The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-08-17
MANKATo FREE Press
FRIDAY, AUGUST Il, ISSS.
Red River Valley.

Editor Maxlicld OF the Currir Mn
ncSofida, who took the Northern nIp
with the Editorial Association. civ, s
the following description of he great
y hoomed Red River valley:
Before we started we promised To
take notice and give corr ct dcs-
,ription of the country, AMI ~ every.
body has read and heard So much "f
the wonderful Red river valley, ",
will first tell What we SAW o. it. oar
eyes first looked upon il the mnrnuc
OF the l9ih as we approached Moor
l'ad which is ii city of several thou =
and Inhabitants, ami on the east side
OF the river from Fargo. Here ws
took breakfast ut the Grand Pacific
hotel AMI Il few minutes i;rrr We
crossed the wonderful Red River If
Tie North into the land of Dakota, ON
the banks of which is situated lie
once doomed city of Fargo. whose
S,0GO inhabitants have spread lis
limits over several miles of thai pI' =
ci"ls soil. Til" central pafl al The
town Is well built and really puts on
metropolitan airs, suCh as street ears,
electric, lights etc. We are n,w GONG
down the valley. Not the ,lcc, dark
one, but one SO wide that You caurot
see out. The road runs down the val.
ley and ten miles west of the river To
Grand Forks, Il half DAYS ride III
twenty miles an hour. We lock IN
vain to see where the valley comes in,
IL or idea of Il valley is II level on
low land between hills. but here We
ride all day and see neither II cat n"r
ill IN Tie railroad and scarcely Il
bridge, and that OYER 4 shallow ditch.
We strained oar eyes IN vain on either
>lde Of the road but could see no hl.h
Land. II Is the SaiIrall the way down
Ia Winnipeg with Il few exceptions.
Ii ~ IL vast plain, IN immense !lai q,
Il dead level Yet II Is drN ia dry
weather, and We Judge THAI i slight
wet time would cover it Will, water.
The lilSt eight to twelve inches of the
soil is black and and Il hiuish clay
below it. There are some larG" farms
and some good buildings, yet the coun.
try is not as thickly settled as this.
There is but little stock Ia be seen.
and farmers depend upon raising
wheat, oats, and barley. /: IS Tie
much talked of country whrIc they
raise mo hard" and we hclirye IL,
~ The present crop certainly looks
"hard, So hard that it will make ciiy
about six bushels per acre and We
have Our doubts OF that. Thousands
al acres will not pay for cn,iiUg. or
would not in this country. IL is only
about ten inches high.n il little high
e: than the soil is deep. They sa,
they have had Il drought, aud We
! think they have, although we read {,
good deal about wet weather up thera
| Ibis spring. The grass is 50 short
| that Il mower could not eat il au,.
| would not average Il ton toa quarter
section. Yet we believe that when
the seasons are just right they can
raise good crops and good grass, but
| it must not be too wet nor dry an be
made on Il special order on purpose
for this beautiful sea valley.
There are few readers who will not
find something in the September
number of Demorcst'S Nonthiy .U""
o=iHe To please them. The contents
are agrccaly diversified and the NJ.
ticles of an interesting nature. In
addition Ia the serial " Agathe De
NaiSuZe.' there are several well writ
ten shorter stories. Among the arti-
clcs worthy of note is a highly inter
esting sketch of " Margaret, the
ph!lanthropiSt OF New Orleans, writ
ten by RoSamond Dale Owen. Jenny
June. in her article "IIow we Live in
New York gives IL picture Of hnsi,
ness girls" 1lelta l.. Ward furnish
Is "lIome Art and Home Comfort
and Current Notes" discusses top.
les "f general interest. Many of the
articles are fully Iii.S.r:A'd, and the
various departments leave nothing {"
wish ior in the way OF useful infOr-
nation. The frontinpicoc il u hc..u-
tiful steel engaving from Millais'
celebrated painting, The Bride of
I.ammermoOr,' now in the Wander
bilt gallaiy OF New York. No iami-
~ should he without this readable
and instructive magazine. which re-
jectS the sensational, and furnishes
only healthy, pure, and refined liter
allure.