Show written for this paper TO ALBERTA CARDSTON alberta canada october 16 1844 on the I 1 I 1 th dinst I 1 left butte montana tana to continue my journey toward the british dominion proceeding by rail frail up a steep grade and winding through canyons and gulches the summit of the rocky mountains to ie reached ata at a point about seven miles from butte and we are once more on the headwaters of one of the missouri river fiver tributaries tributa ries the descent to boulder city SS 33 miles from butte to is made very lute interesting resting by the grand mountain scenery which abounds along the route of travel bolow below boulder city we pass through a tunnel feet long loag which penetrates the heart of a grand old mountain which when the railroad was built stood right in the way and seemed to defy further pro progress grese but the engineering skill ot of abe nineteenth century soon solved the problem men experienced in the use uee of drill and powder were set to work one gang at each side of the mountains mountain and though it took months of patient toll and bard labor to make the hole through the task was at length completed but not without the loss lose ot of life As the gang of men were about to meet in the heart of the rocky giant a blast blase which was put in by the men on one side aide ignited unexpected jy a ditto put in from the opposite aide ide and the result was that several Ja laborers borers were killed outright and others were crippled for life continuing our course down through is a succession of mountain gorges and canyons cany one we soon reached the su availed ac called ailed Pr brickley ickley pear fear valley in ID which helena the temporary capital Is situated seventy three miles from butte autte I 1 helena the temporary capital of ef fontana Jon tana is the oldest town of importance 10 0 e in the state it is called both ane tb 6 golden 0 iden city and the of the Aock iee all like salt halt lake city it t ip a city of homes though it originally was A rough rail mining ding camp the city lies jn in the embrace of the mountains being right at the bass base of grand old mount helena whose vesuvius like cone pierces the clouds at an altitude of leet feet above abote sea level s the altitude ol of the city nestling atias at its north base to is feet from fiola this mountain a chain of smaller hills bills with thickly wooded aidea bairt the city on the south eoute on the north and east the grandeur and extent of the view make up tor for the propinquity of the hills bills to the mouth stretching away from her bar leet feet to the missouri river some fifteen miles distant lies the beardi ul brickley Pr ickley pear fear valley which viewed from oue one of helenar He lenas handsome but an exaggerated park it is in realty really au an extensive basin but in the clear atmosphere it proportions are apparently one of the main attractions around helena are the so called broad water hot springs a health resort about two miles from the city which is ia claimed to be oto ona of the finest bathing esarte j in the world th tho the o city also affords ono one of the finest public libraries in the west it contains volumes was opened august 7 1886 and to is supported by a direct tax of i mill on the dollar the older part ol of the town Is situated in the mouth of a canyon along which the main street winds its way the more modern part includes the most hand some residences which are perched upon the hillsides hill sides and out upon the prairie along thoo the foot of the mountain twenty three miles of electric railway connect the different parts of the city the story of helena s origin and foundation is in a page of pioneer history full of stirring event and rugged romance she dates date her existence as a the year 1864 when the hu bunt ut for gold had already brought thousands of fortune seekers to the ibe placers of montana which in that year jear was out off from the territory of idaho and given a name and government of its own placer mining was the great industry of the country and already extensive operations were carried on at various diggings As these places however were overrun with gold hunters prospecting for now new mines was constantly going on and almost daily men left the settlements to seek for the dev deposits of the precious metal on such an orrand a miner by the name of john cowan started early in 1864 with a party of men for the kootenai Koo tenal country in british columbia where it was known that goldfields gold fields existed but on account of indian troubles he be ale forced to turn back towards the montana settlements the party prospected almost every toot ot of the ground on the return trip without finding anything in the way of pay dirt 20 weary heartened disheartened dis and almi aim the party on july 1864 camped upon the site of heona he ena for another trial wito with the pick shovel and pan mr cowan remarking that this