The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-11-29
FROM TIE WEST.

EDITOR TIMES, hiking that
some OF my Superior friends nigh
Hike to hear something of the new
town Of Mandan and the surround
ing country, | will now try to give
them a short description Of tht
same, hoping that it may be of in
terest 10 them to hear from The fal
west, although this is not very fan
west iii comparison with otbel
towns, which have sprung Up, as il
By magic, on tie \ ellowstoHe but
still it IS pretty far west for all that
and, when We consider that only a
few years ago this was an unin.
habited country except by Indians.
Ne may we'll call it OH the borders
0l civilization.
bat | am wandering from my
subject and will now proceed to
describe Mandan, whose name. by
tie way, is derived from a tribe oI
Indians OF that name, who lol-acrly Y
dWelt here, and who now are living
on a reservation near Fort Buford.
lie town itself Is situated OH the
bottom OF the Heart river about two
mics from the Missouri, surround
ei by hills and rolling prairie, hay
ing very fine location and, for .
six mouths old town, has made
wonderful progress, considering the
draw backs it has had from not hav.
ing a bridge across the Missouri to
transport material.
The N. Z. r. II. have transfer
boat holding six cars, which ran
for some time but it has been very
uncertain, as 1t has had to stop
quite frequently on account OF low
water, and from this cause very
little iron has been brought over,
which accounts for over a hundred
miles Of grading and only fifty
miles OF track.
The railroad depot here is abou;
finished and work on an engine
house will soon be begun and
besides this buildings are going up
all the time, the principal one at
present being a large boarding
house. We have our school and
will soon have q church, besides a
news paper, lawyers, doctors and
every branch Of trade conceivable,
including that Of whiskey, which
especially fourlshes, there being no
less than thirteen saloons in town.
Gamo also aboUuds, incIaiing
"seVen up" and "Keno" and there
is hardly q day passes without see
ing hunter come in with three OF
tour deer OF thirty or forty prairie
chickens, winch are especially =
abundant and are sometimes seen
in focks of over q hundred fseding
in the bottoms, and are quite a
harvest to the hunter, besides be-
ing very good eating.
Farming has not been praotised
to very great extent so far =; but
those who have pronounce the
yield OF wheat excellent and ever,
thing else in proportion but sc
much has been said about Dakota
farmers that | win say no more
about 1t but turn to sn5ther great
product OF this country, namely,
coal, which Is found in large quanti
ties all through this section and i,
mined most extensively by Mr.. E
II. Biy Of Bismarck, who at one
time was a resident Of Superior.
The mlne is tnnneled into the side
OF q hill end the coal is taken ont in
vast quantities. and proves quite 3
Godsen1 in this prairie country
whore wood is SO scarce.
Thus we see that the resource:
Of this glorious West are being
rapidly opened up, and, as fast a;
the railroad pushes on, tow us are
started aud land taken up and soor
the people Of the East will opel
their eyes to the fact that Dakots
and Montana are able to vie witt
them III population, production and
manufactures and tie day is no
very far distant when this may b,
reaiZ-d.