Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-05-03

It on the ''coteaus," and back here In Min
nesota, 90 that the grass Was getting to b
: quito green when We were there and hens
the; reason that We were go much gratifet
Iby the presence OF such Q great number Q
water fowls. In places they would literal
Ily coyer the gentle slopes leading rom tn
bench-lands down to the river, feeding OF
. the green, tender grass. These bench land
, have oil the appearance OF some day beinf
the bottom Of . great lake, the coteaus be
ling the we'll marked shores of 1t. East o
the river the valley is from 20 to so miles
T wide. and west of Il, II is sthl wider, ex
tending from 50 to IS miles. The soil can
not we'll be surpassed; there seems to be nc
limit to it's depth. Considering all of it,
advantages, it would be difficult to estimate
its great natural resources for immense pro
ductive wealth. It's length being several
hundred miles, and from 30 to 100 miles
wide. with scarcely . foot Of waste land IN
this entire area. some day, not far distant,
It will become n vast wheat field for
which It seems BY nature more especially
adapted. The water In the river We found
Ito be soft, indicating that wells driven.
which could be done anywhere in q few
hours, would produce the same, quite an
advantage over the Red river valley.
The river flows south. hence in breaking
up in the spring, it would commence break
ing from It's mouth first, SO that the water
and ice would be carried off without danger
from jams and overflow, unlike the Red
river in this respect; besides. the bench lands
are high enough to insure them against such
. contingency in any event. The settlers in
this valley, while they may seem now al
most out Of the world, will be especially
favored, even over those as for east as a
large portion of southern Minnesota; first,
for the reason that they will be able to raise
two bushels of wheat more to the acre, and
at least one grade better quality; and what
will be more surprising than all, they will
be nearer market with the proper railroad
connections. To illustrate this fact, which
will seem strange to those not having given
the subject proper consideration: If We are
informed, the distance from Fargo
to Duluth is 225 miles. A hundred and
seventy.fve miles further would take in a
large portion of the James river valley,
placing those people equal in distance to
market with people in q large portion of To-
wa, as we'll as a large portion Of southern
Minnesota, who are depending upon Mil
waukee and Chicago for a market; and mas
much as the market in Duluth will doubt
less in the future, considering the quality Of
the wheat, be better than either Of the places
named, makes those wheat raisers especially
favored over those far down the James river
valley, should a railroad reach out for them
from Fargo or some point on the Northern
Pacific.
Here is a feature that it would be we'll for
the people Of St. Paul and Minneapolis to
consider, and in the light Of something else
than narrow-guage railroads. These two
towns to-day get very little trade along the
line of the Winona & st. Peter or the
Hastings & Dakota. Even the lumber
to WATERFOWL and other points east
along the line of that road is taken from
Winona. and the goods are bought in Mil
waukee and Chicago, simply because there
are no railroads reaching out in the direc-
ton from this portion of the state. The
lumber and wheat interest of Minneapolis
does not admit of any longer delay in a
railroad movement in that direction. The
mills of Minneapolis will want the James
river valley wheat, and that along the line
east of them. The settlers will van the
lumber, and wholesale men their trade.
They are not getting it to-day. To be fully
convinced of the force of these conclusions,
one want to take just the trip we have
taken. He will then become fully convinc.
ed that the points are carefully considered
and well. taken. our most favorable rec
for the great, unlimited James
valley of Dakota, and an Undertaking
announcement of the opinion, that it is the
the finest valley in the world, with
he following historicalrecord, we conclude
How strange it is that when the treaty was
concluded at Travers de Sioux in 1858,
newspaper writer's announced to the world
it included a vast waste, and some Of
hem pronounced the territory ceded not
forth the paper the treaty was written on. =
That cession only included lands a little t
rest of the west line of the state, a grand /
mpire of itself. The vast gr%ainfelds Of
he future lie west of that. How few peo- {
lie, even here in Minnesota, realize the
'xtent of the vast domain ives. of us yet to
'e occupied, aud its wonderful natural
B. NJ. SMITH.
Minneapolis, Mimi, April %, 1879.