was the last chance for a discovery the auriferous gravel panned spanned outs out well further prospecting showed bowed the existence of pay dirt 02 and cown and party took out consider able kold gold news of the discovery spread and in a months time people began to flook flock chanco gulob gulch who the camp grew an aa only mining camps congrow can grow row und and in the follo october it bad assumed such metropolitan proportions bat a meeting ot ol miners was babeo to give it a name the meeting was held in a jog cabin october 80 1864 when the name helena was given to toe the new town and a committee appointed to ta fix the size of town lots lot thus in three months from the time gold was discovered in last chance gulch helena was birn christened and well started on the road to commercial importance in 1883 when helena first became a railway town through the advent of taj northern pacific railway the place conta contained inea inhabitants in 1860 accor according to the U B S census it had buu while butte the next largest city in mo montana alava had from helena I 1 continued my journey our to great falls aging up prickly PW canyon we floon grossed croaked iother another Ji divide Vide 10 and thin then fol following wing wolf creek through a picturesque canyon we reached the Mir missouri rayer which even up here bore is quite a larte large stream in fact I 1 imagined that I 1 saw more water in it right here before becote it leaves the mountains than the volume which passed kansas city missouri about 2000 miles f further down stream when I 1 visited that place about a yew ago prom from the mouth of wolf creek the railway follows the left bank of the ahe river through a succession of beautiful canyons until the open country t the almost endless plains are reached a short distance above the growing town of cascade where a noe fine iron bridge spans the river prom from that point the distance to areat falls city is thirty miles which is reached after crossing firak sun SUD river and then the missouri on one fine iron bridges bridge great falls is As situated on the right bank of the missouri river and has haa a population of nearly fives five rau roads road are contributory tributary oon con to it the facilities for water cower here bre un equalled equal led in the united states within a distance of twelve miles the missouri drops feet over perpendicular falb and cascades the black eagle fall about two miles east cf 0 the cly have already been improved tor for wp wrier ter power purposes at a ew close to these falls a shrift ft bursts from the bank twenty feet abOTe the water in volume sufficient to me a stream feet wide and five to fat t deep rainbow falls the the series of falls has hall a drop ot of tally fully fifty deett feet and ranks next to the great falls where the mighty streams 1 leo 6 0 ninety feet unlike the turbid riveria river it becomes in the prairie states the water of the missouri here is clear 0 Op opposite posto the city of great falls the river usa width of 2800 feet but narrows to 1000 feet half a mile below preparatory to the first leap in the series of falls great falls city is 1682 miles milea from st paul minnesota Minne eota and 99 milea from helena montana it is virtually a city of the prairies on the be evening of october I 1 re crossed the missouri river lu in A carriage to the depot of the great falls canada railway phwe I 1 boarded a oar car to in a very slow going train and after trav traveling elize all night we arrived at the interi Inter int erx alk lional boundary at a m the oett mor mornine on the line is a small station called by some the twin city it consists of two or three houses ef which the only one of importance to the long one custom house oil fe south end of this plain building alln situated in the united states and tto north ed e d to in canada rius from a liberty pole on the south end of at the lumber structure floats the stan sistan and stripes peo 11 while the Enit english lish jack Jac jackala jackals kals is unfolded to the breeze frole I 1 a similar pole placed on the north end 1 of the building mr ernest Bing waH a young and courteous gentleman did service so ao far as our ur train was concerned on the american side of the house bouse while F caudle one of mount ed ad canadian police dia service pan s custom house bouse officer on the part of the british government nothing baroug brought t along by any of the passengers woo waa subject to duty except an oli old gun which a young german traveler travel boo with him and which he shrewd W stuck under the seats aa mari a undoubtedly with an eye to avoiding the payment of duty doty but the ibe keen eye of the uniformed J Va canadian nadian discovered it on his hie second the oar car and the owner was mae dinv inv invited ed to follow mr custom bouse 4 or into his bis office quite an interesting conversation followed foli owed in begard to the value of the