Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1883-05-16
DAKOTA'S BOOM.
1t will take up the Land East
Of the Missouri this SUM
lnpp

4
Of the Missouri this sum-
mer.
Milwaukee Sentinel.
The widest dreams of the most
sanguinc Dakota man are more
than realized in the unparalleled
rush for public lands. Since the re.
moyal of the snow blockades, every
railroad in the territory has been
taxed to its fullest capacity to carry
the land-seekers and it has been
impossible to carry their effects i'll
anything like q reasonable time.
For weeks after the opening of the
reads, there were freight blockades
all along the lines. Hundreds OF
freight cars have gone, heavily load
ed with immigrants effects, into the
territory every day for the last eight
weeks. One notable feature of the
immigration into southern Dakota is
that four out of five who enter are
| native born and children of native
persons. The foreigners mostly go
further north. The movement into
southern Dakota this spring is from
the older states and not from abroad
mostly from the New England states
Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michi-
gan. The younger Americans have
only come to understand the public
lands are being absorbed by the
thrifty Germans, Norwegians, Swedss
etc, and that Dakota is aoout the
last chance. 1t is garden spot, and
all who look across the rolling prai-
ries are enchanted. The old folks
are following "the boys" and SO
Dakota is being filled with splen-
did class of people. Most of those
who are able 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 that there
is hardly any unoccupied land with
in thirty to iilty miles of railroad
whereas last fall il was easy to OBJ
tain land within five miles of -four
ishing towns.
Dakota is destined to be one OF
the great states Of the union. The
climate is not near as severe as is
commonly believed. Throughout
southern Dakota the thermometer
mas averaged at least five degrees
higher than in Wisconsin, and the
air is SO dry that the cold is not felt
SO ihuciI. lncrr rcsSvssaFss,us.s =,
little snow beyond the line. Dur
ing 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
so eager for land that speculatorS
have little chance at it. 1t is hard
to- find IL section within a dozen
miles of a railroad which has
not from twenty to a hundred
acres broken and much of il
seeded. The sarguine settler, and
every settler is sanguine, fears none
of the usual disasters-He believes
Dakota will always be exempt FROM
grasshopper's for the Indians tel
him that the grasshoppers never in
vadeu Dakota. 1t is reasonable J.,
suppose that the territory will g
through the general western exper
ience-tllat it will have its boon
its reaction, its backsets and its fail
ures-but Dakota lands will always
be valuable and will always be a.
productive as any land the su,
shines on. II is a pity that thu
young men who are wearing ou
their lives ON small salary coult
not be planted on the rich lant
which the government gives away
but there is no use Of going to Da
kota without money. Those VIII
have the means to build waterproof
houses, to luy teams and inlple
ments, and to live for year, vii
make money. Others will run risk
of suffering greatly. 1t is believe
THAT before the summer is over, e,
cry foot of land east Of the Misso,
ri river in Dakota will be taken b