November, 1883
7a
THE WEST SHORE.
lil'rtjr. The valley immediately north of I he lake
it thirty five mile long and in plan.- full)' fifteen
wide. Through ii tun many streams of pure
water, while small lake and si-rings abound
Ilrtidet thi there are numcrou valley and A
lorn along the triltutarie of bah the north and
south fork of L')x-r Hothead river, tuch a,
Smith tal e valley, Ashley creek, Half moon
prairie, Spring creek, Tolaceo plaint, Whilcfish
CJClt c'C. !!fc zt'C htr!r3 for Vii'S'vN f
people on free government land. At present hay
it the chief crop and slock raising lh leading in
dustry among the few settlers who have located
there but giain and vegetable! thrive when cut
tivtied. Until the Nrthein Pacific wat fin
Ithed ihit region wat Gomplctly iMilated, but it ii
now made ety of access anl i receiving a limited
immigration which will be largely increased the
coming opting. l-unil-r i very icanc and very
enie, being hauled from Missoula and other
distant points, though the mountain are covered
with dcne foirt and the demand for luinUr it
umcient to cmtume the product of a good null.
A little schooner hat leen conducted to do
freighting on the lake and river, saving many mile
in the transportation of goodt. Sclish i the
pot! olice of thi rrgion.
Prof. G. E. Wolfe, at the hed of one of the
geological (trllr which the Northern Pacific hat
maintained in the field for teveral yean, recently
tcturned from an exploration of the Cray moun
lam in Gallatin county. Gary cak i . t S4 feet
above the level of the tea, and from it tummit,
which it ppntchable within a few hundred feet
by saddle hone, a magnificent view of both the
upper Vellowitone and Gallatin vatiey delight
the brholder. la placet are immense bodic of
fine fir and pine, while nutritiout gratset eUcnd
high up on the mountain tides. Numcrou streams
pour down (he mountain aod through the foot
hill to (he valleys along which U fertile alluvia
toil that mil produce grain abundantly. Elk,
deet ami antc'o abound, and the ttcam and
little lake ate tilled with fine trout and grayling,
A tiagnilneiit waterfall a discovcicd al the
headwater of llig Timber. After a perpendicular
plunge of feet the water ruthea down teveral
hundred fret mote in a acric of beautiful cascade.
In lit Hgreu down the tnounta.n the stream
srt fiom one level plalctu lo another upon each
of which it gaihett in a deep pool, forming a
chain of mountain larnt whc delicately tinted
depths mirror the bold totkt and giant pinet that
L.lri them, the thadowy cloudt and the outspread
wing of the mountain eagle hovering over them
In h flight from tk lo ik.
la July, IS79, the k-gidatuit ptool an act
guaianiering a Unut of $l,ouo lo any person,
company o corporal t-m who thuld within one
year contract a fliiwing arletian well five inchet
in diameter. Thit wa an cffoit to cncviirsg
aoine one lo make a practical leti of the artesian
well la the variout ottiont of (he territory where
the fcrantttieM of the rainfall render artificial
watering of cro ttrccMary. No one claimed
the tew aid and the act lapsed ty limitation. Later
the Umng of a well vat commenced at Hilling,
Mlowvd xk after by of at Milct City. The
ItMiucf hat been tunV more than 00 fret and U
Mill fning down. The later recently lapped a
large veto of water at depth of jjj fret, and
hat dcatoatlraled the lad thai large aitewafi well
art mlcatle in the Yellow wooc valley al least.
This mcan more lo the future welfare ol Montana
than apear Uon the surface. In the territory
are milliont of acre of fine arable land requiring
irrigation lo render il productive, and which ex
jierience hat thown will yield asonishing crop
when moisture it thus artificially supplied. Much
of thi land it to tituated a to be practical'y be
yond ihe reach of irrigating ditche running from
natural rctervoira, and ha in consequence been
rliMw-d lorthlr. With artrtian wellt thete
limit can 1 redeemed and rendered extremely
productive. The value of an irrigated farm
cicccds that of one lying in the rain belt for two
very evident reatont. In the first place by it ex
emption from drouth and certainty of crop it
produce far more in a teriet of year ; and in
the aecond place it i generally tituated in a region
where farming landt are to a degree limited and
itt product consequently bring a higher price in
the market. e hope to tee arteian well
increase in number all over the territory.
From the government turveyort who have been
at work on Lot river during the tummcr and fall,
long valuable information 1 gained alxjut a
much neglected region. The valley of Lott river
it tome lifty mile in length and from two to
twelve wide, containing a large area of arable and
grazing land. The natural grasses afford an
abundance of hay easy to be cut and gathered.
