The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-07-12

long. A couple Of miles further on Is st. Peter,
the location of the State insane asylum, pen
tentiary and Swedish Lutheran college.
One Of the points of interest during the al
tern0on's ride was New Tim, a German town
of $500 inhabitants. In 1862 this place was
ravaged by the Sioux Indians during the
MEMORABLE MASSACRE
of that year 1t was alleged by one of the party
that New Ulm had reputation for making
superior lager beer, but couple of the boys
who were skeptcal enough TO desire person
al knowledge Of the assertion made an untav-
orable report Supper time found US at
MARSHALL MINI,
545 miles west of Chicago. Here we passed
the night, making the acquaintance during an
evening of terpsichorcan recreation arranged
for our pastime Of rs pleasant and intelligent
lot of people as can be found IN any OF the
older portions of the Union.
We were now fairly into the land grant of
the Chicago d Northwestern railroad, which
comprises over million acres of
THE CHOICEST FARM LANDS IN THE WORLD,
These lands include all the odd numbered
sections lying within twenty miles Of the
Wnona Il st. Peter railroad, IN the counties
of Brown Cottonwood, Redwood, Murray,
Lyon, Lincoln, Yellow Medicine and Lac Qui
Parle in Minnesota, and in Grant, Codington,
Deuel., Hamlin and Bookings counties in Da-
kota The general typographical character
of this land Is high rolling prairie, traversed
by wooded streams and dotted with hundreds
of lakes, forming in combination a perfect
system of drainage. There is hardly an acre
of waste land in the whole tract of over Il mil
lion acres From st. Peter to Lake Kampeska
(G32 miles from Chicago, and the terminus of
the Wlnona & St Peter division of the North
western road the eXcursionists were astonish.
ed and charmed with the richness of the coun-
try and its apparent availability. The soil is
like that of the wheat growing Northwest gen
orally a sandy loam with clay subsoll which
retains enough moisture for any emergency OF
drouth The roads are always good, owing
to the excellent drainage and the porous
character of the soil, and such thing as II
team getting STALLED" IN the mud is unhcard
OF. The question of fuel is an important one
in this section, and to our minds there was al
grave doubt as to the sutficiency of wood or
coal but when we learned that cottonwood,
oak and ash sold at $500 for green $500 for
dry,) dry maple at 5000 and $500 and Hi
nOis coal at So we were no longer fearful
that the settlers on these great western pral-
RES would suffer Tho "timhcr bc'' orr
big woods" which extends from the heed.
waters Of the Dcs MOincs, in the vicinity ni
Marshall, for several hundred miles, with al
average width of forty miles, will furnish an
ample supply for years to come. In some IN
stances hay is burned for fuel \ hay stove
has been invented which is as complete in all
Its arrangements as any OF the best coal
cooking stoves IN the market, and with hay
at 81 and $50 per ton, or obtalnable for
the mere labor of cutting and hauling, it
seems that all doubts about the supply of
= ,tn;, at
fifteen to fifty feet deep, good in quality and
looked splendid-the wheat for which this
region is noted, promising a great yield this
year Corn looks nearly as well as with us in
Northern Illinois, and oats are not whit be
hind the wheat and corn. Flax and barley,
where they are raised are in fine condition and
will make firstClass crops, no illtortunc inter
vening, Lands sell at $3.50 to 50 per acre. and
immigration is pouringn by the thousand this
season One of the most promising regions
in the whole Northwest is the Jim" river val
ley, about sixty miles west of Lake kampes-
ka, extending from Yankton, the junction of
the Jim" with the Missouri, several hundred
miles northward to the Northern Pacific road,
with an average width of - miles This val
ley will eventually be the garden spot OF Da-
kota.
STILL WESTWARD 10.
Leaving the kind people of Marshall the
following morning we were again on the west
ward trail, accompanied by the Marshall brass
band who courteously offered their services for
the day At noon we reached the western ter
minus of the Northwestern at Watertown, Da-
kota Territory, where we were met by the cit
lzens en- nidsse-brass band, anvil, banners, ct
cetera, thrown In" A ride to Lake KAN
pcska, four miles distant on the open prairie,
was an excellent appetlzerfor the dinner which
awaited us on our return. Watertown is just
four months old and has 100 houses. The
population is composed of sharp, intelligent
go.ahead men from the States who have gone
out there to become solid citizens and grow
up with the country" There are two good
newspapers in the place, four hotels, a livery
stable and other business places in proportion.
At Gary, thirty five miles east of Watertown,
the citizens had just been having an
GOLD SETTLERS REUNION"
The longest period of time any of the old
settlers had resided in that town was seven
years! But out in that country any man who
has been there long enough to get shaved is
an old settler.
Boarding our train once more we were soon
retracing our steps to kasota junction where
we were joined by J. II. Drake, land commits
sioner, w. H. Dixon, general ticket and pas
senger agent, j. G. Boyden, general freight
agent and G. W. Hubbard, private secretary
to Mr.. Drake, of the st. Paul and Sioux City
railroad, whose guests we were for the next
two days: representatives of the st. Paul and
Minneapolis press, and number of country
editors, all of whom had come down from st.
Paul IN special car to join us in our trip
over the st. Paul IL Sioux City railroad, With
this addition we were quite a formidable and
certainly pre-eminently respectable party.
AN EvENTFUL DAY.
Our programme said we were to breakfast at
St James and dine at Window; but st. James
had been passed without halt and Window
was almost in sight when the air brakes were
applied and our train stopped opposite farm
house. We were then vouchsafed the infor-
nation that this was surprise; we were to
take breakfast as the guests of X. Barden, Esq,
upon whose land we were. Scrambllng up the
hill we entered Mr.. Barden's premises and
upon the lawn long table was discovered,