Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-07-14

town has had and the %eettlers, many of whom
have sometimes been for six months without
receiving any mail, and then only secured it
by sending a messenger to the nearest post
Office which in some cases was fifty miles /
received Mr.. Jordan and his mail
outfit with great satisfaction. Although
every man who helds a claim is certain that
it lies directly on the line of one or the 9TH
er Of the many projected railroads and that
his grain fields and garden patches will soon
be converted into town lots and that at no.
distant day they will he the site of a popuJ
lous commercial mart, and himself a mil
.lionaire in the possession of corner lots and
massive blocks of business houses, he hailed
the advent Of the primitive buck. board as
an important event in the progressive his
tory Of the valley. II .brought letters, news.
papers, circulars from agricultural machine
dealers, lightning rod peddlers, and varied
the monotonY of his home life by compan.
ionship of .strangers from the outside world.
From Fifesteel to Foster City, a distance
of one hundred and thirty miles, and mid
way between the former place and James
town, there are numerous settlers, and all the
land along the river is claimed. Foster City
is in the vicinity of the place known as
the dirt lodges, and is within the limits Of
the three townships recently Get apart by .
presidential order for the use of Drifting
Goose and his band. Near Foster City is a
body of 40 acres Of good timber, part of
which has been settled upon and claimed
BY MI. Foster and the balance by other
members Of the settlement. All the land
in the three townships mentioned is settled
upon and claimed by white men, and when
Mr.. Drifting Goose returns (if he does re:
turn) to occupy his possessions so gener-
ously donated to him by the president, he
will, to say the least. find some difficulty in
dispossessine the present legal occupants.
These settlers obtained peaceable possession,
and have acquired vested rights, which they
will not voluntarily relinquish to a band of
vagabond Indians maintained at the ex.
pense of the government. Mr.. Jordan says
the country between Firesteel and Foster
City is all that could be desired, the surface
is gently undulating and the soil fertile.
Settlements extend thirty miles above
Foster City, but from thence to within ten
miles of jamestown, q distance Of ninety
miles, there are no settlements, and Nj. I
Jordon had to traverse a,trackless prairie to
establish q road for his stage line. In going
northward from the last settlement
above Foster City, he took the east
side Of the river, and following
the east bank Of Lake Tehsuchicahsh,
which he says is a body of water nine miles
In length, and literally swsrms with all
species of water fowls. Along this portion
of the route be found numerous sloughs,
and generally speaking q hard road to travel
but without encountering any serious diff
iculty he arrived at Jamestown. Here he
sublet the northern half of the route, from
jamestown to Foster City, to Messrs. Ven.
num- and McKechnin. who accompanied
him, on the return trip. coming down on the
west side Of the river which was found to.
be the best end shortest route. Only two
difficult places we're found-the crossing of
Elm and Maple rivers, but these can be i'm.
proved and made passable with very little
labor. The sub-contractors on the upper
end of the line will run light wagons down
the valley o. far ss the settlements extend,
and on the balance Of their route the mail
will, for the present, be carried on horse.
back.
On the lower half of the route. that H.,
from Firesteel to Foster City, the mail will
be carried on b%uckboards until the business
of the route demands more connections
conveyances. -
Nj. Jordan speaks in the highest terms
of praise of the beauty and fertility of the
entire valley. 1t is settling up very rapidly,
and he feels confident that before another
harvest there will be an unbroken settle-
ment from Firesteel to jamestown. {
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