Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-27
OFFICIAL REPORTS.

E..-eaHs El-Nl~Z-t
The following are the reports Of Cover
nor Howard and Surveyor General Espel
sen, as made to the secretary of the interior
THE GOVERNORS REPORT.
E%NEcUTlNE OFFICE DAKOTA TERRITORY,
Yankton, September IS, 1879.
SIR: Referring to your letter O the 1Stl
ultimo, requesting | would communicat,
any information for the use Of the depart
ment l might have additional to my last re-
port, l beg leave respectfully to report tina
the year 1879 has been one of upexampled
prosperity in this territory. The crop OF
cereals in three or four counties in the X.
IRENE southeastern part Of Dakota was in.
jured by drought and grasshoppers to . con.
siderable extent, but the corn and hay crop
is very large. In all other parts of the ter.
ritory crops of every kind are excellent.
The value Of surplus agricultural products
must reach several millions of dollars.
While l have not reliable and accurate sta
tislics at hand, l am sure the products are
very large.
The mineral product of the Black Hills
must be at least three million of dollars for
the year, and is rapidly increasing. A large
number of stamps, for crushing the ore, aud
machinery of every kind, have been added,
and it is believed the product of gold will
be more than doubled the coming year.
The mines are proving rich, and the syste-
matte working Of them is proving
alive. The rapid development of the agsi-
cultural resources of the Black Hills and
the large immigration going in and produc-
ing food in the vicinity OF the mines, mus,
lessen the cost OF living and stimulate pro-
duction and insure the reward of all classes
Of labor.
immigration this year has been large, far
greater than in any former year, and this
large increase extends to all parts of the
settled portions of the territory-perhaps
about the same percentage of increase in
each of the three divisions Southeastern
Dakota has had a very large increase of
population. l am told by persons in whom
[ have confidence that az many as three
hundred teams, immigrant wagons, have
passed into the southeastern part of the ter
ritory daily through the summer. Quite as
large a percentage has come into Northern
Dakota. The same may be said of the in
crease in the Black Hills. In the absence
of census returns it is impossible 10 state
with accuracy our present population. The
swelling tide of immigration spread over SO
vast a territory, much of it in unorganized
counties, makes satisfactory estimates diff
lcult if not impossible. Well informed
persons have estimated our population a,
l60, 900, others at 10000, and some as high
as 100000 AT the present time 1 think it
is at least 10000, probably more than that.
The immigration to the Black Hills has
been large and Of a very satisfactory charac
ter. They claim to have, and l think with
good reason, from $4,000 to 10000 inhab-
itants.
Railroad facilities are being largely in.
creased in Dakota. We have of completed
railroad in the territory about 400 miles;
this will be increased before January next
to ver 500 miles. Several strong corpora
tions are pushing their trunk lines into this
territory at various places, as we'll to carry
the products of our rich soil as ultimately
to reach the Black Hills.
1t is but q short time since vast herds of
buffalo roamed undisturbed over these prai.
ries now farms stocked with cattle and
sheep everywhere abound. II is not long
since we we're taught in our eastern homes
and in our schools and learned from our
biographies the story ot,he Bad Lands, the
"Great American Desert" and were left to
believe that Dakota for barrenness was only
equaled bv the Desert of Sahara, and whose
chilling blasts were equal to The cold OF
Greenland; but since it has been demon.
strated that Dakota has a soil exceedingly
rich, has more arabic and lest waste land in
proportion to its size than any state o, ter
ritory in the whole Union. and since md
lions of bushels of grain are already waiting
transportation to the markets of the world.
capital, proverbially tinid, is stretching cut
its arms and with hooks Of steel is drawing
10 itself the carrying trade of an empire.
The interest our people take in educa-
ton and the moral Improvements is stead.
lily increasing. Schools are increased in
number and improved in character ;
churches are multiplied greater re-pec, Tor
law than formerly Is apparent. If We con
slider the richness and exlen, of cur school
lands, 1t will be found that congress has
provided for US a school fund thar, when de-
veloped, will be equal to that of any state
IN the Union. Ii no sacrilig,ous hand shall
be permitted to squander any portion of this
rich inheritance, Dakota will have a popu-
latiOn second to no state for intelligence and
virtue.
In this connection l beg leave to call
your attention to some of the more pressing
needs ofthe territory Its vast extent would,
even under more favorable circumstances,
render efficient government and protection
very difficult to a people so scattered. The
fact that the whole population is embraced
in three distinct and remote localities,
whose business centers are on diverging
lines and very far apart, and whose rail-
roads have as yet no common center within
or near the territory that there are no pub
lie buildings of any kind, and no certainty as
to where the capital shall be, nothing to fix
9 common raliying point ; the pressing ne
ceesity for a priaon or prisons, as we'll for
the Use of the United States as for the terri
tory, thus saving the expense of transporting
prisoners, territorial and national, 1,OOOand
$500 miles-an average of 1900 the prop.
er care and education Of the deaf and dumb,
the blind and insane the necessity Of early
providing for such military measures as
would result in the raising of at least three
companies of militia, one for the protection,
if need be, Of the people of southeastern
Dakota, y for northern Dakota, and one
for the Black Hills, suggest matters worthy
of the attention of congress. | submit the
time has come when the population of this
vast territory, by no means homogeneous,
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