Year: 1865

bLACkfOoT ClTf, aug. Il, loOo


Ed. PosT AS this embryo metropolis is now dis
tinguished by the rival names of Blackfoot and
Ophir think the preference should be given to the
former for the twofold reason that the country in
which the city is located bears that title and that
already have Ophir in another part of the Ter
ritory. What say you, Mr.. Editor, shall it not be
Blackfoot City?


We, who are living in this Switzerland of America,
and are in daily converse with natures finest and
grandest works, cannot fully appreciate theirntrinsic
beauty and magnifcence. Novelty, like distance,
lends enchantment to the view," while familiarity
robs it of its arest charms and perhaps this is the
reason why little is said of the surprising grandeur
and beauty of the scenery of this part of Montana


A few days since, couple of friends and myself
went trout fishing down Little Blackfoot. As we
rambling about over the country they, as well
myself were really enchanted


Along the Little Blackfoot, Nature seems to have
exhausted her for the creation of the beau
tiful. A broad, undulating expanse, occasionally
rising into bold abrupt hills crowned with growth
of beautiful pines Is spread out in It's emerald robe
before you. At frequent intervals, the low ridges
expand into broad valleys and rich alluvial bottoms
which are clothed with luxuriant growth of wild
clover and nutritious grasses. Cold pelucld streams
every hand, dancing and laughing from their
mountain sources to the subjacent valleys through
which their meanders are traced by narrow fringe
of willow and cottonwood To the east and south
west, The Snowy Range sweeps away with forbidding
grandeur while to the westward, the cragged peaks
of the Ceur d'Alene, with their snowy caps pima
cled in clouds, lend touch of sublmity to the
| picturesque landscape. The sunlight flooding the
waving sea of emerald, and the fitting shadows of
light gauzy Clouds here and there feckng its gaudy
robe enhance the natural empyrean loveness OF the
! scene.


The valleys here are unlike those of the Gallatin,
the Jefferson and Others that have on the east
ern slope. The soil is fertile, the verdure more
rank and vigorous, and note with relief the entire
absence Of the prickly pear-the plant So hIghly
| priced in the East as floral ornament. The black
loan of the ridges and plateaus and the rich allu-
WON of the'bottoms, remind very much OF the
prairies of Illinois We're it not for the climate
know of no more desirable locality the continent
for permanent home. But its great altitude and
consequent lowness of temperature, fear Will rem
der it measureably worthless for purposes Of agrcul
ture. The large snow banks that still hang about
the brows of the adjacent mountains, are suggestive
of anything but perennial spring. But for summer
pasturage, L think it no exaggeration to say that
BlackfoOt is unequalled anywhere on the continent


In respect to the mines of this section, believe
that next year this will be the best mining camp IL
the Territory, Or indeed in the West. The digging:
have not been very productive this summer, for the
simple reason that they have not been worked. The
general mania for stampeding has. until recently
engrossed the attention of the miners, to the excu
sion of all thought of earnest labor in the mines
already discovered.


The diggings here very much resemble those OF the
foot-h in California; and when they come to bt
properly worked, I believe they will prove to b,
equally good All, nearly all, the low hills anc
small ravnes about the town prospect well, and som
of the gulches are exceedingly rich. The dirt pay
literally "fron the grass roots down" frient
working claim Just below Bentleys mill, inform
me that he takes cut from $3.50 to $40O per day tt
the sluice and this is not extraordinary yield fo
this gulch. Moreover the diggings are quite exten
sive. Washington and Jefferson gulches, abou
twenty miles distant, are both proving to be yer.
rich, especially the latter while beyond the Divide
on the tributaries of Big Blackfoot other digging
are discovered that promise to eclipse any ever ye
opened on the continent. In this locality !
Mcclellan Gulch. An old friend, who has had fit
teen years of mining experience, and whose state
which he paid $4,000. He says the gulch Is turning
out richer than any mines he had ever seen. mum
ber of other gulches have also been discovered Il
that vicinity, which are Supposed to be rich. Tn
bedrock is q blue strata, pitching downward wit
the streams. In the seams of this lies the gold
which is chiefly heavy nuggets.


Mark it, you will hear good report from Black
foot next year. D. H. u.