Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-02-07
Devils Lake and the Devils Lake Country,
Written for the Transcript.
MApra n r Ion 1r4l, 1000

MAPEs, d. T., Jan. 18th, 1888.
Much has been said and written about
this, the far-famed Devils Lake Coun-
try" of North Dakota, but at the risk of
repeating some things which have al
ready been better told than lies in my
power to do, will give brief descrip-
ton of this section of his Satanic maj
esty's domain" which, despite of it's
somewhat sulphurous title, is byno means
so bad country to live in as its name
might imply.
The Devils Lake" region, which has
been more or less prominently before the
public ever since Sully's expedition, way
back in the COS, comprises pretty much
all of the land lying between the western
extremity of Grand Forks county and the
Mouse or Souris river, and includes the
counties of Ramsey, Foster, Cavilier,
Rolette, DeSmet and Wells, a stretch of
country some eighty miles in breadth by
about one hundred in length, and neces-
sarily embraces wide variety of SOILS,
but all or mostly all adapted to some
kind of agricultural purpose, and most
of it
SURPRISINGLY PROLIFIC.
The lay of the land is a slightly rolling
prairie, interspersed with considerable
bodies of timber along the shores of the
lakes and streams, and although in some
parts, especially along the south shore
OF Devils Lake, somewhat broken and
billy, is mostly as fine farming land as
one need ever hope to find. The soil is a
rich black, slightly sandy loan, ranging
in depth from eighteen inches to three
feet, underlaid in most instances with a
blue clay sub-soil of four to ten feet
in thickness. Such parts of it as have
been cultivated have shown remarkable
results. The crops around Larimore. a
station on the St. P. NJ. & NJ. railroad
some thirty miles west from Grand Forks.
averaging this year over twenty five
bushels of No. 1 hard wheat to the acre,
and in many instances ranging as high on
whole farms as forty bushels.
| DEVILS LAKE,
called by the Indians "Min-i-wa-kon," is
very irregular body of densely salt wa
ter, some sixty miles in length by
about fifteen in width, with coast line
of nearly four hundred miles. Analysis
shows that the waters contain sulphates
of soda and magnesia and chlorides of
soda Common salt) and magnesia, which
medicinal qualities taken in connection
| with its picturesque location and our
magnificent climate, will make it one of
| the most sought after summer resorts in
the west. In fact, l may venture to say,
no where else in the United States
can be more etfectually combined the
search after health and wealth, which
with so many Of US must necessarily go
hand in hand.
There is already on the lake small
propeller, owned and built on the spot by
the U. S. Government, also several fine
sailing yachts, and in process of con-
struction, an elegant side-wheel steamer,
which is being built and will be run by
Capt. Herman, late of Reeds Landing,
MINI.
STUMP OR WAMDUsKA LAKE,
another body of salt water which shows
| the same chemical analysis as the waters
of Devils Lake, is situated some seven
miles farther east, and was undoubtedly
once part of its larger sister. Although
somewhat smaller than its compeer of the
Satanic title, being about eighteen miles
" IF fxHyn nd half
| wide, it loses nothing in comparison as
| regards picturesqueness of scenery, being
in that respect gem such as is rarely
seen. Its eastern shore is density wooded
ern part, while on the west, rise the Blue
| Mountains, range of hills which can be
distinctly seen, on a clear day, for a dis
lance of eighteen or twenty miles. The
medicinal properties of the waters of this
lake are the same as those of Devils
Lake, with the exception, perhaps, of
being trit1e more pronounced. AS cure
for rheumatism, they are specific which
has never been known to fail, and I can
| point to several instances where sufferers
from that complaint have been complete
| ly cured by liberal use of it's waters.
There are several sailing yachts on the
lake, and there has been considerable
talk Of a steamer, which, although it has
failed to materialize as yet, Standardized
ly only a question of very short time.
There is town on the north shore of the
lake, which at one time, bid fair to de-
velope into quite thriving burg, but be-
ing left out in the cold by the railroad,
which runs some eight miles north of it.
has lately rather languished, the business
having mostly gone north to the towns of
Mapcs and Bartlett. There is, neverthe-
less, fine hotel there, costing some
where IN the ncighborhood of $4,000,
which is ably run, and would make
most desirable stopping place for any one
inclined either to try the curative powers
of the water or slaughter some of the
game with which the lake abounds.
Many who are not conversant with the
past of this country, will perhaps ask
why, if this country was SO we'll known,
as far back as the eos has it not been set
tied before? To those will say: This
immense body of land, comprising, as it
does, some 100000 acres of the finest
wheat lands of Dakota, was for years
supposed to be the property. by treaty,
of the Turtle Mountain Chippewas, a
tribe consisting of only about $50 In
dams, but in May last, the Secretary of
the Interior. Hon. Hill Tellar, announced
that these Indians had not
| SHADOW OF CLAIM
to these lands, they having been decided
to the United States by the Sioux Indians
by the treaty of 1868. Even prior to this
decision by the Secretary of the Interior,
this splendid country had proven terri
bic temptation to land. hunters, hundreds
of whom yielded, and located on the
land even when there was no immediate
prospect of obtaining title. Since the