Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-16
N CIVILIZATION.

On the western side of the continent,
mining, in an eminent degree. has been
the pioneer of civilization. The develop
ment of empire in it dates from the dis
covery of mineral wealth in California
ana the unfolding of the industries
which that fever created. The fur raider
and the stock raiser who preceded the
miner in the west opened an avenue for
civilization to follow and they possessed
no genius to attract it. All of the vast
territory lying west of the Missouri river
n the great lakes. which is now brist-
ling with mining camps and a hive of in
dustry, might still have been the hunt
ing ground of the native tribes and the
t"appers of the fur companies and the
grazing lands of the herds of Spanish
cattle and Mexican mustangs but for
the advent and subsequent operation of
the miner. Cities have been built. states
created, developed and tele-
graph railways. manufactures and all
forms of agriculture have followed in
the miners wake and drawn their own
subsistence from the product of his la
Tor for the worlds enrichment.
Mining is performing the same func-
ton today in the far north. 1t is pio-
neerln" civilization into the desolate and
~inhospttable regions on the edge of the
Arctic circle. AS if by a magician's
wand the industry has created cities
CT large population where five years ago
no man would have been rash enough
to suppose the establishment of a hu-
mar settlement was possible. And into
these there have since been introduced
many OF the comforts, c~onveniences and
Iuxur.es Of modern c~ivilzation. On the
bleak banks of the Yukon and it's tribu-
taries and on h desolate shores OF the
Arctic sea such cities have, however.
sprung into being under the inspiration
Of mining for gold, and railroads and
telegraph are following as fast as capital
Anc human enterprise car provide them.
Civilization has established itself per-
nianently in these inhospitable regions
because mining promises to be a per-
ranent occupation there, as valuable
and ireXhaustible bodies of ether useful
minerals AVE been found to be present.
Railroads have already been built and
are to be extended. The Canadian gov
eminent is also building a line into Daw-
son City at the mouth of the Klondike,
and Geographic and railroad commune
cation will soon be possible with the
metropolis of the Northwest Territory
and other parts Of the far north. Then
~ 40 RAoPooCo " CAlcIu llc lGl0ETdpn
line down the valley of the Yukon to join
the projected United States signal serv-
ice line which is to be erected from St.
Michael to Fort Cudahy. Before next
spring 1t is expected that st. Michae
will be Joined by telegraph with Cape
Nome. Thus mining will have con-
structed an overland telegraph to Ber-
ing straits, which commercial enterprise
under the stimulus of competition, at
tempted, but failed to do in 1864.
Recent mining developments on Amer
lean territory have induced the federal
government to undertake the construc-
ton of sea cables in Alaska. Coal and
copper mining also promises to lie a val
liable aid in the expansion of civiliza-
ton in the far north and in it's CONVEX
sion &C an early date into a theater of
great industrial activity.