Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-07
W the I'M.
Roeknort. the Gibraltar Of the jim Brief
Mention Gifts ousinsss Men and Due.
tness Housss-Rossdals.


&WV ~ NMV A10CA
-1ts Brain aud Drawn, IND Dusi.
moss aad Prespsets-Flrestesl
aud Fiais.
Rockport derives it, name from the vast
bodies Of rock which crop ou. Of the ground
a short distance east and south of the town
site. This rock is hard and Of an excellent
quality for building purposes. 1t lies in
layers varying from n to several inches in
thickness is easily quarried, and will form
Q profitable article for, shipment as soon a.
the coming railroad reaches the quarries.
Other quarries of the same kind Of rock are
exposed on the surface near Rosedale, four
miles farther up the river, and at various
points along the valley and in the neishbor.
ing ravines are extensive deposits of chalk
rock and . brown eand stone which is easily
dressed and makes an excellent building
material. The chalk rock is Of . handsome
light color, is easily sawed or hewn to .
smooth surface, and when thus prepared and
properly laid up makes . Handsome, durable
and at the same time an inexpensive build
ing.
Rockport has made considerable progress
In improvement during the past year or
two and now presents . handsome and
thrifty appearance. J. d. Flick. one of
the early settlers and business men of the
town. has abandoned the general mercan
tile business, and Is keeping . drug store.
He 10 also postmaster aud does more or
less In tbs surveying and land agency bust.
ness. His store lie very neat and attractively
arranged and every indication is that he 10
doing q prosperous business. Frank B
Foster, another of the early settlers, II not
the verv first at this place. continues 40
Jolly as ever, and as land agent, farmer and
proprietor of the village meat market is
prosperous and happy. In bis company
We visited the coy and comfortable home
of our bachelor friends Wright
and Willis, where we spent . pleasant eve
ming In company with these entertaining
gentleman. These gentlemen have been
engaged in the stock business here for three
or four years past, and have met with fat
tering success. They ore convinced by
practical experience that for successful and
profitable stock raising the Jim river val
ley is u%nequalled. And this is the opinion
of all others who have devoted any atten-
ton to this branch of industry. Rockport
contains Q number of we'll stocked stores
of general merchandise, two we'll managed
hotels, . large Touring mill and the usual
number of professional men and mechanics.
LIS newspaper. the Pioneer, has been dis
continued. and transferred to Alexandria, .
new town on the Milwaukee road In the
northeastern part Of Hanson county. where
1t appears % the Herald. Mr.. Baynes, the
editor. who is an intelligent aud pleasant
gentleman, in making this change doubt.
less thought the advantages of a railroad
town for newspaper purposes are superior
to those Of the county seat.
Four miles above Rockport, on a beauti-
full plateau Of ground IN the bank of the
river, is Rosedale, and while the postmaster
"A. ]. Parshall, who is also the founder Of
the city-is changing the mail, the occu.
pants Of the stage have an opportunity to
inspect the city, which, besides the site, con.
sists of the proprietor's adobe house-only
this and nothing more. Mr.. Parshall is al
so register of deeds Of the county, mayor and
alderman Of the city of Rosedale, and dis
charges the duties of his various positions
with fidelity and to the entire satisfaction of
his constituents.
A few miles beyond Rosadale the stage
leaves the old Fjresteel road and strikes into
. little used track which leads to Mitchell,
the present terminus of the grade of the
Milwaukee railroad. We reached the town
an hour or two after dark, thoroughly chilled
by the ride over the high level prairie in
the teeth Of a sharp northwest wind. but
We found comfortable quarters in the
city's hotel and soon forgot the
discomforts of the trip. Mitchell at present
contains . large amount Of brain and Drawn
which dolnot find full employment in the
channels for which they were trained, and
a. active, healthy articles of this kind abhor
idleness it is employed in various way to
kill time. On the evening of our arrival a
mock trial was in progress, in which all the
young lawyers of the town participated,
with judge. jury and prosecuting attorney,
which resulted in the conviction of the &C.
cused, as testified to BY one Of the witnesses,
Of being guilty of the habit of "perambulat-
ing into baneos." With similar pastimes,
the meetings Of literary and debating socie-
ties, dancing clubs, and the moderate ab.
ao.nA;on If q snao;aa If houo.aua l.a-. 4.