The Democratic advocate., 1901-01-26


by Mr. Howard Brown; secoad by Mr.. Geo.
Fl. Caple; booby prize by Mr.. Albert Mitten.
! Refreshments were served, after which the
| company was favored with some very fine
musical selections on piano and violin by
/ Miss Ida F. Lockard and Mr.. VIM. ID. Reese.
| A very enjoyable evening was spent by all.
Letter from Montana.
/ Correspondence of the Democratic Advocated
KALIsPELL, January IA, 1901.
1t hns been my intention for some time to give
| the readers of the ADVOCATE and my many friends
| in Maryland some information and facts of this
| great North Western country. Few people OF the
East the least conception of the vast territory
OF the United States that is unoccupied. There are
millions of acres lying idle that those living in the
overcrowded East have free access to- have
not word of i'll to speak Of the East. for it is my
birthplace was my home for over % years, and
won't jump at conclusions and say like some peo-
ple that will never live there again, for might
But while young want to see and learn
something OF the Great West and embrace some of
the many opportunities that here for those who
will come ami embrace them. So many persist in
staying in the thickly settled East and crowd each
other out of employment, while there is room and
to spare elsewhere. When they ought to at least
take turn about and go away where there is plenty
time and give those at home q chance. This great
country which has practically laid idle these many
years. has bright prospects for the future and no
doubt will become noted. The most noted copper
mines .n our country are located at Butte, in the
Southern part of this State, furnishing employment
for thousands of men. and paying the highest wages
of any mining district this side of Alaska. Wages
of kind are better in this State than any place
know of Brick layers get from 81 to s. per day;
,,.D5Q .iaaef
wages paid any kind of work is sI.75 day for
common, roagh work, and it is mostly 81. Girls
get from $40 to $40 per month: if they cook for
large outfit they get $50 per month, and in some
cases $50 Farmers and ranehers pay from SO TO
$40 per month for good hand. Everything here
goes at high rate Pennies are not used here
Nothing less than nickle goes have been here
six months and have not seen penny in use. Even
at the postoffice they give stamps for change to
avoid the OF the penny. II is only lately that
they use the nickle. Newspapers sell at five and
ten cents here This town was just nine years old
on January 1st and has population of soOJ. There
is one of the largest saw mills in the world being
placed al present on Flat Head Lake. II miles from
here. Ii win employ $50 men. They expect to cut
sOU00 OOu year and have enough timber to run
it Tor 20 years.
Discoveries of gold silver, copper, coal and oil
are being made quite frequently in this locality.
Fruit experiments here, or especially along the
Flat Head Lake. show that the climate and soil are
greatly adapted to fruit growing. There was an
apple raised he.e last season that weighed 2411
ounces, which was ounces heavier than the heav-
lest at the Worlds Fair Strawberries grow to near
the size of a cup. Vegetables grow to an immen e
size / onion that weighed % ounces Po-
tatoes grow to weigh or pounds 1 was tod
they had d turnip at the Fruit Fair th feighed
S3L pounds, and head of cabbage that measured
A feet across from the tips of the leaves Wheat,
last year, went as high So bushels to the acre.
Thus far the wheat raised here is consumed in the
State The market price for it is 76c per bushei;
timothy hay is worth slS ton; wild hay s.; eggs
were as high as 45c dozen this winter. and butter
35c a pound; milk is SC quart and poor at that.
This country heretofore was mostly given to
ranching, but it is becoming more difficult each
year for ranchers the land is being taken up Tor
other purposes lived small ranch last sum-
mer 40 miles from town postofice We had near
500 head of cattle and "A horses to look after We
made GO loads of hay, of which stacked most ali
of it. We would have made lots more of it had 1t
not been for the frost interfering 1t was out in
valley in the mountains where itwas likely to frost
at any time. Our first frost July 18th, but did
no damage. Then we had dozen or more in Au-
gust Sometimes our water trough was frozen over
near half-inch thick. We had our first snow Sep
tcmber I'D and on the 26th the thermometer regis
tered 16 above zero. We lived principally on wld
meat and fish while there. We had deer, 81 wild
ducks 9 wild geese number of grouse, and about
1000 fish, mountain trout 1 have known them to
catch guano sack full with hook and line in half
day. Wild animals that are most plentiful here
| are deer, elk, moose, bear mountain lion, wolves
and coyotes. There a few antelope yet Indians
are quite plenty here, we are near to two reser-
vations. Int they generally peaceful.
The means of travel to the distant ranches is with
pack horses This would be GU ite curiosity te the
people of the East The outfits resemble the pict-
have of the camels crossing the DESERT
There are ranches so miles from here, and the
first mower taken there taken on pack horses
Now if the government undertakes to irrigate
the great plains of Eastern Montana, so that it may
be for farming purposes, with the resources
have mentioned, this will certainly become great
state in the future. We have had very nice winter
here so far. During the month of December the
average temperature was 81. The lowest was 10
below gro. This is very large State. This coun-
ty is as large as the State of Maryland, and there
are three other counties that either is twice
as large as Maryland The State is $40 miles long
and it takes railroad trains about "A hours to travel
across IL.
small pox is raging in many parts of the State at
present There are nine cases in this town.
Iexpect to go to Washington Sta te before spring,
and then return to my homestead claim in North
Dakota.
l will now give little of my experience while
there. We arrived at Minot with the colony on
March 3lst 1900 and after week of inspection
filed for quarter section seven miles East of Minot,
along the G. N. r. r. think got as good a l6O
acres anybody would want, and in splendid
community. When we filed there was not a house
or anything In sight but there are buildings in
| every direction and two schools started. We had
preaching most every Sunday, and Sunday school.
1t is strictly religious community of which we are
| not ashamed to recommend to any one. We hayea
posoffice and small store and expect another store
| in the spring When got to Minot we had no
| place 10 CO. and the Railroad Company let us have
| the car to live in, which we used two weeks, and
then number of us lived in freight switch
on the prairie while we built our houses. 1t
sight 10 see women baking bread with their stoves
setting out the prairie. Well we finally got fixed
ND and number of us put out small crop of fax.
1t was the worst they had there for several
years. but we were all justified by putting out
CROP Ny six acres on breaking brought me 53
bushels which sold at S1.45 bushel How many
farmers in the East boast of better receipts to
the acre than that last season7 My neighbor had
small patch of potatoes less than acre; he just
plowed under the sod and got one hundred bushels
from the patch. There is still some of this produc
tive soil there that any one wishing to have farm
of their own can have for almost nothing was
down there a few weeks ago to show up my
claim, and found all enjoying themselves very
well in their new homes. The weather was quite
cold q below zero, but no one seemed to mind it.
1 was astonished to learn that they were having
school that kind of wes ther in building that just
had one coat of siding and paper plaster on
it, and was not even ceiled. 1 visited the school
when it was six degrees below. and found it COM
Portable inside with just one stove, and the children
all in their seats.
We expect quite a rush there III the spring and
tho e contemplating coming should not delay. The
following is song Ito the tune Bulah landl that
they are using for Dakota slur. 1t was formerly
composed for Kansas
I've reached the land of drouth and heat,
Where nothing grows for to eat;
The wind that blows with frequent heat
Across the plains so hard to beat.
Chorus =
oh Dakota land, sweet Dakota land,
As on the burning soil stand,
oIra st,a, ,.la;y,