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

Oh the left, the musician ON our right
Here are two rows of green tables-torse
blankets constituting the green cloth-anC
at each table sits a rough looking customer
One runs faro table, another a
''RED AND BLACK"
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 the
''MAXICAN MUSTANG GAME"
and wants You to try him on. Fifty cents
ain much, and there is a great chance to
win" In the rear end you can ''try your
luck" at the
FUNNY GAME or 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-and shanties where
THE FALLEN ANGELS"
sell themselves toy 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 lad, and
yesterday the
STAR-sPANGLED BANNER
tlung-to thcbreeze, from staff at the rail
road freight shanty, indicated that divine
services was being held. A clerical gen
| tleman frem st. Paul was to have been
here, but failed to arrive, and
AN EXCELLENT SERMON,
was delivered by Mr. w H. Roe, a resi-
dent of this place, to an audience of about
forty persons. A Sunday School is about
being organized, and arrangements are be
ing made to have religious services every
Sabbath.
More anon. SPECIAL
The foregoing is Il glimpse of Morris il
1871, and is truthful picture of life "at
| til e trout The gambler, thief confidence
man, cut throat, and prostitutes, like buz
yards follow along the line of newly con
structed roads, to plunder, rob, steal and
prey upon the workman, teamstcrs, and
others employed in its construction. They
start when the crews start, stop when they
stop, as fast as the line reaches forward tC
new station, anda temporary headquar
ters 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 party Of friends took
a trip 10 the then terminus Of the line al
Breckenridge, and the Morris of that date
is briefly described -Four or five houses,
an elevator, depot, and emgrant house
/ The houses, small and detached, looked a;
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.
-. rug an; g,ys;t31..,cz ware erected, aae
the tide of Improvement, which turned il
this, direction, has since kept an onward
course, In that year, two hotels, thrc,
general stores, one hardware store, CHI
harness and one blacksmith shop ont
meat market, three saloons, one lumbc
yard and one elevator represented tht
business Of the village.
Norris, the county scat Of Stevens county
at the commencement Of the year 1899 is
! thriving, vigorous and cnterprising village
/ having about one thousand inhabitants.
is situated in the center of one of the rich
est tracts Of farming country in the north
/ west, and its steady and rapid growth is at
! tributablG TO the fact that the village i
supported by the rapidly increasing trad
drawn from q rich farming community
There is also another cause for our satisfal
tory aud astonishing progress as village
and though we owe much 10 the natura
advantage of situation, soil, marketing fl
elites, and other Important consideration
which do much toward making town, We
to the character, sagacity, enterprise, an
push of our business men, great porto
of our present highly satisfactory progre
siye improvement is due. God made th
county, man makes the town"
We do not intend to make indvidua
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
sent facts and figures, compiled from of
cial sources, and obtained by persons
canvass, showing the steady growth III
substantial progress during eight sho
years, We will let these figures speak bo
for the village, the county and the peopl
In 1878, 5000 bushels OF wheat we
marketed at this station. In 1876, it il
creased to 100000. In 1878, it reach,
270, 900, white careful estimates give
, grand tot,i Of eco, eco as the number
! bushels of this staple cereal which will
marketed and sold ut this point this yea
These figures are astonishing, but the fc
lowing tables prove their accuracy:
!, 1872, acreage of taxable land in CO., 3,6
! 1874, do do do 1873
: 1873 1873 DO DO DO DO % DO 1913