The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-06-21
Dakota, nsrt side

Notwithstanding that the emigration
70 dakota this spring has been so great
mat some OF the lines of railroad leading
lhlther have been absolutely blockaded
Ire Chicago Journal has lifted its voice
against the expediency of the exodus
especially from the state of Illinois, The
story OF Dakota has been in some respects
altogether too highly colored; the
emigration business has been oyerworked
the excitement is about over, and now
come the relapse, Dakota is no doubt
a good place for wheat growing purposes
| ana IS just the place for the poor for
elgner from Sweden OF Norway, OF any
| other cold country in Europe, to settle
IN. but the climate is too evere for a
man who has been reared any where south
OF the tortieth parallel of latitude As
matter OF courtesy on the part of the
geographers. Dakota is placed in the
temperate zone, but when wells
twenty feet deep are frozen over, and
winter sets in about the 1st of October,
with GOODNESS that defes the registry of
of Fahrenheit, and continues until May
it might as well be called cold section
of country.
From letter written to the Aledo
Qn) Record, by Mr. Thomas s.
Sharpe who has been resident of
Hutchinson county, Dakota for the
| past five years. some facts may be
gathered that will enlighten those who are
contemplating settling in that territory.
We quote some extracts from Mr.
| Sharpe s letter:
Persons east will do we'll to accept
With caution the reports about Dakota.
They appear mostly written by persons
who have never raised crop OF seen one
raised North Dakota is a wheat
region. South Dakota is not, and
between is debatable land | have lived
here five years on homestead There
is plenty of good water, but more bad
and some have dug several wells before
they hit palatable water A man can
raise timber very easily; orcharding has
it been tried and determined afailnre
have not seen corp of wheat o.
twenty tiYe bushels per acre; have asked
! old settlers and they have not Las
year the department of agriculture made
the returns for this county at fourteen
bushels This was rather light. but tn,
crop was the best in five years. Forty
bushels of oats and thirty five of con
are good crops and it takes five acres 81
prairie 10 pasture steer through SUMMED
Flax Is our main market crop. and i
fast running land devoted to it. Man,
who undertook sheep farming have giver
| 1t up. Cattle business is the mos
profitable business at present, and III
men who run lhreshing machines grow
poor at it.
There is heavy immigration to thi
Territory, aud much of il of land
grabbing nature Six months, tictitiou
residence, then prove up. mortgage o.
sell for $500 to $500, then leave DakOt
or repeat the game, making a net gain o
perhaps $500, for the six months, is til
programme by thousands, And many a
honest pioneer takes his claim, tolls /
! make home, and in year or two find
himself isolated from neighbors an
declared from the blessings OF society.
If grasshopper or failure of cro
| occur This year, other will he a bigge
, stampede than followed Moses of Ole
1t seems from the above that Dakot
! is not the land of promise, flowing vii
honey, which many people have been lie
to believe, and Mr. Sharpe
representations are abundantly CORRIDORS
ted by others. The man who leave
Illinois for Dakota is going ava,
from home, and don t you forget it, "