The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-08-01
DROPS FROM DAKOTA.
A Sedalian's Wanderings in the
Alkali Country Of the North
He Tells What He Has
Seen.
FARGO. ID. T.. July %, 1882.

EDITOR BAzoo: promised you letter
from the golden northwest. II | were a
Mark Tapley possibly from the country oi
Edens.I might write something to entertain
your MANY readers. But between the dire
effects of alkali water and the vicious at
tacks of the myriads OF mosquitoes, | doubt
my ability to saw anything pleasing.
Yet this. Is In some respects, a great
country. For miles and miles We have
travelled through an immense wheat field.
II this crop will average tw. nty bushels tn
the acre and can he raised with any reas-
enable certainty, it will surelv make this 8
great and wealthy state. Some doubts ex-
Isl as to how long the soil will produce
small grain without change of crops. yet il
has been done for six or eight wears and
seems as good as ever now. The whole re-
sources an wealth lie i'm the wheat crops.
Ii ii shonIJ fail only one season thu re-
suit would be far more disastrous than any
failure Of crep, in our county would De To
us. But after nine years experience in
this immediate locality the people are more
sanguine than ever of the outcome Of this
county.
1t is the great lack in everything except
wheat :hat il seems To me must always he
a great drawback To think of il, they
have six months of very cold winter wealth
er, ard the coal they burn is brought from
Iowa and Pittsburg. The timber amounts
to nothing, even COR fuel. They cannot
raise cattle or horses here with profit
Our landlord told me he bought his beef
in ST. Paul. The fruit is shipped in from
Michigan and Illinois. The only thing
they manufacture is flour and paper. The
paper they use in building to make the
houses warmer.
Fargo is prosperous city on the west
bank of the Red River of the North. The
valley of this river so noted for its rich
ness is about ten miles wide, very fiat and
very wet. In dry seasons ii produces ini-
mensely this season il has Jared badly
The to~n was established in 1873, but did
not thrive until about 1873. when it began
10 grow. II has about 5000 inhabitants
The houses are all frame. and veneered, as
they term il here, that is, frame house
with brick around the outside They have
no stones for foundation or paving; they
build on piling and concrete, and the
streets are unpaved. Our city fathers
would he perfectly happy if they could see
these streets just once. There are mud holes
which appear bottomleSs, and whole
streets, except the sidewalks, unused be-
cause of them. This, too, in July; fancy
how it must be in the spring.
Town lots are held at fabulous prices
Two We had priced in one block at ST.
600 and $4,000 respectively, and only one
house built in that block.
Red River is fraud The water is strong
alkali. and there are no fish in it. / un-
derstand John Hogue, after months close
attention to business, caught two good cat
fish out of it, East of here about forty
miles, are some splendid lakes in Mime
sofa. We spent day or two there with
good luck, but our guide told us there were
only four democrats in that township, and
a large number of prohibitionists, So We
left The people are all Scandinavians,
and don't know any better.
They rave no fences in this county ::
they lariat the cows and stake them out
The poor animals don't look like they
thrive we'll. I'm satisfied, from actual eX-
perience at the hotels, that they give very
poor milk.
Tomorrow We go To- look at some town
lots about three miles ont in the prairie
which we are told are offered at $50 apiece
Ii We invest We will write again.
]. NJ. JR.