Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-01


on the left, the musician on our right.
Here are two rows OF green tables-torse-
blankets constituting the green cloth-and
at each table sits rough looking customer.
One runs faro table, another q
''RED AND Blaze"
and offers to "take you, all the way from
ten cents to ten dollars" This big fellow,
who has eyepently spoiled" great deal
OF bad whisky in his day, runs tie
MEXICAN MUSTANG GAME"
and wants You to try him on. Fifty cents
ain much, and there is great chance to
win, In the rear end you can try your
luck" at the
FUNNY GAME OF KENO"
which game is pronounced by most Gus
toners "the only fair game in the shanty.
Nightly the dupes ARE bled, and the sol
diers and teamsters are beginning to lose
confidence in the confidence operators and
business is growing preceptibly Stacker of
late.
We go outside again All around you
can be seen smaller gambling hells--some
partially disguised slianties where
THE FALLEN ANGELS" rs,
sell themselves for hire. Vice in all its
forms abounds, but like all new and fast
growing towns, Morris must pass through
preliminary purgatory. However, there
are good people hsre as well as Tad, and
yesterday the
sTAR-sPANGLED BANNER
flungto thebreeze, from staff at the rail
road freight shanty, indicated that divine
services was being held A clerical gen.
tleman from ST. Paul was to have been
here, but failed to arrive, and
AN EXCELLENT SERMON
was delivered by Mr.. w. H. Roe, resi-
dent of this place, to an audience of about
forty persons Sunday School is about
being organized, and arrangements are be-
ing made to have religious services every
Sabbath.
More anon. SPECIAL
The foregoing is q glimpse of Morris in
1871, and is truthful picture of life "at
the trout The gambler, thief confidence
man, cut throat, and prostitutes, like buzz
yards follow along the line of newly con,
structed' roads, to plumber, rob, steal and
prey upon the workman, teamsters, and
others employed in its construction They
start when the crews start, stop when they
stop, as fast as the line reaches forward to
new station, anda temporary headquar-
tiers established, tie canvas town together
with its degraded inhabitants moves on,
consequently the early history Of Morris
differs but slightly from that of all frontier
towns.
In the fall of 1872, the editor Of this
paper, together with a party of friends took
a trip 10 the then terminus of the line at
Breckenridge, and the Morris of that date
is briefly described. Four or five houses,
an elevator, depot, and emigrant house.
The houses, small and detached, looked as
if they were a small group of movable
claim shan'ies, minus the wheels.
The town dates its real growth from
1879, as in that year, several new building
ess.. f5s an; gesisssaAes were erected, as.sl
the tide of Improvement, which turned in
this, direction, has since kept an onward
course. Ia that year, two hotels, three
general stores, one hardware store, one
harness and one blacksmith shop, ono
meat market, three saloons, one lumber
yard, and one elevator represented the
business of the village.
Morris, the county seat Of Stevens county
at the commencement of the year 1889 is a
thriving, vigorous and cnterprising village,
having about one thousand Inhabitants. Il
is situated in the center of one of tie rich
| est tracts of farming country in the north
west, and its steady and rapid growth is at
tributable to the fact that the village ii
supported by the rapidly increasing tradt
drawn from a rich farming community
/ There is also another cause for our satisfac
tory aud astonishing progress as a village
! and though we owe much 10 the natura
advantage of situation, soil, marketing ia
elites, and other Important consideration
which do much toward making a town, yc
to the character, sagacity, enterprise, ant
push OF our business men, great portion
of our present highly satisfactory progress
siye improvement is due. God made til
county, man makes the town.
We do not intend to make individual
mention of each business, or Of each firm
even if We desired to do so, space woul
not admit of it. Our intention is TO pr,
4 sent facts and figures compiled from of
cial sources, and obtained by persona
canvass, showing the steady growth an
substantial progress during eight shol
years, We will let these figures speak bot
for the village, the county and the people
In 1873, 5000 bushels Of wheat WEI
marketed at this station. In 1876, it IN
creased to 100000 In 1873, it rcache
270, 900, while careful estimates give
grand tot,.i Of 5G0,Go0 as the number
bushels Of this staple cereal which will |
marketed and sold ut this point this yea
These figures are astonishing, but the TO
lowing tables prove their accuracy:
1872, acreage Of taxable land in CO., 3,6S
1874, do do do 1913
1879, do do do AL Z!
! OF the above amount Of land, there W,
cultivated during that time, the followil
& ,,.1t,,lssr If afrpe.