The range i very extensive and the winter o
mild that ttock require but. little care. The
lower end of the valley hat for years been a
favorite place for drover taking ttock from Ore
gon and Southern Idaho lo shipping points on
the railroad, to halt a few days and recruit their
cattle upon the luxBriant grata. "The daily stage
fiom Challis to lllackfoyt pataet through the val
ley and the road it lined w ith wagon yet there
are comparatively few settlers to be found there,
though emigrants are conttanlly pa-iking through
in teaah of locations by no mrant so favorable.
At the head of the valley is the Iiy Horse mining
district and across the divide on Salmon river arc
Challit and Ihe rich mines surrounding it. Lott
river derive its title from ihe fact that it suddenly
disappear from view in the lava plain towards
Snake rivet. Though a large stream flowing I-
I w een rmaucnt banks, it diop out of tight at
the edge of live lava field and flow for twenty
mile through a cleft in the ruck some distance
below the surface, ditappraring finally in an open
sage biuih plain near the foot hills, little IxMt
river, about twenty-five mile east, alto sinks
from view in the plain. On thi stream a farm of
l.ooo acre was cultivated lo grain this season
with good results. Anotoer year will find the
valley of Lot! liver sprinkled with settlers' cabins.
and putkihly those of the miner, as Ihe hills that
border the valley contain indications of mineral
dej Kadis and number 0 good claims have been
loud.
Malad valley is twenty-three milct long .
an average width of ten miles. It conuia
population of 4,000, a large portion of it
in agricultural pursuits. On the east tidecf a,
valley is Malad City, the county seat and durf
business center of Oneida county coauiaii,
1,500 people; while seven miles ditUaiTan
the opposite side, is Samaria with a popU
of 40a A large number of cattle and then
praze in the valley and nn th? '!rrj-'- '
At Malad is a flouring mill with a daily capsciiT
of sixty barrels. The city is divided nutnerictLy
and geographically between Mormon and Ce.
tiles. An artesian well company hat beea orju
ized with a capital stock of $125,000.
The Potlatch country, lying to the northeast of
Le wist on has been visited by the editor of tin
Ket Perce A'u-r, from whose report the folk,
ing facts are gleaned : The Potlatch coui7
a basin sixty-five miles in extent, through whid
runs Potlatch creek in a southerly courw, recti,
ing several tributaries from the wett. Tat
surface is quite broken, and the gulches in nhici
the streams run divide the country into dbtiact
series of upland prairies. That portioa lyiitj
east of the main stream is called " Iiig 1'otlitch,"
and is a broad, fertile prairie extending tweair
miles towards the north fork of Clearwater. This
region will soon rank with the best in Idilxx
The toil holds moisture well and crops mattrt
without much rain during the growing scuta.
The average yield the present season was twenty
two bushels to the acre without any rain what
ever. Fruit trees planted a year ago stood the
hard winter in good condition and give prooitt
of bearing well another season. Wett of the
main creek the country is drained by Utile rot
latch, Middle Potlatch, Ilear and Pine creeks
and the prairies lying along these ttresmt it
known as "Little Potlatch," ' Fix H or " Middk
Potlatch ridge," "American ridge," "Hear cms
ridge " and " Pine creek ridge." Th: slope
the rolling hills are covered with a deep layer
a fertile, alluvial soil. The gulches are fcfiea
with pine, fir and tamarack. The prairie are
only from 1,200 to 1,800 feet aliove the level of
the sea and Ihe climate is mild and geaiil
Little rivulet run down the hillsides fed bylif
springs, one or more of which can be fouad "
nearly every quarter section.
Among the guests invited by Mr. Villard fi
Germany to attend the celebration of tlie opetua
of the Northern Pacific railroad, and to U pr
ent at the driving of the last spike, wat M.. C
rad DicliU of Iierlin. This gentleman is tht
mott celebrated painter in Germany, aoJ
recently finished a portrait of the emperor uf Ger
many and another of ihe crown prince, beak st
which are regarded as perfection in porTtil p
ing. Mr. Vtllard had a purpose in i"'it fc
DicliU to be present upon this intercttmf
sion, and that purpose was to secure a r1
torical painting of the scene presented al the
ing of the last spike. Il " a great evrol
it is fit that it should be cmcmorsled
n.iiir. 1.. it.. n.ini artui of Europe.
this purpose Mr. ViUanJ commits:'4!
bti lo produce a picture that should be eq
the occasion, for which he Is lo receive
It will be one of the large! ptftum crrt fJ
and will measure twenty by 77.,
represent sixty persons, prominent "
assembled midway tctweeo SL r-U