Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-08-22
FROM PAUL RAGLEY.
the Red Rfver OF the RnFtG-Tbe Route
OF she Northern Pacific Railroad
Rich Country ara Endusgrf.
Gus People.
For the Memphis Daily Appeal

For the Memphis Daily Appeal
FARGO, DAKOTA TERRITORY, August
l7.-This town is on the Red river Of
the north, which flows into Lake Win
nepeg, in Manitoba, British America.
MOorehesd, Minnesota, is just across The
rlver. These towns are only some four
years old, and are already quite impor-
Usnt places. The Northern Pacific rail,
TO "a If completed TO bismarck, on the
Missouri river, some two hundred miles
west Of this place. 1t was sold a few
days since, and bid in by the bondhold-
ers, and will probably EOw be pushed
through 10 completion. The Brdinard
bridge, over the Mississippi, gave way
some time ego, and in two weeks and a
day they had up pile-bridge and the
cars passing over. The country all
around here Is prairie, with skirts OF
wood along the water courses. The
weather Is quite cool up here, and ill.,
cline TO shlver in my alpaca coat as |
write, and | have Just had a little IRE
started for comfort. The winters are ter
rible to contemplate. The thermometer
goes down to forty degrees below zero,
At which point tie mercury ceases
TO indicate. Spirit thermometers show
foTty-fOur degrees below zero at
Bismarck, west Of this, but nearer the
mountains, The country from Dulutn
westward one hundred and fifty miles,
IL mostly pine forest, and hardly 8 viii
lRge for one hundred and fifteen miles
till you get to Brainard, on the Missis-
sippl river. It looks strange to see so
small a stream bearing so CREST a name.
Between that place and this there are
several towns, but passed them 10 the
night. There were Chippewa Indians
al one station in the pine forest as we
came along Offering red raspberries at
about twenty-five cents q gallon. Some
Of them seemed to be half-bIeeds, and
wefe neaTly white, and an abject look
ing crowd. There are number Of them
living in tents just on The edge o. Fargo
As rode into town yesterday We passed
q kind OF drag, something like "a sled,
witr bag OF old bones and offal from
the butcher-shOp on il and large black
dog guarding it. He eyed us closely As
we passed. | was told it was a half
breeds outfit, and that the dog dragged
it, and that they would take the CUTS OF
animals and string them on sticks, !
sinking, dry them and beat them up
aud eat them. Hslfbreeds, so degraded, |
IN whose veins one-half the blood, or, J
perchsnce, three-fOuIths, L. Anglo-SaX- |
on. There Is cog on this road called |
Dixie" that mounts q freight-caboOse |
and runs down the IOgd to find bis mas /
ter, aud If he gets carried psst the proper 1
station, he gets on another train and 1
comes back. At Thunder Bay, a lew
days sgO, a man told me he msL bear |
III the woods some miles from town. SIZE |
had cubs, and came close uD TO him, |
gnashing ber teeth and growing terri |
bly,. He stood still until She csme close /
up TO him on her hiud legs, and rnen he |
yelled at her, and she turned and moved /
of, when he ran at her AMI yelled again,
Snd she lett. He was unaTmed. They
are just in their wheat and barley har- |
vest here. Oats ripen first. l saw wheat |
uncut to day. We have been travelling /
now for some six weeks, and |
have kept ahead Of the wheat harvest /
ali along. Peaches AMI apples are as
much out Of climate here as oranges in |
Tennessee. Very few fruits, except cur
rants, gOOseberries, TaspbeTries, crab
apples, etc. My wife says curTants sp-
pear TO be the staple fruit. But they |
nave abundance OF garden vegetables;
irish potatoes enough IN a single hill |
70 make a dinner for q family; |
spEle Vi lBtu weighing Two hllu q udll |
pounds each. A man gathered up eight !
nat weighed sixteen pounds; also car
'ots, beets, cucumbers onions, and such
hings in abundance. The ground is
-ich beyond al questions, and you have
nothing to do but plow ard plant to get
sn abundant yield. The law requires
very man to keep up his stock, so you
llsnt out on the open prairie without
ianger Of stock. This region OF country
3 settling up quite rapidly. Some are
Jre-emplDg some hOmesteading, and
Iome taking under the ee-cultuTe act,
1y which congress allows a quarter sec.
ion 10 man on condition that he will
culture forty acres in trees eight years,
and be need not live on it ct all. A
Canadian has bought some fifteen sec
ions Of railroad land twelve miles east
Il this on Maple river, sHdis opening up
arms. A man named Smith a,s0 has a
sTge body Of land near there, and is
blowing hundreds Uf acres to make 8
'tocE farm, 1t is only some two years
ilnce the Indian title was extirguished
% these lands, No doubt sill this north
west will be settled up before many
yesrs, aud what a nation we will be II
Te maintain our unity and serve our
.TDd par-r pAcrr,,