712 



TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



great danger from the Indians, and would have 

 added to the existing complications with them, 

 and General Sherman stopped it. So strongly, 

 however, are the frontiersmen impressed with 

 a conviction of the mineral and metallic wealth 

 of that country, that a new expedition will be 

 organized, to go in the spring of 1868. 



Some of the authorities have proposed to 

 make this valuable Black Hill region an Indian 

 reservation. The Governor is earnestly op- 

 posed to such a course. He believes that the 

 Government should induce the Indians to aban- 

 don their wandering life, and that putting them 

 in a small reservation, where they would be 

 compelled to labor for their support, would be 

 best for the red men. This reservation might 

 be located north of the Big Cheyenne River. 



As yet very little has been done toward de- 

 veloping the mineral resources of the Territory, 

 which are rich -and varied. In northeastern 

 Dakota there is a famous quarry of pipe-stone. 

 This rock possesses almost every color and tex- 

 ture, from a light cream to a deep red, depend- 

 ing upon the amount of peroxide of iron. Some 

 portions of it are soft, with a soapy feeling to 

 the touch, like steatite ; others slaty, breaking 

 into thin flakes; others mottled with red and 

 gray. 



An election was held October 8th, and carried 

 by the Republicans, who obtained a majority 

 of the Legislature, which assembled at Yancton 

 December 12th. 



Idaho. The character of the country in this 

 Territory is generally mountainous, although 

 there are numerous fertile, well-watered, 'and 

 finely-timbered valleys distributed throughout 

 its extent. The largest of these, Boise' Basin, 

 contains the richest and most extensive placer 

 mines yet discovered outside the limits of Cali- 

 fornia. It contains also rich and extensive 

 quartz lodes, which give a permanent value to 

 the mineral resources of this region. The cli- 

 mate is mild, and dry and pleasant during the 

 summer and fall seasons; but the greatest 

 drawback is the severity of the weather and 

 the immense fall of snow, which retard mining 

 operations during the winter months. Not- 

 withstanding these disadvantages, the growth 

 of the Territory has been .rapid, and its pros- 

 perity of a permanent character. 



No election was held during the year. 



There are four newspapers published in the 

 Territory. 



Montana. While this Territory is yet in its 

 infancy, and scarcely finds a place on the map, 

 capital and population are pouring into it from 

 every quarter, developing its wonderful re- 

 sources, and adding to its importance. During 

 the summer season forty-three steamers, filled 

 to their utmost capacity with passengers and 

 freight, arrived at Fort Benton. Overland 

 from the States, from Utah and Idaho, from 

 Oregon and California, there is one steady 

 stream of industry centring in the Territory, 

 made up of a class of hardy men. 



It isx5omparatively a new region, where the 



miner must still contend with the Indian and 

 wild beasts for possession of the auriferous 

 soil. Even Helena, the prospective capital, and 

 a flourishing city of eight thousand inhabit- 

 ants, stands upon a spot where, three years 

 since, not even a miner's cabin was to be seen. 



The elevated position of Montana renders 

 the atmosphere light and bracing, and the cli- 

 mate rather cold. But, while the winters are 

 severe, they are not susceptible of the un- 

 healthy disagreeable changes of the winters of 

 the Northern States. Cold weather begins in 

 the latter part of October, and continues without 

 interruption until the first of April, when comes 

 the breaking up, and nearly all the rain falls 

 before the first of June, followed by five 

 months of as fine weather as can be found in 

 any of the Northern portion of the Union. 



Agriculture suffers under one great disad- 

 vantage, and although at present very remu- 

 nerative, that single drawback will ever pre- 

 vent Montana from becoming of any impor- 

 tance as a grain-growing country. While the 

 climate of the valleys is favorable to vegetation, 

 and the soil fabulously rich, the lack of rain 

 makes the raising of grain for exportation 

 highly improbable. Every thing must be irri- 

 gated ; and while such a course puts corn out 

 of the question, the small grains t cannot be pro- 

 duced in such quantities and price as to com- 

 pete with the great agricultural States to the 

 southeast. With the exception of garden vege- 

 tables, potatoes are destined to become the sta- 

 ple of husbandry. 



The mineral richness of the Territory and its 

 fa.cilities for stock -raising will ever constitute 

 unfailing sources of wealth. At present atten- 

 tion is directed mainly to mining, which has 

 been carried on very successfully. Gold is not 

 the only mineral that attracts attention. Silver 

 leads on Flint Creek and Blackfoot are especially 

 rich. Copper ore of great purity abounds, and 

 coal and iron exist in unlimited quantities and 

 of excellent quality. Although it is probable 

 that for a long time mining will attract the 

 attention of the people of Montana, it is evident 

 that the belt of country stretching .away from 

 the foot of the Rocky Mountains has facilities 

 for grazing that cannot be always overlooked. 

 The same advantages that now make the keep- 

 ing of stock of little expense will one day make 

 cattle-raising profitable. The trains of work- 

 mules and cattle are all in excellent condition, 

 feeding wholly upon the famous " bunch grass " 

 that grows in great profusion. This bunch 

 grass is equal, if not superior, to the famous 

 blue grass of Kentucky. It continues green 

 and sweet until about the first of August, when 

 it begins to dry up, and before cold weather 

 commences has perfectly cured and is hay, fit 

 for any kind of stock to eat. This remains 

 good all winter, probably beca'use of the ab- 

 sence of rain, and stock are said to look as well 

 in the spring as the housed and grain-fed cattle 

 of the States. The territory contains more 

 than 172,800 square miles. There are 166,340 



