P a g e 4 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r PARADISE VALLEY extends from the lower canyon of the Yellowstone to the second canyon, a distance of forty miles, and averaging from ten to fifteen miles in width. It is almost surrounded by the Snowy or Yellowstone range on the east and the Belt range on the west. The earliest settlers in this valley were among the first in Montana who indulged in agriculture. In the early sixties, when gold seekers traversed this region on their way to Emigrant Gulch, a few straggling settlers could be found who were reaping gains from their agricultural pursuits. Until the advent of the railroad in 1882 it was only found profitable to supply the growing demands of the different mining camps and few trading posts; but since then, there has been no limit to the call for any of the agricultural products. The ranchers, today, cannot supply the demand for their produce, the markets of Livingston, the National Park and the many coal and mining camps throughout the region still find the importation of foreign products a necessity, while many acres of unclaimed land lie smiling at the homeseeker who so leisurely, and unknowingly passes by these golden opportunities while on his trip to Wonderland. All of the products of the cool, temperate zone are raised with great success, while during the past season the rancher has realized an average of 25 cents per pound for butter and the same for eggs per dozen, potatoes ranging from one to three cents per pound and all garden truck going at extravagant prices. Whatever may have been the financial state of the rancher when first taking up his residence here, none of them are now lacking the funds to enjoy life as a model agriculturist should. Many of their homes are even grandly furnished, and though some choose the picturesque log-house for his dwelling, the interior furnishings surprise residents from the older states by their taste and comforts. SHIELDS RIVER VALLEY Corralling Sheep. empties into the Yellowstone about six miles below Livingston, from which it extends in a northwesterly direction a distance of some fifty miles. The river rises in two main sources, one being fed by the perpetual snows of the Crazy mountains and the other from those of the Belt range and, like the Yellowstone, is fed throughout its course by many beautiful mountain streams, Rock and Flathead creeks being of no small volume and importance. Its average width is about twenty miles, including the valley proper and the bench lands, thus making a total area of 640,000 acres. The valley proper is very fertile and is much less liable to the early frosts than any other locality in the state east of the Rocky mountains, while the bench lands, extending toward the Crazies, are a paradise for the growth of winter wheat, as the mountain snows lie here throughout the winter, affording entire protection to grain sown in the autumn, allowing it to mature in the early summer before the need of artificially supplied moisture is felt. On the other hand, to the west the
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