Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-01-23
OF GENERAL INTEREST.

OF GENERAL INTEREST.
Colonel Lounsberry Gives Some 1nforma-
tion Relative to Northern Dakota.
Washington Post, 9th.
The following facts of general interest
in relation to north Dakota have been
gathered through an interview with Col
onel Q. A. Lounsberry, editor of the Bis
marck Tribune, who is now in the city
as witness in the star route cases:
The territory OF Dakota has an area of
l53,O0Osquare miles. That portion lying
north of the 46th parallel, for which a
separate territorial government is asked,
has an area Of 5000 square miles, while
Ohio has but 10000, Pennsylvania but
10000, New York but 400, and all of
New England but 68,O0O. o
The population OF the proposed new
territory is 1lO,436, distributed as fol-
lows: Barnes county, 1000; Burleigh,
5000; Cass, 1866; Dickey, 1000;
Grand Forks. $4,000; Kidder, 725; La
Moure, 500; Morton, $500; Pembina,
5000; Ransom, 4,500; Richard, 5000;
stutsman, 4,945; Traill, 1900 Walsh.
| 1900; unorganized counties. 5000. By
the census of 1880 it was shown to be
"a, 1888, and the present estimate made by
| competent persons in the several coun-
ties is justified by the following com.
parative statistics.
The taxable valuation in June, 1880,
was S7,324700; June, 1881, Sis, 1896, ,s47;
June 1882, S24,764,sO5.
The postal revenues for the year end
ing June Both, 1880. amounted to $50, ,540.-
O3; for the year ending June Both, 1881,
to $45, ,4s036, and for the year ending
June 3Oth, 1882, to $75.294.77.
| In June. 1880, there were but two ma.
tional and five private banks in north
Dakota. January l., 1888, there were
fourteen national and twenty-five pri-
vate banks In June, 1880, there were
but nine church structures; now there
are seventy.six, costing $4,000; then
but seventeen school buildings, now 254,
costing $36S, 700; and there are now 327
public and thirteen private schools; then
there were but one daily and ten weekly
newspapers, now there are eleven daily,
forty weekly and six monthly publca-
tions. Then bnt 136,357 acres were un.
der cultivation; now SS3,306, of which
646,325 acres are devoted to wheat, 151,-
382 to oats, and S5,628 to corn, barley
and other miscellaneous crops. The value
of the wheat crop alone will exceed $lO,-
0O,000-remarkable showing for q re.
gion destitute of settlement, even as late
as 1871.
In June, 1880, there were 26O miles of
railroad in operation in north Dakota,
now there are about 845 miles, and about
150 miles in addition are under con-
tract to be completed during the current
year.
Of timber skirtlng the streams and
lakes there are 633, 800 acres, exclusive of
the Turtle mountain region, where there
are $4,000 acres, i'll one body. It is prin-
cipally cottonwood, although ash, oak
and elm are found in considerable
bodies.
Coal is found in unlimited quantities
in the Missouri river regicn. It is fine
quality of Ignite and is in general use
III the villages and on the railroad.
Within the proposed territory of north
Dakota there are one thousand miles of
navigable waters. On tho Red river six.
teen steamers having the capacity of
l0O to $50 tons each and twenty one
barges of thirty tons each are employed. !.
They run down the Red river from Far
go and Grand Forks to Pembina and
Winnepeg. On the Missouri
river there are twenty-five steam.
ers having their head waters at Bis.
marck. They carry $50 to $50 tons each,
and run up the Missouri 1900 miles
northwest to Fort Benton, Montana, and
up the Yellowstone to Miles City and
Billings, and some seasons up the Big
Horn to Fort Custer, and south to the
| Gulf of Mexico.
4 The largest body of agricultural land
within the United States, open to settle.
ment under the homestead, pre.emption
and tree culture laws, is found in Dako.
ia. Although the great bulk of these
lands are unsurveyed, through lack oi
appropriations for the purpose, settlers
are coming from every state in the union
and from the old world, and are even
pushing beyond surveys and into unor.
ganized counties TO occupy them. The
soil is a rich loan, averaging not less
than eighteen inches in depth and in
some instances from three to five feet
The sub soil is strongly impregnated
with lime. The soil and climate
are peculiarly adapted to grain oi
all kinds, and the grasses
afford most excellent grazing and
abundant winter provision for stock. The
climate is all that can be desired. In
winter there is no rain and the snow fall
10 w uilG tuc
quently ranges in the vicinity of zero
the weather is bright. clear and pleasant
During the months of December, 1881
and January and February, 1882, there
were but five cloudy days, as shown by
} the record of the signal office at Bis
marck, and the total snow fall durine
those months was but 2.79 inches, meas
: ured as rain. In February the thermom
eter reached II degrees above zero. Tht
temperature at Bismarck for December
1882, was u IL degrees above zero
highest, IS above; lowest, % below
cloudy days., 5.
The grasses mature before frost anc
remain in the condition of hay during
the entire winter, and as storms are sci
dom, in the Missouri as in the Yellow
stone valley, cattle live and grow fat OF
the prairies during the entire winter.
The stock interest for this reason il
rapidly increasing, and northwestern
!. Dakota will soon be as famous for it,
stock Us eastern Dakota has become fol
9 its wheat.
The manufacturing interest is ais,
developing and thriving towns hay
2 sprung up in every organized and il
some unorganized counties. Fargo ha
y a population of 5000, with street cars
water works and electric lights; Gran,
Forks has 5000; Bismarck, $500; James
: town, $500; Mandan and Valley CITY
0 each 1900; Pembina, Wheatland, Cassel
ton Sanhnrn Tower (Etv Wohretor