862, and are situated on Grasshopper Creek,
which is a tributary of the Jefferson fork of the Missouri. The mining
district here extends five miles down the creek, from Bannock City,
which is situated at the head of the gulch, while upon either side of
the creek the mountains are intersected with gold-bearing quartz lodes,
many of which have been found to be very rich....

"While gold has been found in paying quantities all along the Rocky
chain, its deposits are not confined to this locality, but sweep across
the country eastward some hundreds of miles, to the Big Horn Mountains.
The gold discoveries there cover a large area of country."[G]

Governor Stevens says: "Voyagers travel all winter from Lake Superior to
the Missouri, with horses and sleds, having to make their own roads, and
are not deterred by snows."

Alexander Culbertson, the great voyager and trader of the Upper
Missouri, who, for the last twenty years, has made frequent trips from
St. Louis to Fort Benton, has never found the snow drifted enough to
interfere with travelling. The average depth is twelve inches, and
frequently it does not exceed six.[H]

Through such a country, east of the mountains, lies the shortest line of
railway between the Atlantic and Pacific,--a country rich in mineral
wealth, of fertile soil, mild climate, verdant valleys, timbered hills,
arable lands yielding grains and grass, with mountain streams for the
turning of mill-wheels, rich coal beds, and springs of petroleum!

THE MOUNTAINS.

There are several passes at the head-waters of the Missouri which may be
used;--the Hell-Gate Pass; the Deer Lodge; and the Wisdom River, or Big
Hole, as it is sometimes called, which leads into the valley of the
Bitter Root, or St. Mary's. The Big Hole is thus described by Lieutenant
Mullan:--

"The descent towards the Missouri side is very gradual; so much so,
that, were it not for the direction taken by the waters, it might be
considered an almost level prairie country."[I]

Governor Stevens thus speaks of the valley of the Bitter Root:--

"The faint attempts made by the Indians at cultivating the soil have
been attended with good success; and fair returns might be expected of
all such crops as are adapted to the Northern States of our country. The
pasturage grounds are unsurpassed. The extensive bands of horses, owned
by the Flathead Indians occupying St. Mary's village, on the Bitter Root
River, thrive well winter and summer. One