The Flathead Courier 1910

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THE FLATHEAD COURIER*
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'POLSON   DOES   THINGS'
VOLUME 1,
POLSON, FLATHEAD COUNTY, MONTANA, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1910.
NUMBER 1
f latbead Hake
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From Tho Hcsurvutlon City Hooklot
H ive you seen it, gentle stranger,
'Neath mountainous skies of blue
Lying still in silent splendor,
Flathead's fairest scene to you¥
Have you seen it when the sunset .
Glows so golden in the West;
And the sunbeams kiss each wavelet,
" Tin with gold each foaming crest?
Have you seen it in the gloaming
When the moon with amber gleams,
Rises radiant o'er the mountain
As with golden glory beams?
Have you seen it glistening, flushing
Where the wavelets wash the strand;
Seen the emerald depths turn azure,
Deepening outward from the land?
Have you seen Flathead's great beauty
Lying silent, mystic still,
A sea set Mice a jewel
(Twixt the mountain and the hill?
Have you seen our lovely valley
- Witii its Flatluad River \\ide,
With its ships on lake and river i
Heating on its gentle tide?
Have you felt the gcnile breezes
As they kiss the gentle cheek
Of the maidens and the babies
As at night they lie asleep.
Have you tasted the pure waters
From the mountains high and steep;
Have you basked In golden sunlight
Of ou| valley broad and deep?
Have you Keen our grain fields waving
In tills Eden of the West,
Where the day requites your labor
f   -And the night brings sweetest rtst?
No! Then cone with me in auto
And I'll show you u we go
A land of milk and honey-
Where Cod's purest blessings How."
—Hebcr Baltt
Poison, The Coming City Of
The Flathead Reservation.
A Synopsis Of Its History, Marvelous
Developement and Possibilities.
While the entire history of the dis-
covery, developement and building of
the great Empire, lying between the
"Father of Waters" and the boundless Pacific reads like a tale from the
Arabian Nights; none extant will
compare with the story yet to be
written of the opening and settlement
of the beautiful Valley of the Flathead Reservation. For its undeveloped' treasures are more wonderous
than the fabled wealth of Ali Baba
or Alladin. And with a few years of
applied American intellect, energy
and patriotism such changes will l>e
wrought that it will Ik?, difficult for
the builders to recognize their own
handiwork.
And while the valley in its entirety
will add another, star to the brilliant
diadem of the Treasure State, Poison,
the Gem City of the Reservation will
be the most brilliant setting in that
star. Here ideally located at the foot
of Flathead Lake, Just where its
translucent waters are emptied' into
the Tend d' Oreille river we see the
little trading post, which had lain for
many years in what might be termed,
a chrysalis state suddenly grow into
an active, prosperous little city. A
city whose natural advantages cannot
' lie excelled and whoso citizenship is
characterized by their loyalty to J'ol-
son and the Flathead ltesenatlon.
If you are a stranger coining in
from thu south as you arrive at the
brow of the Mil) you will pause in
wonder and amazement. Wonder
that a site so beautiful had so long
remained untouched by the torch or
civilization; amazement at the wonderful progress made In a city but a
few months old.
Lying at the foot of the slope is the
city: ;jay In Its newness, Interesting
In its activity. To the north of the
elly is the lake, dotted here ami there
with beautiful Islands and enlivened
with the coming and going of tho
freight und passenger boala; hunches
and row boat". Looking across the
lake to the eastern shore, you will see
the plnecovered mountains of the pie
turcsque Mission Range of the Rock
les with the snow capped peaks of
the Swan Range hi the distance. To
the west of the city is the Pend
d'Oreille river, the outlet of Flathead Lake. I f you desire to witness"
that which is not only beautiful, nut
powerful follow the Pend d' Oreille
in its southwesterly course and just
one half mile from the city limits of
Poison you arrive at the Pend d'
Oreille Falls. Follow these Falls for
six miles and then determine if you
can, what the developement of this
tremendous power means to Poison and
the Flathead country. That the government recognizes the value of this
power is proven by the work being
done just west of the city by the
reclamation service. When the plans
of the government, which Includes
the building of a series of dams, the
boring of a 7000 foot tunnel and the
installing of immense turbines are
completed not only will thousands of
acres of land l>e furnished sufficient
water to assure abundant crops of
fruit, grain and vegetables, but there
will be electricity generated to furnish power for the operation of electric
railways, lights and manufactories.
Tliis promises to I'olsonand the Flathead lieservation a future equal to
any of the marvelous deveiopements
of the Great West.
