the mill at the mouth of the 81.
Regis and the drive will be complet-
ed now as soon as possible. When the
traveller gets above Saltese and thinks
that he has seen the last of the lum-
Der mills, he finds a surprise in store
for him. for at the very summit OF
the range, barely within the Montana
line. the mill of Mccullough & FoW-
Ter is cutting away at the timber that
covers the top of the range. This plant
is we'll situated and has given an I'M
wonted air of activity to the summit
of the divide which has hitherto been
an unbroken wilderness. save for the
railway and the few tie camps scat
tered about in the timber.
The completion and operation of the
new St. Regis plant is making BUSY
little town at the junction of the rivers
and the trains as they pass there ma
large crowds at the station platform
This mill is of nearly the capacity OF
the Big Blackfoot mill and is starting
off in good shape. Its location is a
good one, as it commands some OF the
finest timber in the state, and is well
situated as regards the railway. Inc
new bunk houses and boarding houses
for the employees are nearing compleo
ton and in a short time this camp
will rival it's older competitors in i'm
portance in lumber circles. 1t is MAX
ing an important change in the map
of the lower end of the county and
will contribute much to the prosperity
of the county, as its output will be
large.
In mining much is being done this
wear along the branch. The placer men
on Quartz creek, Cedar creek. in Ore
son gulch and in California gulch. and
their tributaries, are having SPLEEN
did season, as the water is holding out
well for them and their prospects for
big cleanups are excellent. All along
the branch, too, quartz mining is be-
ing prosecuted III d lulct but NliSSeh ~ I
manner and some good prospects are
being opened up. The greatest activ-
ity is al present in the district back
OF St Regis, where 40 men are A. work
and where Spokane capitalists are in
teresting themselves. Those who are
familiar with this district are conf
dent that it will become an important
one. The indications are certainly ia
VOrabie. The development work that
has been done in this district this year
has been encouraging in its results
and has strengthened the confidence of
those who have followed the history
of the properties on the mountain
above Saltese.
Acress the range in Wallace and her
sister towns, matters seem 70 be re-
gaining their normal condition as far
as business is concerned. Tho rail-
ways are doing q big business. and that
is a good indication. 1t is said that
nearly all of the properties in the dis
trct will be running at full capacity
in a short time. There are still sci
dierS at all of the towns over the range
and there are guards at each rf the
mines and mills. The presence of the
soldiers in the Occur d'Alene towns has