Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-01-12
DAKOTA'S NORTHERN JEWEL.

The Future Great City OF Northern Da.
kota-Her capacities and Possibilities
Something of the Surrounding Section
The Old Settlers Association-SOme Old
Denizens Of st. Paul The Brightest
Jewel in Dakota's Coronet.
Especial Correspondence Daily Globe.
GRAND Forks, Jan. This fourishing
village of fifteen hundred people is situated
on Red river near its confluence with Red
Lake river. 1t is practically the head of nav
igation on Red river and for the future
will doubtless remain such. From this point
it is said steamer can take at all stages
tow of 100000 bushels of wheat down the
river. For forty miles back the country is
settled, but not very thickly-the bulk of
settlement being at present confined to
radius of eight or ten miles. On the river
the settlement extends forty or fifty miles
each way. In this area large farms are
already opened up with an average of
from fifteen to five hundred acres under Gull
tivation already. On the Minnesota side for
fifteen or twenty miles along Red river,
and from four to six miles back, the country
is perhaps the finest in the Valley. 1t is
drained by coolies or ravines, which on leav-
ing the river diverge into thousands of
smaller ones, which give effectual drainage
for miles back. For twenty five miles down
the river there are large quantities of timber.
from three to four miles deep on the Mime
sofa side-the belt widening to nine miles q
short distance below, and it is said there is
more timber in radius of twenty miles
from the Forks than there is in the remain
der of the valley even to Lake Winnipeg.
In 1871 Capt. Alex. Griggs settled here
and established saw mill. There was not
then another settler within sixty miles. For
the first five years the place grew very slowly,
but after while emigration came and the
town and the adjacent region
began to improve rapidly. The
town had the fortune to develop
less rapidly than the surrounding section,
and is to day reaping the benefit thereof.
Enthusiastic residents confidently assure the
visitor that within two years the Forks
will have 10000 inhabitants, and in proof
thereof cite the sagacious manager of the st.
Paul & Manitoba road as authority for the
prediction. 1t is said that fully q million
bushels of wheat will be received at the ele-
vators here from points up and down the
river, and that an equal quantity will be
brought in by wagon. In addition to all this
it is claimed that here is the entrepot for the
vast quantities of pine on the Chippewa
river, which of itself will make this big
business point. Sites for eight elevators
have been selected, of which two are already
finished, and three more in process of erec-
ton. Two saw mills and one grist mill are
already erected, and another grist mill is al
tod ND nlx1 Coz,
cry.
A two story court house of imposing ap.
pearance, costing $4,000, was built last
year. There is also graded school and
four churches Catholic, Presbyterian, Epis-
copal and Methodist. There are now sew
enty three business places in the village, and
lots are selling from 1926 to $1,O0O-the last
named being on Third (the principaD street
There are three good hotels here-the North.
western, Mansard and Wet house. The first
named is an especial favorite among the
travellers, and is kept by P. Carroll, SO long
and we'll known as the night clerk of the
Merchants hotel in st. Paul. "Pete'' hal
'sstruck it rich'' in this country, and as every
st. Paulite will fully recognize, is thorough
ly deserving of his good fortune. Every
traveller who sojourns under his roof viii
echo this sentiment in all its length anG
breadth.
There is also boat yard here which does
all the repairing and building for the Rec
River Transportation company. Tho St.
Paul & Manitoba Railroad has been com
pleted to this point and graded eighteen
miles beyond. Railroad talk is the rage
here, and one or more narrow gauges leading
into the back country are contemplated, and
will doubtless be built in the near future.
Grand Forks county is 48 by 60 miles il
extent, and contains as much and as fine
arabic land as any in Dakota. The average
yield of wheat last season was twenty five
! bushels to the acre-in some instances reach
ing as high as thirty-si1. The Fargo lan6
Office records show more business from this
county than any other portion of the dis
trict-due to the fact that it is out of the
railroad limits and subject to homestead
and presumption settlement in it's entirety.
A meeting for organization of the Old
Settlers Association of the Valley was held
here few evenings ago, and measures taken
for permanent organization about the
middle of February, when grand blowout
is contemplated. It includes only the II
settlers. The GLOBE herewith places on
record a complete list of the old timers
Capt. Alex. Griggs, Nick Hoffman, D. P.
Reeves, Nj. L. Mccormack, A. s. Freeman
John Fadden, VIM. Bulge, j. s. Eshalman
Mat. McGinness, Colin Mclaughlin, Frank
Viets, Thomas Walsh, Alex. Blair, B. E.
Haney, Geo. Akers, Geo. Ames, VIM. Blair
Geo. b. Winship, James Hanarhan, w. j. s.
Trail, w. G. Nash, Andrew Kemble, James
jerks, 2. NJ. Hunt, +. M. Walsh, VIM
Haney, R. M. Probtsfeld, Henry Shepard, G.
M. Clark, Asa Sergeant, H. Morgan, Mai
Hamers, M. Shelley, Geo. Weston and E. r.
| Hutchins, commonly known as "Old Hutch
| Old St. Paulites-many of them familiar
faces abound hereabouts as thick as black
berries. Among them are M. Callaghan
who is driving fourishirg business in
hardware; Capt. NJ. L. Mccormack, of the
firm Of Griggs & Co.; Pete Carroll, already
noticed Thos. E. Bryne, and many others
too numerous to mention. w. j. Doheny is
also one of the leading grocery merchants
here, and is doing much more than snug
comfortable business. Hon. Geo. 81. Walsh
another old citizen of st. Paul, is one of the
leading business men here, and has long
since become an important factor in work
ing out the progress and development of
Grand Forks. Mr.. Walsh is the president
of the territorial council of Dakota and in
future political complications may yet grasp
the scepter of delegate to Congress. He is a
Il