Public Improvements
Although Poison's age is still reckoned by months it has advanced farther with its civic improvement than
many towns that have passed the
quarter of century mark. A $30,000
electric plant lights the city and furnishes power to those desiring it. A
complete water system is In operation.
A volunteer lire company has been
organized with a full equipment for
service. The new bridge under construction connecting the west Aide of,
the 1W d'Oreille river with Poison
will be of great commercial value to
the elly as well as to those who are
fortunate enough to secure homes in
the rich region on the west side,
And ttlie building of this structure
may be credited to tlie energy of the
cltliensof Poison who not only con
tributed In push and pull for Its construction but In hard cash.
And now the Federal Government
has stepped in with an appropriation
of 08,000 for tlie deepening of Poison
Harbor. This means dock; facilities
sufficient to accommodate the lieavy
draught steamers which tlie Increased
settlement of tlie reservation demands.
ReUgiooe. Educational and
/y ternal Institotions
Tlie Catholics Iiave a new and com'
modlous church, the' Metliodlsts a
beautiful edlttee almost completed.
And the Congregational, Presbyterian
Episcopal and Lutheran are holding
services at stated periods and will In
the near future take steps toward the
erection of churches. At tlie present
time tin different denominations alternate, holding their services In tlie
school house. >
Tlie State of Montana requires a
school to be maintained for a period
of four months before it can draw
public money so the enterprising citizens of Poison built a school house
and hired a teaclter paying all ei-
penses by subscription and funds
raised by social gatherings. Tlie law
being compiled with tlie public school
will open at tin beginning of the
school year.
In a community of such push and
energy the fraternal feeling la sure to
predominate. Holt is not surprising
that tlie Odd Fellows, Hebekalis anu
Modem Woodman have strong lodges.
And the Masons have organized a
club which will later become a regi -
lar lodge.
Chaaahor Of CMMMret
It Is seldom, If ever, that a town
lees than a year old finds It possible
t> organize and maintain a Commercial organization. Hut the all pull
together spirit of Poison's cltlzero
i not only wade It possible but a
reality. And this is one secret of the
rapid advancement made by the town.
This organization now has In tin
hands of the printer at the Mlssoulian
office, Missoula, the matter for a complete history of Poison and the Keservation. This booklet will be ready
for distribution in a few days. And
as there are to lie 5,000 copies published, everyone interested will be able
to secure one.
Incorporation
An election was held April .'th to
determine tlie "",,y's attitude on incorporation, j lie question carried
by a large majority and now as soon
as practicable, officers will be chosen
and a city government organized.
" Transportion Facilities
While Poison lias long boast< d of
Fra«1 excellent harbor facilities these will
be greatly auguineiited by the improvements soon to be commenced by
tlie Federal Government. And the
traffic which last year reached a
quarter of a million dollars will increase greatly. The boats run dally,
making ali points between Poison und
Somers. Going south at present you
go either by stage, or autoim l.ile.
But the Great Northern has a si rvey
extending from Somers to Dixon una*
work will soon be begun on this line.
And then the Chicago, Milwaukee &
St Paul have a survey for a propostd
line on the west side of the Lake.
Two Electric railways are under consideration; one extending from
Whitetish to Poison, the other connecting Missoula, Poison and Scmers.
the froni. Lumber, fruit and grain
are the InduslrleOhat will make this
town.
Climate, Soil,   Pradoctiors
Other Towns
ltonau lying In the valley tuilve
\ miles southeast of Poison Is building
rapidly. Men of large capital are
showing their faith in tlie ne*v town
by a lavish expenditure of money.
St. Ignatius, tlie old Mission town is
situated between Ronan and Ravalli.
Here are located the principal Catholic institutions of tlie Reservation.
Ravalli is the southern tern inus of
che stage lines running south from
Poison, connecting here with (he
Northern Pacific railroad. Arlee Is
the first station east of Ravalli and
Dixon the first one on the west.
The latter is looking forward to a
bright future and town lots are maintaining a high valuation on account
of the mineral deposits in the adjacent mountains. Dayton to the
north of Poison is another Reservation town that is coming rap'dly to
1 f you are "eeklng an all the year
round climate that Is satisfactory,
come to tlie Flathead country. With
an altitude of 2000 feet you are as
sured cool nights, during tlie hottest
months and lying as it does on the
west side of the Rockies tlie days ais
balmy and pleasant. While the titer-
momeVer in midwinter goes down to
fifteen degrees below zero and tlie
snow fall Is heavy, the blizzard, so
common east of the Rockies Is an unknown quantity. ' And tlie atmosphere is so dry that when tlie titer-
mometer is the lowest there Is no suffering from the cold.. Stock living
on the range with little or no slielter,
The rainfall is sufficient for
ful grain, fruit and vegetable
In the greater part of the Reservation
area. Amniiat portion which Irrigation will profit will be ready for
tillage in the near future.
