[ 140

!

| full of fish, notably

 

Bear River, north, and one mile further to
Battle Creek, where it forms a junction
with the Bear. There it was in the winter
of 1863-4, that Gen. Conner had his cele-
brated fight with the Shoshone Indians.

Stages leave Franklin daily for the north
and west, carrying passengers, mails and
express. The fareis 15c. per mile—Tim
Henderson, agent. Distances from Frank-
lin:—Old Fort Hall, 80 miles; New Fort
Hall, 105 miles; a. Bridge, on Snake
River, 130 miles; Helena, via Sansbury,
425 miles; Virginia, 355 miles; Deer
Lodge, via Glendale and Butte, 400 miles;
Missoule, via Deer , 500 miles; Fort
Shaw, via Helena, 500 miles; Fort Benton,
via Helena, 570 miles; Deer Lodge, via
Helena and Blackfoot, 480 miles; Boze-
man and Fort Ellis, via Virginia, 430
miles; Bozeman, via Helena and Gallatin
City, 535 miles; from Franklin to Boise
City, via Old Fort Hall, 200 miles. The
above distances are authentic.

The amount of bullion forwarded b
the stagecompany, as express matter, dur-
img the year of 1877, from Franklin,
amounted to $500,000; and the amount of
freight shipped on wagons to Montana and
Idaho during the same time by H. C.
Kinney, forwarding agent, was 1,300,000
pounds.

Game of all kinds abounds in the valleys
and in the mountains, while, along the
water courses, wild geese and ducks are
legion. The streams, little and big, are

~~ abundant and bite with asnap that
makes an old sportsman feel happy. In
fact, in this country, the old sportsman will
find his beau ideal of a “happy hunting.
ground.”

Fruit, apples, peaches, pears, cherries,
plums, currants, and in fact, all kinds of
fruit are raised by the Mormons, in this
and adjacent valleys in great abundance.
Although we are now in Idaho Territory,
and shall speak of the chief towns and the
routes to them in another place, we shall
pass it by for the present, until we know
more about it, and take a look at

Montana Territory.

This Territory lies to the north of Idaho,
and is generally considered solely as a
mining country. Montana,at one time
possessed excellent “ placer ” mines and

_“ gulch diggings,” but they have been to a
_ great extent, worked out. Yet there are
still some camps where good pay is being

Yiof the United

the trout, which are

 

 

taken out, and ~~ of the “old diggings” |

are being worked over by the “heathen
Chinee,” with good results. The mining is
now mostly confined to quartz, some of
which yields rich returns.

Although many rich mines of gold have
been discovered within her borders, the im-
portance of her agricultural resources are
not to be ignored. The valleys of the
Missouri, Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone,
and many other rivers, possess the very
best of farming and grazing lands in quan-
tities sufficient to support a large popula-
tion, In the mines, enterprise and capital
have, and will continue to develop great
wealth, but here, as in other mining coun-
tries, expensive machinery must be erected
and a large capital invested before the
mines can be developed and worked with
profit, while to the agriculturist and stock-
grower Montana presents, with a contin-
ually increasing home market, inducements
to the poor emi t second to no section
tates. The people of the
Territory are energetic and persevering,
with full faith in the future of their Ter-
ritory, and will, in time, render it what
they contend it really is, one of the
wealthiest sections of the Union.

Helena is the capital of the Territory, and
contains a population of about 4,500. It
has suffered fearfully in the past by fires,
which have several times completely de-
stroyed the business portion of the city, but
the energy and enterprise of her people
soon re-built it with substantial materials,
brick anc stone. The Herald and Gazette,
both daily and weekly newspapers, are pub-
lished here. The chief occupation of the
people is quartz mining

Virernta Crry—contains a population
of 1,000. The Montanian, a weekly, is pub-
lished here. It is one of the most spicy
papers in the far West.

Dser Loper Crry—isthe third in point
of population in the Territory. It contains
1,000 inhabitants, and has one weekly paper,
the New Northwest

Bozeman—is another thriving town, and
the Avaunt Courter its representative news-
paper.

The Great National Park is located in a
portion of Montana, and the balance in
Wyoming, for a concise description of
which we refer our readers to ANNEX
No. 26.

Returning once more to Ogden, we will
now take up the Overland Route.

CROFUTT’S NEW OVERLAND TOURIST

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