The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1883-10-13
The West Missouri Country.


terviewed Col. Lrmborn, of the
Northern Pacific road on the West
Missouri country. The Colonel said
amongst other things the following:
During the last year at least S,000
people have moved into the western
half of Dakota, which was supposed
few years ago to he almost a worth
less territory. But that counts for
nothing. as up to 1873 it was not sup
posed that the land around Fargo was
tit to cultivate. AT New Salem, for
instance, Il short distance west Of
Mandm, we have sold German col
ony of 200 families 10000 acres and
they have taken up the government
land in two townships. In the last
twelve moths our road has sold no.
600 acres west of the Missouri. New
discoveries are being made all the
time i'll regard to the resources of
this territory. 1t is now proved that
corn can be grown west of the Mis-
souri,. l have myself seen corn eight
feet high.''
''The most of the people who come
in are foreigners. are they not!'
''Not at all; that is a very mistaken
idea. / estimate that fully seven
tenths of all the people that have
settled upon om line are emigrants
from the states further east. This is
only repetition of the experience of
the other transcontinental lines
Dakota was settled by people from
Minnesota; Minnesota by people from
Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio. The
parents stay where they stop; the
children go west.'
'How are the people along your
line in the treelcss districts of Dako-
ta and of eastern Washington and
Oregon going to get fuel!'
''fhe fuel question for the North
ern Pacific we consider absolutely
settled. All along our Dakota line
there is an abundance of Ignite.
much of it of a very superior quality.
At Dickinson, for instance. all that a
man has to do if he wants to get coal
is to send man and a wagon to the
bluff. Wells dug Is feet strike beds
OF this Ignite. That is one great adj
vantage our line has over other trans
continental routes. So far as am
Informed those roads have not as yet
found any coal deposits between the
Missouri river and the Rocky noun
tains. Along our line there is hardly
II lifty-mile stretch without Ignite OF
bituminous coal. We shall do a
large business hauling this coal back
and forth along the line to places
that are not supplied with coal OF
wood, and will be able to supply it at
prices in the neiglborhood of So. per
ton; that will enable every one to Oh
tain a full supply of fuel. With ref
ercnce to this question of fuel, let me
call your attention to one popularity
of our climate: 1t grows warmer as
you go west. The Sth of last March
l left st. Paul for Fargo, with the
temperature 10 degrees below zero
and several feet of SNOW on the
ground. This weather ! found to ex-
tend west of Jamestown, but when
passed the coteau of the Missouri
found that the weather was great
deal warmer. The cold winds from
the Arctic ocean that sweep through
Manitoba and Dakota, strike the
trend of these coteaus and are turned
sideways toward the southeast. For
the country west of the coteaus they
act as q kind Of fender. About Bis.
marck | found that the SNOW was all
gone. So far eastward as that the
modifying influences of the Pacific
winds were felt.'
/