Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-05-10

A beautiful prairie, gently undulating,
stretching out either way as far as the
eye could reach, while to the northWard
line of deep emerald green rising up
before them, marked the course OF some
probable stream, which, upon nearer
approach, proves to be the Park river.
This was what party of gentlemen saw
who were driving over the supposed line
of the then proposed Manitoba railroad,
northward from Grand Forks, last July.
The point where they finally made the
bank of the stream was on the inside arc
of large semi circular curve facing
south, and which proved to be just
twelve miles from its confluence
with the Red at what is known as Acton,
d. T. Struck with the singular beauty
and desirability of the location for u
town site, they determined at once to To-
cate town there if the managers of the
road could be induced to cross the river
at that point.
II SCCll1c, OhNfS4, NAV O0ASAo bhbh
themselves had appreciated the beauty
and adaptabilIty of the location, and had
driven their stakes and pinned their faith
to the spot. Early in December, 1873,
7. E. Cooper, of Pine Island. Mimi, who
had been out prospecting, came upon
this spot, and, struck with the natural
beauty of the location, even in winter,
ceased his wanderings then and
there, and, to use the true
western term, "squatted" In the edge
of the timber he built his log shanty and
TO it brought his wife and little ones. In
June, 1879, he was reinforced by F. A.
Beer, who opened small store or trading
point for the few settlerskalong thesPark
river But their location was, as has been
said, twelve good miles from the Red
river, which being navigable, furnished q
possible outlet, and a rapid settlement Of
the adjacent country was not likely to
follow.
COMSTOCK AND WHITE.
Thus matters stood until the arrival of
Messrs. Comstock and White, before
alluded to, who purchased of Cooper 10
acres of his claim (which had meanwhile
come into market and been decided by HIM
as well as other lands adjacent,
and laid out a town site
which they named Grafton. The town
was plated early in September, 1881, and
the first sale of lots was dated September
18th 1t was located on the northeast
quarter of section 13, town 1877, north Of
range So west, and comprised 100 acres,
resting on the Park river on the north,
and sheltered by the beautiful body of
timber which lines It's banks. William
Pierron erected the first building within
the newly plated town site, and from
that time to the present there has been
Steddy, uninterrupted growth, which has,
indeed, been marvellous in the extreme.
Aided by the town projectors, who have
adopted the liberal policy of selling their
lots at 500 piece, instead of holding
them for q large rise, there has been no
check upon its prosperity.
ADVENT OF THE RAILROAD.
The railroad reached them about De-
csmber 25th last, giving a connection with
Grand. Forks, forty-tive miles distant, and
an outlet for produce and inlet for mer-
chandiSe, without which SO large place
as Grafton now is would he an impossible
itv. People curse railroad companies for
real or fancled crimes or misdeeds, but
when one comes to reflect upon the vast
area Of productive lands which without
the roads would never be available, of
the thriving cities and towns which could
never have had an existence except for
them when one comes to think of the
vast increase of wealth and population
whiC h they have brought to our western
prairies, the heart must soften to them
a little. So it is with Grafton and Walsh
county. The same beautiful lOca-
ton for a town-the same area of unri-
vailed farming lands has been in existence
ever since "the morning stars sang to-
gether, " or at least since the waters of the
great inland sea were relegated to their
proper place and were commanded to
give up their fertile bed for the use of
man--yet until the approach of the road,
they remained tenantless, void and wild.
GEOGRAPHY.
The geography of this region, of which
Grafton is the center and county seat, is
as follows; Bounded on the east by Red
river, on the north by the north line of
township 158, on the west by the western
line of range SO, and on the south by the
southern line of township 155, we have
county 24X54 miles in extent and pos
sessing attributes which make it no
matter of wonderment that people should
select it for their homes
TOPOGRAPHY.
The surface of Walsh county is gener-
ally level, or gently undulating, except in
the extreme western part, where range
of low hills, called the s'Pembina Mount
AIMS" rich in coal and other minerals,
give something of a diversity to the gen
cral outlook. These are but the termlna-
ton of range which begins within the
Manitoba country and loses its existence
in Grand Forks county to the south.
They cross Walsh county about thirty
two miles west of the Red river, from
north to south, and furnish many beauti-
full landscapes, high table lands, pictur-
csque valleys, and rough, rugged hills.
The Forest and Park rivers, which rise in
these hills, and traverse the county from
west to east until they lose themselves in
the Red, with their numerous branches
drain the country, while along their
banks are found invaluable belts of tim
Der, composed of oak, elm, ash and soft
woods, from one-fourth to one-half mile
in width.
SOIL.
The soil of the famous 'sRed River
Valley" has become world wide in its
fame and needs no description here.
Walsh county has the same rich loan. or
vegetable deposit soil, with subsoll of
light clay, which is itself rich and pro-
ductivc and precludes the possibility of
wearing out.
OWNERSHIP.