Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-06-02
Booming Dakota.

The widest dreams of the most san
guine Dakota man are more than real
lied by the unparalleled rush for the
public lands. Since the removal of the
snow blockade, every road into the
territory has been taxed to its full
capacity to carry the l~andseekers and
it has been impossible to carry their
effects %inanything like reasonable time.
For weeks after the opening of the
roads. there were freight blockades
along the lines. Hundreds Of freight
cars have gone. heavily loaded with
immigrants effects, into the territory
every day formore than eight weeks.
One notable feature of the immigra-
ton into Southern Dakota is that four
out of five who enter are native born
and the children of native born persons.
The foreigners go mostly further north.
The movement into Southern Dakota
this spring is from the older states and
not from abroad from the New England
states from Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin
and Michigan. The younger Ameri-
cans have only come to understand
that the public lands are being absorb
ed by thrifty Germans, N~orwegians,
Swedes ETC., and that Dakota is about
the last chance. 1t is the garden spot,
and all who look across the rolling
prairieS are enchanted,
The old folks are following "the
boys" and so Dakota is being filled
with a splendid class Of people. Most
Of those who are able to begin work at
~once-they have means enough to build
houses and to live until there is a crop.
Some idea of the rush may be gathered
from the fact there is hardly any I'M
occupied land within thirty to fifty
miles Of a railroad, whereas last fall it
was easy to obtain land within five
miles Of ti%o1lrishing towns.
Dakota is destined to be Of the
great states Of the Union. The cli-
mate is not nearly as severe in winter
as is commonly believed. Throughout
Southern Dakota the thermometer has
averaged at least five degrees higher
than in Wisconsin, and the air is so
dry that the cold is not felt SO
much. There is comparative little
snow beyond the line. During the
rest Of the year Dakota is an Eden.
1t is surprising that there has been so
little speculation in the public lands
in this territory. The explanation is
that actual settlers are eager for land
the spectators have little chance for
it. 1t is hard to find a section within
a dozen miles Of a railroad that has,
nos from twenty to a hundred of acres
broken and mitch of 1t seeded. The
sanguine settler, and every settler is
sanguine, fears none of the usual dis
asters-he believes Dakota will always
be exempt from danger by grasshop-
pers, for Indians tell him grasshoppers
never invaded Dakota.
It is reasonable to suppose thai the
territory will go through the usual
western experience-that it will have
its boom and reaction, its batksets and
it's failures-but Dakota land will al
ways be valuable and will always be
as productive as any land the sun
shines I. 1t is a pity that the young
who are wearing out their lives on a
small salary could not oil be planted
on the rich lands which the govern
1lteht gives away. 1t is believed that
before the summer is over every foot
of land east of the Missouri river in
Dakota will be taken by Settlers Mil
waukee Sentinel.