River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-08-02
Dakota Letter.


AIoNTRosE, ID. T., July 23d, 1888.
Friend MogsE;-As it has been many
wears since | troubled YOU with commu-
nication, | transmit the following hop
ing that it NAV do some good, and posSi-
bv no harm In the JOURNAL of July
18th note that gentleman from your
place had returned from the Jim River
Valley completely disguised with the
country Knowing that portion of Da-
kota, as | do, am led to think of the
man who was permitted to return from
Heaven, and stated upon his return that
he I" didn't like it up there because there
wasn't a euchre-deck in the whole place.
Not that any portion of Dakota is Heaven,
or anything so good, but the portion of
Dakota designated as the Jim River Val
ley is an excellent region i'll the main.
After two and half years residence in
Dakota, and during that time it has been
nv lot Ia see much of the territory, | am
led to make the following statement, the
truth of which YOU may depend upon:
The soil, as in all such vast regions, va
ricS in different portions of the territory,
mostly good, but some bad. In some pla-
ceS the face of the country is very flat, in
others from gently rolling to very rough.
In the extreme level portions of the ter
riturv, il is not infrequent to find more or
less alkali, and the soil is rich sandy
loan. Southern Dakota, or what in the
territory has been termed the low coun-
ties, is essentially q stock region, although
the small and other grains do very well,
and small fruit seems to be especially
adapted thereto. The native hay, especi-
aIly in the Nermillion Valley, is the best
wild hay | have ever seen, and cattle
wintered upon it (without other food, )if
properly cared for, come outln the spring
good beef. Now, | do not want you to
understand that Dakota is better than
other fertile and productive regions COM
n,on i'm the western states, other than
that su3 has cheaper homes to offer to the
peunileSs than have the older portions Of
the world This talk about this being
wonderland, aside from the immense
number of settlers that are coming here,
a,,l in the imagination of the town sight
boous, is all nonsense, is just a good
country. no better than Wisconsin, Iowa
or Minnesota were when they contained
government land.
The question that suggests itself to the
reader Is: Had better go to Dakota or
not. and in reply we would say: If you
are in debt and can square up with the
world, by coming here, you had better
come, or if Won have no home where you
If YOU are out of debt, or comparatively
81, and have a good home, small or large
and an assured living now, would say
STAY where YOU are and enjoy it. The
trouble with Dakota is and has been, that
She has been over advertised. People
come here expecting To make money by
the bucket full, and when they find that
many disappoIntmentS and hard knocks
must come before they make fortune in
Dakota, through farming or other iegeti-
mate business, they become discouraged
and curse the country and so home TO
their friends completely disguised with
the country"
In conclusion, let me say, II any of your
people have good homes and are out of
debt. and talk of selling out to come TO
Dakota, tel them not to do SO; but if you
see anyone struggling with debts, without
! a home that he can call his own, urge him
i'm nh seriousness to come TO Dakota be-
fore il Is 10 late.
YouFs Fraternally,
+. {. kIBBE,