166 * THE BEEF BONANZA. 



Jefferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin Rivers, so 

 named by Lewis and Clarke. 



These are all noble streams, filled with trout, lined 

 with fine growths of timber, and bordered by beautiful 

 and fertile valleys. In the Madison are found the gray- 

 ling or " half trout," a peculiar kind of fish which has 

 specks and scales, being half trout and half whitefish. 

 The timber and underbrush along the streams are a 

 favorite resort for Indians, who are now friendly. It 

 is somewhat singular that no hard wood, such as hickory 

 and maple, are found west of the Rocky Mountains. 



The many ranges of mountains in the Territory gave 

 it its name, and long before the whites came it was 

 known to the Snake or Schoshonee Indians as " To- 

 yabe-schock-up," or " The Country of the Mountains." 

 The only considerable body of water is Flat-Head Lake, 

 in the northwestern corner of the Territory, and it is the 

 source of the river of that name. 



The best valleys in Montana are the Gallatin, Mis- 

 soula, and Yellowstone. The Gallatin as an agricul- 

 tural valley is second only to the Lancaster in Pennsyl- 

 vania. In Missoula fifty bushels of wheat are readily 

 raised per acre. The Yellowstone is already famous 

 for its fine vegetable productions. Plums, peaches, 

 apples, apricots, and all kinds of vines and berries 

 thrive in Southern Montana. "Wild fruits, such as cur- 

 rants, gooseberries, raspberries, buffalo berries, sarvice 

 berries, and plums, are found in many parts of the Ter- 

 ritory and of excellent quality. The Indians use these 

 for food, drying large quantities and mixing them with 

 the marrow of buffalo bones for winter use ; the dried 



