STOCK-GROWING OUT WEST.' 165 



Utah Northern and wagons in Montana. It may cost 

 somewhat more this way, but is more expeditious and 

 on the whole more satisfactory to merchants and dealers. 

 The survey of the Northern Pacific Eailroad runs 

 through Montana, and the Utah Northern is now built 

 from Ogden to Eed Rock, and will within a year reach 

 Helena, the capital of the Territory. Over two hun- 

 dred miles of this road is already in working order in 

 Utah and Idaho, and next year it will cross Montana, 

 possibly to the Missouri River. The enterprise is under 

 the direction of Jay Gould, of New York, and is certain 

 to be carried out to completion. 



Montana has within her borders several rivers, the 

 largest of which are the Missouri, Clarke's Fork of the 

 Columbia, and the Yellowstone. The former is navi- 

 gable as far as Fort Benton, but only for a few months 

 in the year, and ordinarily boats can make but two trips 

 from St. Louis to Fort Benton and back again during 

 the season. The boats, however, run quite frequently 

 between Benton and Bismarck, and the shipping interests 

 of Montana are gradually developing. Clarke's Fork 

 is on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, and is 

 formed by the junction of the Bitter Root and Flat 

 Head Rivers, the Bitter Root being itself formed by the 

 junction of the Big Blackfoot, Missoula, and the Hellgate 

 Rivers. The whole interior of Montana is remarkably 

 well watered, and there are gold placers on many of the 

 creeks, the names of which it would be useless to give, 

 as it would only lead to confusion in obtaining a knowl- 

 edge of the country. The Missouri is formed by the 

 junction of the " Three Forks," called respectively the 



