The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1884-06-27
F. 4 s. r. r.

A Wide Awake Business Man OF
Fargo Gives His Impression
Of a Trip Over the
Fargo Southern.
lHere 10 an excellent letter written by Mr.
H. D. Hobson Of Fargo, descriptive of the upper
Red River valley through which the F. s. pas.
ses-country tributary to the two principal
cities thereof, Fargo and Wahpeton, and will be
of interest to large number of our readers
Mr.. Hobson Is right when he says that Richland
county Is one of the very best in the territory
to soil, development, drainage, etc. He predicts
that the three excellent lines of roud into the
county will soon increase the price OF real estate
here, which Is now considered very cl,eap.-ED.
To the Editor Of The Argus:
Present appearances indicate that
the Fargo and Southern railroad has
not been sold out, the stereotyped
every sixth weekly statements OF
The St. Paul Pioneer Press to the
contrary, Notwithstanding.
After riding over the road, as
had the pleasure of doing Friday
and Saturday of last week, I more
than ever sincerely hope it will lot
be sold-at least to either of the lines
now running into Fargo.
The country through which it
runs and the road itself, is one OF
which the people of Fargo and all OF
North Dakota may justly be proud.
Between Fargo and Wahpeton the
land is flat like all the land in the
valley proper, but it is not that mo-
notonous. endless prairie so weari.
some to the eye, for at no time i.
the passenger on this road out OF
sight of the trees on either side OF
the train. For the first twelve miles
the road runs south between the
Red and Sheyenne rivers, and then
crossing the Wild Rice river, con.
tinues in the same general direction
with the Red and Wild Rice al
about equal distances on the left
and right.
The first thing that attracts the
attention of the traveller who is
familiar with Dakota landscape is
the settled and old appearance o1
the farms and farm building. There
is not that fresh and new look that
is noticeable on most Dakota rail.
roads, which, as rule, precede
settlement and civilization. Here
the settlement has been made first
and the railroad has followed as Il
matter of necessity. The new, bright
wood color is not seen, but the build
lngs are nearly all painted, and the
white houses and red barns and
stables are in pleasing contrast with
the green foliage of the trees. The
farmers are evidently not single
men, who have taken a claim fol
speculation, and put up dry goods
box with a window in it, in orther
to barely comply with the law, but
they Me five-year homesteaders, who
came to Dakota many years ago to
stay, and brought their families
with them, and they have lived the
requisite time on their farms to OBJ.
tain Il title and patent from the
government, and still continue to
live there. Furthermore, they have
a Dakota experience, ,and their farms
are of good size and we'll titled. AS
another indication of early and per.
manent settlement I counted, bet.
ween Fargo and Wahpeton, four
churches, all of which stood out on
the prairie by themselves and were
Of large size and neatly painted.
The first station, seven miles south
of Fargo, is Sanders, named for o.
H. Sanders, thrifty farmer in that
vininity.
At Riceville, where the road cros-
ses the Wild Rice river, there is a
flourishing French settlement. Few
Of the people speak English, but
their houses and stock show that
they are successful farmers, while
their large Catholic church, built at
an expense of over six thousand dol.
lars, is evidence of the fact that they
have made something more than a
bare living. Father Bernier, for
merly of Fargo, presides over this
parish, and he stated that his con.
gregation crowded the church every
Sabbath.
Hickson is the next station, and
we enter
RIcHLAND COUNTY
some thirty miles north of Wahpe.
ton. Sixteen miles this side OF
Wahpeton is Fort Abercrombie. and
Abercrombie will hereafter be one
of the stations on the Fargo & South.
ern. The government has abandoned
this post, sold the fort and opened
the reservation to settlers. The
old buildings here, which have been
the first prairie home of many a
young eastern soldier, loom up like
giants in comparison with the sur.
rounding farm houses. Our train
was loaded with material for the
construction Of a side track at Aber.
crombie, and as'soon as the track.
men began to scatter the rails along
where the track was to be laid, Mr.
Hutchinson, the owner of the tract
of land there, as well as of the large
buildings at the fort, came burryine
across the field with the joyful and
expectant look on his face of {
future townsite boomer; the impor
tant question of location having beer
sottlef1 as far as ha xvas concarn ad
by the act of unloading.
There is wheat enough in crol
along the line of the Fargo & South
ern to give the road all it can do th,
coming fall and winter. And tn,
building of the road seems to hav'