The Evening critic., 1883-06-13
DAKOTA TERRITORY.
Wonderful Growth of Country ana
Towns-CIass of improvements Co.
ing On-A Pointer TO Manufacture
ers-GO West, Y. M.

Special Correspondence OF THE EVENING CRITIC.
HURON, DAKOTA, June 8.
II at any Juncture upon one of my three an
nual trips over the southeastern portion OF
this Territory have possessed any doubt as
TO tho real permanency OF the improvements
undergoing here they are wholly dispelled by
the observations have made during tho past
fortnight l have Just returned from long
run over the country toward watertown, Red
field and other points north of here, and many
places south of this point; have talked to
merchants, lawyers and farmers OF the Inn
provements going on, and have looked with
my own eyes and drawn comparisons with the
face OF the country now and ono and two years
ago, and conclude that the
Progress OF the Territory
during that time will outshine anything In
the line of frontier improvements this coun-
took possession OF and lifted Kansas upward
decade or more since is not circumstance
to what has been done here during the last
half decade. / say this in the face of the
patent fact that travellers In Dakota are pro-
verbal for lying, aud knowing that, 1t goes
for the mere saying that a residence In this
Territory of only few days breeds prevarica.
tion In nature and bends one to an inclination
TO the perverse side of rectitute and truth.
And this improvement is not OF the mush-
room sort-no, not by any means. For In.
stance. Huron Is but n three.yearold, aud
there are substantial brick blocks, largo ho
tells and splendid residences, and all the hum
that 5000 people and a division OF great
railroad like the Chicago & Northwestern,
with huge repair shops, depots and elevators
every direction are dotted with elegant farm
houses, TO one of which, three miles south, the
public telephone lines are extended, and
many farms are already inclosed by barbed
wire or hedge fences. There are all the indi-
cations OF lasting improvement that makes
Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and other Western
States what they are. The people are In earn
est.
Growth of Towns.
stopped few days Ia Watertown In the
latter part OF May, 1881. watertown, al
toh hnt Ntun ~ trf nunN t1tn
Minnesota line, is one OF the towns OF which
the popuace OF Eastern Dakota are proud,
and Justly proud too. The place at that time
was about as much OF town as one could
make Of three of the most sparsely settled
blocks OF South Washington. The first place
l stopped In Dakota last week upon my ar
rival from washington was Watertown. / was
amazed at the improvements wrought since 1
saw 1t first. There are now full 1000 souls
there: Majestic brick blocks, half-dozen
good hotels, three banks and scores of fine
business rooms stocked with elegant goods; a
number of churches, fine schoolhouse and
beautiful residences are now on every hand.
The town is, In Western parlance, "boomer."
And yet 1t is not one OF those places which has
sprung up under excitement. on tho contrary,
It's growth has been moro steady than any town
I've seen in the Territory. 1t has come up
from necessity, Its growth being pushed by
development OF the country surrounding 1t.
am told that no county in the Territory has so
large an acreage OF wheat this spring as Cod
dington, the seat of which is Watertown.
| Watertown will continue to grow at the rate Of
1000 people annually, and will not cease its
| raj district will push 1t ahead continually, by
| sheer force. One OF the largest Touring mills
in the Territory has Just gone up there. Her
| citizens gave the proprietor snug sum to
| locate there. He will make a fortune. There
is no place In the Territory where manufac
tories can do better, and there are no towns
| whose people will give greater encouragement
| to manufacturers than WATERFOWL. l was
| shown figures by the Hon. A.C. Mellette, ex-
| register OF the United States Land ONCE and
Fnn n N N n In n hnr
Immense Money In ManuTacturing
there. There is no sale for use for wheat, oat,
nax and other straw In that section, and any.
| would pay like Tabor gold mine in Water
| town. am sure OF this. There's big money
in the manufacture of starch and hominy,
and cracked wheat and oat meal, too. In
short there's fortune In the manufacture OF
| anything that can be made from the products
OF the country there.wheat, rye, oats, flax,
| potatoes, corn, etc., and the citizens offer en-.
| couragement in the way OF money-good,
hard dollars-to manufacturers who will 10
cheap, and the manufactured articles are sold
| at good prices. acknowledge that I'm partial
to Watertown. She has the country, the en-.
terprise and the people; Then the Chicago 4
Ing themselves In the place, and that settles It.
With their aid any place Will succeed. I wac
told in Chicago the other day by the Hon
Great Northwestern, that watertown, Huron
and Pierre are TO be the great towns this side o
| the Missouri River. MIR. Simmons Is truth
| ful and wellpoeted gentleman; but need nc
| confirmation of the statement, my own eye
| sight has convinced me. And while think o
| It, I may as we'll remark that I've been over
/ pretty much all of the agricultural portion o
| the Territory, and find that the most thrifty
| towns and the most fertile soil is found along
| the Chicago x Northwestern Railroad-anC
yet / don't get cent for saying this, am sorry
| to remark.
Huron is a thriving place. She has every
thing to make her a city OF 10000 people
| within 1--WE years. She is a railroad centre
She has the enterprise, the money, WILL
everything. She is booming. But of hei
again Will speak.
General observations.
1t is pity that the thousands of Idle labor
ers OF the East do not come here and go oi
| farms. There fs O great demand for farm la
borers. Wages range from $50 to $45 montl
often hear 1t said, especially in the East
ooh II there would be q failure of crops, ther,
wouldn't be enough railroad capacity to tax,
the people out Of Dakota" Wherever Nv,
been have found wellhlled granaries ant
corncribs-that is, in the country whore ther
| have been two or three crops raised. The peo
pie can stand disappointment here about a
well as in any new country on the globe. They
can raise enough In one year to keep then
Ave. They have come to stay.
There never was such excitement at an,
place as at Bismarck, the newly-selected capl
tai. Residence lots, mile from the city, sci
at 80, 900 to $4,000, am told, and quarter
sections Of land two miles away, sell as higl
as 100000. There are steps already beinI
taken there for the erection OF the Territorial
buildings.
The crops growing are late, but they ar
better than they are In Ohio and adIoinin
States. Wheat 10 slow, but Will surely aver
age twenty bushels to the acre. 1t is tn
Northwestern Territories and States whlc
| CEDRIC.