New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-06-21
Letter from Dakota.


yesterday, the first one since I left
home. I have looked for it every day
for the last week as home.news are
doubly dear when person is away.
am getting along nicely with my
school and am well satisfied with Da.
kota, in all respects. There is life
here and fun, too. Coming out here ]
left St. Paul about Q o'clock a. M.
took the st. Paul, Minneapolis & Man.
itoba r. R. and reached Fargo at IL
p. m. 1t was dark evening and no
0mnibuses to pick fellow up at the
depot. The hotels were so crowded that
had I not happened to meet an old
friend, Hans Rukke, on the street, it
is doubtful if could have slept under
roof that night. When I came out on
the street in the morning I fully real
lied that I was in Dakota. The side
walks were crowded with people, not
farmers of the vicinity, for the roads
were so bad that they could not get in,
but with strangers, land hunters and
business men. Here and there, were
groups gathered, looking at a map,
pointing out to each other their re-
spective routes and where they in.
tended to make for themselves flu.
ture home. Land agents had adver-
tisements all around, ''For Sale! Land
in the country, lots in the city, Far.
go is a nice place, with many fine
buildings, but the streets,-why when
I came here people got stuck right in
the middle Of them with empty wa
CONS. The following is clip from
the Moorhead Ne,cs: ssTwo wagons
got stuck in the mud in Fargo yester-
day. One was loaded with two bars
of soap and the other with three pounds
of beefsteak. The police of that city
should see that heartless drivers do
not overload their teams" The lead
ing stores and hotels are lighted with
electric lights and an iron tower le0
feet high is erected for illuminating
purposes. The Argus says: "The
tower electric lights scheme is COM
plete success. They made most ia
vorable exhibit last night and shone
distinctly for fifty miles, making it.
light enough to read paper several
miles from the city, While in Far
go went out into the country about
Is miles northwest, one day, to see
friend, Tore Serumgard, who was
working for farmer. This man was
farming on rather large scale. He
had 5000 acres of land, 2,7OO acres to
sow in, and had about so teams in the
field sowing and dragging. Some of
the drags were 81 #. wide, two teams
pulling each. He had large elevator
in which he kept his grain, and so
many big houses and other buildings
that the whole appeared more like a
small village than a farm. This is
farming in Dakota. To be sure all
the farmers here do not carry things
so extensively as this man. but then
good many do. The prairies were
flooded with water, so in crossing the
Cheyenne river I rode throug h water
for about two miles and had to swim
my horse across slough. 1 took din
ner with farmer about eight miles
from Fargo and he told me that dur
ing the highest flood the water was 2
it. high at his place and as far as he
could see land man can see pretty
far on these level prairies) was water,
water, nothing but water. On the
18th Of May they had grand celebra.
ton at Fargo. The grafton of the day
was delivered by Mr.. Miller Of .sRed
Riper Postea" and speeches, in Nor
wegian and English were made by sew
eral others. While there, ! also had
the honor of seeing the great and no.
torious Dalrymple. On the 10Th left
for Mayville. I had pass on che
railroad, but as I had a chance to
go by team 1 preferred that, ex-
pecting to havea good time, but the
weather turned out wet and cold and
I did not enjoy itmuch. The country
north Of Fargo between the Red and
Cheyenne rivers is beautiful, the
prairies are level rs the floor in a house,
bounded on each side by the timber.
along the rivers. / intended to stay
at Mayville only short time and then
go on to Mouse river, in company with
three others and squat on piece Of
land, but hearing that the Indians
were troublesome there gave II up
for the present. They say that it is q
fine country and just 90 soon as It is
safe to 60, there will be q great fush
to that place, When ] came ia May.
vile theyswere wanting 9 teacher for
tho village school and engaged that