Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-09-16
North Dakota Wheat Fields.

and all day we rode through the
wheat fields of North Dakota.
North Dakota Wheat Fields.
Nothing to he seen but great farms
of wheat as far as the eye could see
with occasionally lone house on the
prairie or a drove of cattle followed
by cowboy mounted on his brOnchO.
A little after noon we crossed the
Missouri river at BiSmark, far
enough from its source to be quite a
stream where we stopped twenty
minutes for lunch. There was time
to get out on the platform and see A
bit OF the town. At Mandan N. D..
next station beyond Bismark we were
told to set our watches back one hour
to agree with mountain time as we
had just passed out of the central belt.
Night came upon us near Dickinson.
N. ID. l awoke next morning near
Huntly, Montana. The day dawned
without cloud on what was to be
ouO LipoO OAOiliuS Pdi VI Jul vi r.
We were again in the land of sun
shine. L was up with the sun that l
might not miss any of the sights l
wanted SO much to see. Eastern
Montana was very hilly with plenty
of trees. Many Of the hills here were
composed of layer upon layer of some
soft stone presumably limestone and
they were crumbled away at the
summit sufficiently to remind one of
the castle-crowned hills of Scotland.
These great stone walls are supposed
to be part of the Bad Lands. The
shrubbery was very sparse here,
amounting to nothing more than
mere shrubs, such contrast between
the log huts and tiny frame buildings
and tie great rugged hills.
Source Of the Missouri.
Here we cross the Missouri river
again very near it's source, it is only a
stream a few feet wide. We have
come to the mountains. What a
thrill OF pleasure one experiences for
the first time upon beholding the
Rockies with their sharp jagged
peaks. covered with great black
patches which find to be trees
although no outline can be seen,
because of their distance. They are
perhaps seventy-fve miles distant.
We zhaye just gone through Big
Timber, Montana, and occasionally
on the plains can be seen an old
fashioned stage coach or great freight
wagon which consists of several
wagons fastened together and loaded
with freight and sometimes moved
by as many las sixteen horses. They
have this means Of transferring the
freight over the country to inland
towns in the mountains perhaps
where there are no railroads.
Nearing The Rockies.
Away in the distance through the
blueness that. covers the mountains
can be seen the snow-capped peaks of
the Rockies, possibly seventy-tive or
one hundred miles distant AS we
near Livingston, the mountains
impress one more and more with their
beauty nothing more picturesque can
he imagined than these immense
Jagged peaks fading away in the
distance into a blue haze, with now
and then cottage or log hut at the
foot or down in the valley below with
a cool mountain stream flowing near.
We stop at Livingston for ten minutes
where we lose a great many of our
passengers who are going to Yellow
stone Park. This is where the
change is made for the Yellowstone
Livingston boasts of having the
finest depot between that point and
ST. Paul. 1t is an immense, (massive)
structure built of red and white
brick with great massive pillars.
II is high noon and we are in readi-
ness to go through the first tunnel.
The lights are on. Here the train
winds in and out among the noun.
tains SO that we can see the front and
rear end of train at the same time.
The ride through the tunnel takes
but two minutes. 1t is about three
fourths Of mile long and has an
altitude Of $3.50 feet. Is known as
the BoZeman tunnel.
Everything in this region is done
by irrigation, small patches of wheat
can be seen on either side and its
greenness is noticeable. The chief
resources in this section are mining
and grazing. A short distance be-
yond Livingston l see the first mining
town, with it's long rows of cottages
and roads winding in and out Of the
mountains. Helena has pretty
depot and is beautifully situated in
the heart OF the mountains. We
stop fifteen minutes and take a turn
up and down the platform apparently
it is the prettiest town thus far and
is the third largest in size in Montana,
I believe. A little further on we
can see the silver mines. some OF
which are in operation and also see
their settlements in the valleys
beyond. Near the track in park we
saw a few buffalo which are
almost extinct in the west now. They
e.