The Grange advance., 1874-01-28
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
GREENyALE, JAN, 26th 1877!

GREENyALE, JAN. 26th, 1874.
In riding over the H. & D. and NJ. s. St.
Paul R. r. from Hastings to Mortified, the
traveller, If he be an observing man, will
see as beautiful farming country as the
sun ever shone upon. The fairest portion,
and in fac: the largest portion Of Dakota
County will come within the range of his
vision. The lands are level and fertile,
yet there is good supply of water. Tim
Der alone is scarce, but if the farmers had
all set set groves of trees as brother Wager,
Eureka, and others have done, there need
have been no lack Of timber for fuel. right
at every mans door. Men are very 10th to
expend labor whose fruits are from five to
ten years in maturing, but those who have
done so are now satisfied that it was the
most profitable labor of their lives. Let
those who have not yet commenced this
work begin at once. 1t is but short time
until the young trees become ornamental
to the farm, and only very little longer un-
til they afford protection from the wind.
The village of
FARMINGToS
is situate in the center of a section. and
the original owners Of the site were C. r.
Rollins, Henry Lilley, and Humphrey s.
Williams. A. B. Jones afterwards bought
out Williams. E. A. Cove, now of Hast
ings, was the first lawyer at Pennington;
H. B. Whitaker, the first shoemaker: DR..
L. P. Dodge, the first physician and Willie
Lincoln, the first baby. The aforesaid
first physician made the acquaintance of
the aforesaid first baby at an early period
Of the said baby's existence, and will vouch
for the distinction Of his being the first
who ever ventured to commence life at
Pennington.
Pat Debbetts' saloon, and the building
now occupied by Mrs. Hendricks as mil
liner shop, and by Mr.. Record as grocery
store, were the first buildings. The first
residence was moved here from Ninnineer
and occupied by Mr.. I. T. Lincoln, father
Of the first baby, and the house was the
birth place Of this daring and venturesome
infant. The building is now used as a
meat market. MIR. Record built the first
hotel and called it the ''Star of the West. -
but when the West had moved thousand
miles farther out and Pennington was left
in the far off East this name was allowed
to escape to the mountains and the hotel is
now called the Bigelow House. The next
building was the post Office, built BY C. L.
Hosmer, and used at first as dry goods
| store.
At this time Mr.. n E. Slack was run
ming dry goods store about mile from
here at place then known as
DAKOTA CITY,
which was laid out and plated by Gates
Johnson, of st. Paul. Never heard of this
town! Didn't know there was such a
place? Well, never mind, dear reader.
there are thousands Of people who don't
consider themselves heathens by any means
who never heard Of Dakota City. Don't
trouble yourselves to look up your old
biographies or your maps to find this place
The former were made too soon and the
latter too late 70 catch this city in the days
OF its prime. 1t is now entombed in the
office Of the Register of Deeds at Hastings,
There you may find miniature of its
streets, its avenues, its public squares, and
its beautiful parks.
The Donaldson block at Pennington owned
by Ex-Governor Marshall, was built by Jas.
H. Donaldson. The town was plated in
Aug. Of 1865, and the NJ. & St. Paul road
was completed about the same time. The
H. D. Road reached the village some
three years later, and forms junction at
this point with the above mentioned road.
They are now both owned by the same
company, SO that there is no possibility Of
competition in the carrying or passenger
traffic. hear almost universal complaints
Of the excessive and unreasonable rates OF
freight. They take wheat from the Aub-
urn station for two and three cents pe1
bushel less than from Farmington, because
there is q better chance for the wheat ta.
ken 1t the former place going round BY
Duluth
The town now has q population Of about