Morning journal and courier., 1882-09-12
CORRESPONDENCE.
Hrom Fort TOtten to s>JimtOSy n''--The Northern Pacific Railroad and It's Po- lite Employes-ssBonanza Farming"- IIarve ,ting-FarG0.

lite Employes-ssBonanza Farming''-
 Harve -ting-Fargo.
 FARGO, Dakota, Sept ?.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 We were to go from Fort Totten to James town by the government mail stage' and had pictured to ourselves brilliantly paint ed affair drawn by four fine horses, or, bet ter still, the wild mules of which the early travellers across the continent speak so glow ingly. When miserable, broken-down cart, in general appearance like some of the old express wagons of New Haven, drew up be- fore us we were prepared to say with Little Buttercup that 'things are seldom what they seem." This vehicle was either drawn by or propelled q have never been sure which) by discouraged looking mule and object that had once been 8 horse but was then hobbling skeleton over which a skin was thrown. To such base uses does the Star route system bring our mail service.
 The country through which we passed was slightly rolling until the Cheyenne was reached, whom the banks are high bluffs and the bottom land is covered by a fair growth of timber. Here we found a lonely little log hut built many years ago as a trappers house, but now a wayside inn and postoffice. This rlver forms the southern boundary of the Indian reservation, and from this point at long intervals are seen the huts and herds of settlers, here and there grain field or piece of ploughing. An occasional glimpse of the Dakota, or Jim river, sluggish stream losing itself at times in the broad marshes or spreading out into duck-frequent ed ponds, alone breaks the monotony of the prairie. The night spent with some Maine people, as I discovered by the sugar cookies known as militia cake" served with our breakfast. They liked the country but were anxious for neighbors Many fine farms with wide-stretching wheat fields make the approach to Jamestown, or as every true Dakotan calls it, ''Jimtown." Some of the fields arc mines of wealth this year to their ! owners, as they will yield from twenty-five ! to thirty bushels of wheat or sixty to ninety bushels of oats to the acre. This seems to 8 | Connecticut farmer incredible, but~the thresh- 1 ing machines are daily proving it.
 Jamestown is prettily situated on mar | row plain bordering the James river, with steep grass covered bluffs on both sides of the town. Along the banks of the river is 8 fair growth of trees which form a pleasant l background and slight elevation, sufficient here to be called hill, makes pleasant res l idence portion for this energetic little place 1 of 1 200 inhabitants. Three years ago a sol 1 dier landed here on the way to Fort Totten 1 and saw only few miserable shanties. The same soldier came down for the first time | since when we did, and he could not express | his surprise at the change. The place now l has several elevators, always the most con- spicuous objects in this territory, half doz- 1 en hotels, two banks, houring mill, brew l cry, stores where all the necessities from needles to huge harvesting machines be | bought, and some fine houses The finest building in town is the new light sandstone l structure of the James River National bank, | the cashier of which is MT. w. W. Dudley, formerly of Guilford, Conn., Jamestown in western parlance has been ''boomed," so that now 25 feet business lots are selling at from S1, ,5OO to $3, ,OOO, and 50 feet dwelling lots on the hill for $45O, with every prospect, the citizens say of going higher. This cutting
 up towns into % foot lots is peculiarly aggra- | yating when there is the whole prairie to spread over. Hardly man seems to realize the advantage of stretch of lawn about his
 house, but every one crowds into his little
 New York city lot as though it was desirable
 to be able to shake hands with your neighbor
 out of the second story windows.
 The Northern Pacific has just finished
 grading a branch road running some thirty | miles northwest, and it is supposed it's ter | minus will be somewhere in the Turtle Noun tain country, touching on the way the west l ern end of Devils Lake, where 1t Is expected I to reach next summer. This will make a
 great stretch of fertile country tributary to
 Jamestown. The Chicago Milwaukee and
 St. Paul road has branch within about sew
 enty miles south of Jamestown, on which
 the people here are counting as competitor
 of that grinding monopoly, the Northern
 Pacific. In one respect at least the Northern
 Pacific is unsurpassed, viz, in the ignorance,
 indifference and discourtesy of it's employees.
 from the ticket agents to the baggage men.
 Of the former there was peculiarly often
 sive specimen at Jamestown, who never
 knew anything about any other station, and
 with so little life left in his emasculated- -ap
 bearing body that he could neither elevate his
 eyes to notice you or his voice sufficiently tc be heard. Another charming habit this roa6
 has of charging five cents a mile, and wher
 you pay on the train additional twenty
 five cents is demanded from the unfortunate
 traveller. They issue 1,00o mile tickets at reduced rate, but limit them to the road eas
 of Bismarck, practically making them useles to the tourist.
 "Bonanza farms' are only to be seen alon 3 | this road, as here alone could capitalists pun chase large tracts of land-most of the Ian in the territory being held in 160 acre sec tions by settlers on government land. w 5 visited the Troy farm, forty miles west c D Jamestown, which was started in 1878 b