old shouting shooting s iron which our traveling companion claimed he be had bought in the old county 1 I 1 but bo haj no idea what such euca a akpu U would be worth in america cally finally the officer asked him if he sell it for 10 the reply was ao I I this fixed the amount ot of duty on OB demand the young german somewhat what crestfallen handed banded out in silver liver which was the duty per ad valore valoree Va lorem m and was permitted to take his ad british possessions but sn ae was informed that w ben he be returned which be expiated to do in a few weeks there would be knotner duty to pay on the american aide ot of ahe house I 1 from the twin city 4 called coutts ly by the canadians and sweet grass tation by the residents of uncle baad domain we continued the jour noy y 67 miles further to lethbridge which is ie just miles from great falls lethbridge to a coal mining town of about 2000 inhabitants situated near beliy river on a rolling tract of prairie land being the terminus of ohp narrow guage road operated by the alberta Ja railway allway and coal company is miles west went of medicine hat va tine the canadian ja nadian pacific rail aven miles by rail from the international 1 boundary line and miles from great falle fall MoA montana tans the town ii electric very fine stores three story brick house several churches telephone library reading rd etc the principal industry is u worked by the Alberts ballway ailway and coal company there are also other coal mines in the vicia kyin less lege than fifteen minutes alter after my arrival at lethbridge I 1 found one ot of our oar you young ng breth brethren ren W wm in speed from bardston cardston Card Gar dolon ston with a team ready to start atari JV for home after sending a message per r telephone ephone to president 1 X 1 0 card k telephone nel g for a lighter conveyance to meet V me on the road I 1 stai started rlou out on the pi prairie pirle with my young friend and traveled fifteen miles when we encamped for the night on an the st marys maryle river sleep lug ing during aaring the night in a miners miner to cabin belonging to a mr hauk who has baa an indian wife and a coal dinue IP in that part of the country H his I 1 8 indian spouse was waa quite intelligent and could talk pretty good english on saturday morning the when we got up and began to rub our yea eyes after sleeping in the log cabin we auld not see our horses anywhere As it if anticipating the heavy load of coal which they were supposed suppo aed to haul from mr hankla coal mine to cards ton son they started for home with hob elea lea lost feet but without wagon fen and coal borrow borrowing ing a horse from our conr friend mr hauke brother steed ohead followed their trail and finally anally overtook them and brought teem back to camp late in ahe forenoon the next thing on the abe pc pro was waa to got get dounda of on the wagon and start for vard card ston atoo but in crossing a small bridge built over a little coulee hollow the horses shied to the right aud and one oj 01 the hind wheels wheat missed the narrow structure and was left suspended in the air ready at any moment to precipitate t the he loaded wagon into the deep ravine sending for all the miners minero employed in the coal mine all hands and the cook mr hauk hauad la indian wife was also on the scene we all worked like good legood fellows ap unloading and reload ing theaoa the coa coal until the horses after much coti coaxing xing concluded to pull out the almost empty fagoo and soon afterwards we went our way rejoicing we might have fared thelridge the bridge had been two inches wider this accident would never have happened it was one of those pioneer affairs which like some mountain dug ways are just wide enough to let a pass provided the animals propelling the same keep the tongue straight in the mouth and sway away not to the right nor to th the a left soon after leaving the scene of our little adventure bishop john A woolf hove in sight eight and a lew few minutes later I 1 was transferred from the coal wagon to his light vehicle drawn by a pair of as fine and add fleet footed horses perhaps I 1 as an the mormon colonies in alberta afford before sun docu we reached bardston cardston Cards Card too ston 48 miles by actual measurement from loth letb bridge of this distance distan ce I 1 traveled about thirty miles in four bourn boura with the bishop for the benefit of those who in I 1 D the future may want to make in ake pilgrim PI grm ages eal P to albertas alberta I 1 will say that the distance from salt lake biake city to cardie carde too ton is miles namely from salt r lake to butte over the union pacific railway mile from butte to great falls over the great northern railway 9 miles from great falls to Lethbridge vla vis the alberta railway cod co ili road and from lethbridge Lieth bridge to carlston cardston Gard Card ston by team 48 miles ANDREW JENSON |