Morning journal and courier., 1882-08-22

Eh9 DeVtI's lnA& (DakOtAl NeStOn-'Ahe
 Finest Country in the eWorld''-'"sq"nt- ters'' with Guns-A Big Chance for Struggling Eastern Farmers.
 FT. ToTTEN, Aug. ,. To the Edlor rf Ne JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The Turtle Mountains" and Devils Lake, were on every one's lips in Grand Forks, some stoutly affirming that the fertili ty and beauty of the new found region were all moonshine, or, more accurately, "d-n lies'' while others, and they the majority, with equal ardor proclaimed it ''the finest country in the world" It is noticeable that here in the Northwest every comparison challenges ''the world" in general. This IS the region lately opened to settlement by Secretary Teler's decision that the Turtle Mountain Chippewas had no just claim to the 5000, 900 acres they have so long held. Of the correctness of this decision there seems to be some doubt The facts of the case are these When government bought certain lands south of the Lake of the Sioux these lands, north to the British possessions, were included in the purchase, but the Sioux never occupied them, and Iron sHeart, leading Sioux chief, says never claimed them. The Sioux apparently sold what never belonged to them and the gov ernment now bases its claim to the land on such title The Chippewas holding it are puny remnant of the former tribe, number ing not over 800, including their half breeds, and anxious to sell their land for almost any price the government will give them especially as they rarely visited the shores of the lake wandered into the southern part of their possessions on account of the scar city of game there. Certainly it seems as though we ought to provide for these poor outcasts by allowing them small amount per acre, which would be more than enough to provide for them comfortably.
 Some wise old fellow has said that a travel CT in packing his necessities must not forget to put in his box large stock of philosophy, and had he travelled in the Northwest l am sure he would have advised devoting whole box to that not-to be-over estimated necessl ty. The reason for these reflections IS the haphazard way in which the time tables observed. I had, before my start for the Devils Lake country, spent two days in get ting to small town out of Grand Forks, distant about thirty miles, the train starting one day quarter of an hour ahead of time, and the second day two hours and half be- hind, after we had made tremendous exer- tions to be there before Q. m., the starting time. On the day we left for Larimore, the nearest railroad point to Devils Lake, the train placidly stood several hours in the broil-
 
 walked back and forth expressing their timents in emphatic rather than elegant Eng fish, and party of German lovers kissed their sweethearts goodbye" innumerable times as each false start was made. The only patient people on the train were two Sisters of Charity from Montreal who are at the Indian school at the Sioux reservation.
 The country rises imperceptibly from the Red river for twenty five miles in what ap- pears to be perfectly fiat plain-treeless except for occasional belt of timber along some one of the numerous stagnant tributa- ries Of the Red river. The eye searches for something on which to fix itself, and magni- fies the most miserable 'lean to" into re- spectacle dwelling, or loaded hay wagon miles away attracts your attention. Nothing but the amending prairie grass, occasionally broken by bit of the black ploughed earth, stretching away to the horizon. It is mono tony itself. As you approach Larimore the country becomes slightly rolling and drier and lighter than that of the valley. In a wet year like this the dry soil produces much the better crop, and the farmers about Lari- more say that it will any year but an excep- tionally dry one. It makes an eastern man open his eyes to such fields of wheat, some of them certain to yield thirty bushels to the acre. Perhaps some will remember that Larimore half burned down last June, after life of less than two years, but all traces of the fire are now gone except such as may be seen in the uncommonly large kindling piles in some dooryards. The worst hotel in the United States is in Lari- more. Imagine the feelings of breakfast less man at o'clock on cold morning, with open four-seated wagon, into which twelve full grown men are trying to climb, standing before him, and drive of seventy miles planned for the day. Such your correspondents start for the new Eldorado, Devils Lake. However, the crowd was 6 good humored one and soon began to enjoy IA 6iSoonfort nf seat, and bags, guns and traps without num- ber One excitable individual, who never had seen the prairies before, caused much amusement by leaping from the wagon and firing his "Colt's' every time he saw go- pher, soon earning for himself the title, by which he ever afterwards went, of Colonel Gopher" These little animals are similar to our ground squirrel and allied to the prairie dog, but are much smaller than these ! latter The gophers very numerous and l are said to damage the crops by their dig ging. They are very curious and quite tame, ! and will often stand up, kangaroo fashion, while some Dr. Carver empties the barrels of 1 his revolver around their uninjured heads. l Another frequent sight along the road is the skulls and bones of buffalo. The skulls are often placed on stakes as landmarks and in ! the twilight have Q most ghastly effect, the horns shaking threateningly though the ! ghost of the monarch of the plains was about l to avenge itself for such an invasion of it's | IoTueE IASOTlU6 eFuinS ground. sometimes ! one of the huge prairie hawks will perch on one of these fantastic landmarks, and con- ! template 1t with air, one can fancy, of 1 melancholy, as though expecting before long | a like fate. Certainly when one looks at the | numbers of claim shanties that have sprung | up since last spring he must agree with the | hawk, that it's days numbered. Last 1 March there was scarcely hut beyond Lari- 1 more Now for thirty miles nearly every l claim is taken and where there are any crops | they look finely Some of them were sown l on the sod that is the turf was only broken ! by the plough and no backsetting or har- 1 rowing was done, yet these fields will many l of them yield over twenty bushels of wheat l to the The road is followed by line of telegraph poles which were lately put up l by the soldiers of Fort Totten, some of ! whom we met carting the wire with six mule l teams.
 Our stopping place for dinner was Wam- l duska on Stump Lake. The town consists of 1 two saloons, one general store, a stable and l blacksmiths shop and four houses A large l hotel Is nearly finished, which the town-site | projectors expect will be great success as a l watering place. although the railroad now | graded has left the place by some ten miles | Stump Lake Is in general shape ''V,' with | gently sloping banks wooded here and there l No doubt in years to come it might be a pleasant resort but to be planning pleasure
 ulaces before the people have houses to live ! in seems to conservative eastern man rather
 absurd. The land becomes more rolling and
 in places almost hilly you approach the 1 eastern end of Devils Lake. We caught our
 first glimpse of the lake the sun was we'll
 down in the west, and very lovely it was too,
 with it's fresh green bluffs and patches of 1 woods. A rich meadow, in the foreground
 leading down to the waters edge, furnished
 the only bit of life in bronzed and deeply l furrowed pioneer, who was turning the sod
 that had never known the plough before | My companion was seized with a desire to
 plough the primeval turf and before anyone
 realized it he was holding the handles of the plough and talking to the oxen in true far
 mer fashion. We had no idea we were in | Palestine but all at once we drew up before mud plastered log hut, with fringe of In
 dians and half-breeds squstting about it,
 which bore the rudely painted sign "Jerusa- lem P. O." l sent a postal to see if anything could get into the world from such an out of the way corner in it. The postmaster tucked the postal between the logs of the wall and