Tlie soil is u black sandy loam with
ti volcanic ash sub-soil easy to till and
rich in productive qualities. The
yield of grains, fruits and vegetables
being almost plienone'nal.
With such climatic conditions there
is no question about liealth. Rheumatism, catarrah, and asthhrna are
almost unknown. And while there
may be some slckuen incidental
to the change of climate, the general
health conditions are good.
the valley. It Is claimed that there
are more deer in Flathead county
than in the same area anywhere in
the U. S. Aiid then there are bear,
elk, mountain sheep, goats and lions;
beaver, mink and other fur bearing
animals. Game birds are also
abundant.
Like everything else in this elyslum
the best families of tlie finny
tribe are represented in the lakes and
streams. Here you find trout, salmon
baas and white fish in abundance, to
be had for the angling.
Indian
Telephone
It will be hula short time until
residents of Poison will lie able to
"call up" tlieir friends north, south,
east or west. The line coming In
from Kalis|>el will be met by the Bell
company who are building through
from Missoula. The local Electric
LlghtCo. are installing the exchange
here and will have things In readiness so that when the lines meet Pol-
sou will have direct communication
with tlie world.
Hurting ant! Fishing
An article on this prolific subject
would not lie complete without
special mention of the hunting and
fishing. Gaine. blgand little, abound
in theuiuintiluilUtrictssurrounding
Plat Of The Orginal City of Poison.
Mnoo Thto Plat Wan Made Two Additions Have Been Made To The Town And Many Lets Have lean Sold
LA**
KC CO'
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Front Lands and
Allotments
All Interested in Poison and the
Reservation have been keeping in
touch with all the acts of Congress
relating to it. But nothing since the
passage of the bill for the opening
has created the interest like Senator
Dixon's Mil permitting the sale In
two and Ive acre tracts of the Lake
Front land and a portion of the Indian allotments- Tills not only means
many more farms thrown open for
settlement but that the Lake Front
will blossom as the rose, For there
Is no liner fruit land in the fruitful
'state of Montana, than Flathead
Lake Front.
Prohibition On The Reservation
Tlie Federal Government by an act
of Congress determined this question
for tlie Reservation. This act prohibits the sale of liquor within its
boundaries for a period of twenty-live
yean. "*
The People
A gathering of Poison citizens represents nearly every state in the Union
It Is needless to say there are no clans
norclasses. But you will find cultured
educated and congenial people. With
the ability to adjust themselves
to conditions and circumstances.
Ready to welcome strangers with a
heartiness that makes you "at home"
at once. So If you desire to enjoy an
ideal climate with Ideal scenery,
among ideal people, come to Poison.
Poison Now Haa
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One School '
Three Banks
Four Hotels
Two Churches
Eight Rooming Houses
One Steam Laundry
One Electrtric Light Plant
One Water Wdrks System
Three Grain Warehouses
Two Department Stores
Two Grocery Stores
Three General Merchandise
One Jewelry Store
One Photograph Gallery
Three Secret Societies
One Chamber of Commerce
Two Weekly Newspapers -
One .lob Printing Plant-
One Moving Picture Place
Three Rlacksmith Shops
(ine Wood Working Factory
Five Lumber Yards
One Saw Mill
Four Restaurants
Three Milliard Halls
Two Harness Shops
Three ll'dw're and Impl'm't Store*
Four Physicians •
Four Lawyers '
Seven Heal Estate and 1 ns. Firms.
One Drugstore   '
One Soft Drink Mottling Works
One Undertaker
Two Furniture and House Fur. Co's. •
One Drick and Tile Co.
Two Meat Markets
Two Telephone Companies
< itie Fire Coinpahy.
Three Livery Siables
Two Express and Stage Lines.
Two Paint, and Wall Taper Stores.
Three liarlwr Shops •
< )ne ('unfect.loneiy Store
Ttto.Mllllliii'iy Stores
Two Ilukeries
Two Automobile 'Stage Lines
Two Stcamloat Lines
Anyone
Wishing A
Sample Copy
Of The
Courier
Call At This  Office.
I
as^
Should You Wiih More Than
One Cop/.   They  Will   Be   S
Cants   Each.
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