Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1875-1878, 1876-06-28
BISMARCK.

tropolis--Its Relation to the Black
Hills-Business and Business Men :
"A Readable Letter From 4 Reliable
Bohemian. 20
The following is from the gifted pen
of Z. D. Bingham, one of the editors Of
the Chicago Commercial Advertiser,
who recently visited Bismarck: 90 =.
In mid-wiuter made an extended
sketch Of the North Pacific road from
Brainerd to Fargo. The Red River val
ley seemed to me very like. the land of
promise. could not 90 further west
then for the want, Of time and quick
transpor tation. A few weeks later Col:
Lounsberfy, of the Bsmarck TsfBuNs,
and his party came through st. Paul, fell
into the hands of the Associated Press
Agents, told their brilliant story ofgold
in the s'Hills" and gave the whole coun-
try the golden feoer. Of course the
Northern Pacific raised the embargo
upon winter travel west of Fargo, and
opeasd their line to Bismarck. z. l never
doubted thst there was gold in the
'..Hills''-I had seen fine specimens At
Yankton-but how much gold, was the
serious question. The people Of Yank-
ton and Bismarck, whose represents.
itiyes have been in al parts Of the Hills
have unboundsd 4aith tn the develop
,asent Of great mineral wealth ih that
!reeion. The people Of the country at
large. are divided on this question.
They want to see more gold before they
accept the glowing reports. It was q
misfortue sthst 10 many men went to the
Hills in winter. The movement wss
premature. They found snow and ice
and poor show Tor mining. Many Of
them got short Of money, broke camp
and went home disguested: II they had
wvssitsd till the opening Of spring, they
would have fouad5 themselves ani the
midst of wild, grandeur of scenery 1end'
less grazing fields, charming meadows
and valleys, and : land undoubtedly
abounding in precious metais. They
took the str,p ia enid winter, saw the
country ia its worst and will never
cease to curse it until they are con-
fronted with the story Of settlement,
prosperity, wealth and hundreds Of hap
81 homes made BY those who,cane after
them land came more deliberately-t to
plant civilization in the country from
which they turned, with bitter dissp.
pointmept and unutterable longing,
homeward. It is the old, old story.
Thousands went to ''Pikes Peak in the
same way, took hasty run over very
circumscribed Geld. got their till OF dis
appointment, took home less gold than
they brought out with them, and to-day
they are returning to find every noun.
tain range in the Territory traversed
with towns and people and lodes ofgold
and silver. and the valleys swarming
with herdsmen and their focks. twill
come to be like unto this in the hills
and mountains and valleys Of Western
Dakota. Some of the journals have
pronounced the country up here an arid
waste. In the next decade they will
send up reporters to write OF oeautl'
full and prosperous land whose grain
fields, herds, water power and precious
metals will have made it their envy aud
admiration. l found good grazing
country all the way from Fargo to
- BISMARCK.
The valleys are rich in the elements OF
general agriculture. The plains and
table lands are covered with fine native
grasses, and are part Of the old buff
falo range. Who ever heard that the
buffalo range was not stock country,
and who does not know that from the
velleys aud plains Of the far north to
the waters Of the Rio Grande, this same
range nourishes in perfection, the finest
herds of sheep and cattle and horses in
the world. They talk about the 'bad
lands'' and "Great American Desert
IS though the whole northwestern coun-
try were embraced in these dread and
half imaginary lands. Grasses in great
variety grow about Bismarck as natur'
ally as they grow upon the hills of Ken
tucky or in the New England valleys.
The rainfall increases year by year.
vegetables Of garden and field have lux
uriant growth here, and the summer
climate is . paradise for invalids. AS
to winter have no data, but common
report to Judge from. 1t is far enough
north to be cold. That is expected IN
this, htitude. A few fsrms have been
onened in Bismarck, and liberal area
of wheat has been n.sown this spring and
is making q most promising growth.
Hitherto this border. city has been de-
pendent upon the trade With the neigh
boring forts, the Indians OF the agencies
and the upper Missouri. Its growth
-. .an;d and nnaar the