Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-07-13
A Let tier From Rev. VIM. Jacka.

We are located in what is termed
the southeast portion of the terri
tory, although we are more than 8
: hundred miles from our east OF
our south boundary. Our county is
Aurora, and our county town Plank
inton, town that had its first house
built one year ago last September:
but now makes quite an imposing
appearance on the high prairie We
are on vast sea of prairie, not quite
enough undulatlng to remind you
of pillows, but enough, as general
thing, to drain the land. Occasion
ally we meet 'run" or "draw" as it is
termed here, but what we have heard
miners in Wisconsin call n "swag."
The Fire Steel, n very small stream
in the main, but which swells out
very pretentiously every once in
a while making large ponds in its
course, traverses six townships out
of the thirty two that constitute the
! county. Sage q few willows on the
Fire Steel, there is not tree to be
seen from the James river to Yves
sington hills, a distance Of thirty
miles. The soil, SO far as / have
seen, is rich and deep, averaging in
this section Of country about two
feet 1t seems to have wonderful
terminating power. 1t was the
middle of May before we got to
breaking and we have potatoes in
flower We have corn that was
planted the last week in May, more
than a foot high. Our fax was up
nicely III week after ii was planted.
Beans, in five days after they were
planted, were one inch out Of the
ground. The prairies are rich in
grass. Like fields of grain the blue
Joint waves around us in every direc-
ton. The parties are also rich in
most lovely flowers. Cactuses of
two or three varieties; flower much
/ like the "ten weeks stock" aud quite
as pretty; another much like in leaf
/ the lemon gerauium, and rs beautiful,
are abundant, with many other vari-
cites giving opportunities to gather
a beautiful boquet.
The influx to this country this
! Spring has been enormous. When
we built our house there was not
another that could be seen north of
the Fire Steel; few evenings ago
| counted 33 and some four or five
have gone up since, Some of these
are quite a distance from Us for on n
clear evening we can see a long way,
bat it goes to show how fast the
i country is being settled. The wealth
/ er on the whole since we came has
been very beautiful. We have had
considerable rain but no terrible
storms like we read of in some parts
We have had q few strong elbows"
but not like We expected, 1t does
not blow all the time, not half the
time. In fact, with the exception
/ of three or four "blows," not half
/ as bad rs we have felt in Wisconsin,
we have none too much wind. Sail
we are always expecting big elbows"
Fall and Winter may give new ex-
perience. At present everything
looks favorable If our experience
be but common one, thousands
who are in the states on small farms
eking out a poor living, here, with
but year or two's pinching could
be in good circumstances. They
/ could turn the value of their little
farms into stock, and have a half
section of Uncle sam for compare
tive'y nothing. Here are opportuu-
tiles for whoe families to get close
to each other. | have met with one
man from Columbia Co., Wis, who
came on the same train we did, that
has, with his grown up sons and
daughters taken near three Thousand
acres of land all close together.
Another man with his children, a
few miles north of Us, has taken
about two thousand acres of lard
In each instance the fathers had
/ good farms, sold them for good
prices, aud are putting the money
into improvements and stock for the
whole, and the probabilities are in a
very few years each child will be as
well fixed and with more land than
the father was when he sold out to
come to Dakota w. .IACKA.