Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-08-02
Central Dakota.


That part of Dakota traversed by the
G. & n. w. r. r. from the Western
boundry of Minnesota to the new town of
Pierre, on the Missouri river, is probably
not SO much different from that part oc-
cupied by other railroads in the Central
and Southern part of the territory, but
what description of it will give the read
er general idea of the nature of the
country in the Southern half of the terri
tory, or that part which it is now propos-
ed to create into the State of Dakota.
Travelling westward from Winona Mimi,
the country partakes Of the general ma
ture of a prairie country, literally inter
persed with timber, especially along the
streams, until the western part of Mime
sofa is reached, when the timber gradual
ly becomes scarcer, and Onl y the open
prairie is left; this, however, is we'll wa
tered by streams and lakes, and around
nearly every farm house thrifty groves of
timber are found, while not unfrequently
strips of trees lately planted out indicate
that land has been taken up as timber
claims. Smart villages like Sleepy Eye
and Tracy indicate the general thrift and
growth of the country. One of the last
stations IN Minnesota is Lake Benton a
thrifty, little village situated on beauti-
full sheet of water Of the same name and
surrounded by hills Just high enough to
give pleasing variety to the landscape.
Shortly after passing the place a stake on
the side of the Railroad on its eastern
side marked minnesota" on its western
0o1z Oto'3 H.
between the two, and we are now in that
new territory, which during the last two
years has SO rapidly been settled up, and
where so many pioneers have found new
homes. From Tracy west until we near
the James river, the country is generally
slightly rolling, well watered, in some
parts even rather low; as we near the
river the country becomes higher, and
when at Huron we cross the James or
Dakota river, we are on high, fiat prai-
RE, where neither tree or stone meets the
eye as far as it can reach. 'The roaring
JIM" as the stream is facetiously called,
IS about the poorest apology for a river
one needs to meet with While its banks
are fairly high, the stream is no wider
than our "Silver Creek" and there is not
a tree, brush or a stone anywhere in
sight. Huron is a smart, growing town,
with about 1000 inhabitants, but it's stu
alton is anything but pleasant, and one
cannot help but think what a time an
Iowa cyclone would have here, should it
ever happen to strike the town. But
Huron has high aspirations, although for
the oisinterested traveller it is difficult to
hnff hnn0 70
except what the railroad chooses to make
it. Here branch road runs north to
Ordway and is being extended south to
Mitchell, while branch from the O., NJ.
q st. P. r. R. is coming down from the
north almost parallel and only about 8
miles distant from the former The coun-
try is evidently rapidly filling up. All
around can be seen the settlers shanties,
generally 8x10 with shed roof, while
occasionally a fair specimen of a farm
house is met with. More or less land is
plowed up around each house, and the
crops now growing look excellent. For
a hundred miles or more west from Huron
the country is nearly uniform-a high,
level prairie. occasionally broken by low
ranges of hills, and but very sparsely wa
tered. Between Huron and Pierre not a
building was to be seen three months ago,
except the station houses on the railroad.
Now claim shanties are springing up on
every hand, and at every station villages
are being built St. Lawrence, a live,
little village with some 200 or 800 inhab-
itants, is only two months old, and at sew
eral stations along the road the first
houses are now in course Of erection. AS
we get further west the land has not yet
been surveyed or brought into the mark
ct, and the counties not yet, organized
but few weeks or months will see these
matters accomplished. When the rail
road approaches to about within II miles
of Pierre, it crosses Medicine Creek, 8
stream of quite respectable proportions,
and follows its bed between the hills firing
ed with low brush for nearly six miles,
when we reach the Missouri bottom, a
stretch of very rich grazing lands. For
about six miles we run along the river,
sometimes quite close to its banks, then
again at other times a little distance
away. The bottom is pretty well timber
ed, and several islands in the river are
covered with thick growth of timber.
This is all an Indian reservation yet, and
the Indians cut the wood and sell it
for about So per cord. Just at shutdown
MO ,ooob +bo f,,t,1ro oopitol Of