Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1884-03-12
. A City Of Shade Trees.

Mack in Sioux City Journal.
Elk POINT, d. T., March 7, 1884.
Correspondence of The Journal:
There are a few Sioux Cityites or
western readers of The JOURNAL
who do not know of Elk Point.
They have heard oft either from its
forrest of shade trees and pretty To-
cation, or from its enterprising bus
mess men, or, by linking both to-
gather, their idea Of the place is that
it is a pretty place. Many years ago
your correspondent became a citizen
of this pretty town. and then stuck"
type and did local, editorial and
"devil' work on the Courier.
About the first actual resident of
Dakota | ever met was G.. +. MALTA
han, editor ahd proprietor Of the
paper mentioned. He was sitting
on the shady side Of a building on
a boiling summers day as l came
into the town, hungry and anxious
for a job, and we 500 struck a bar
gain. During the several years
thereafter that Mr.. M. and l were
thus intimately associated, l found
him the biggest-hearted man l ever
met, a man of broad l~iberality, a
pleasant disposition and the most
companionable of men. l make
this personal because it is true.
Otter associations there were also
agreeable. A man might hunt the
west over and not find the same
plurality of good mel in a town OF
the size. There are very few men
in the town whom q good hearty
laugh seems to pain. There are
also few "kickers." The average
Elk Pointer is content the way the
world uses him, and not envious of
the success of his neighbor, and as
a result the people are social and
friendly. 1t has been a long time
since scandals have marred the
peaceful flow of social intercourse,
and the town has lived in peace and
quiet and virtue 50 many years that
a sudden odor of wrong-doing
might cause many deaths from
fright.
The town is a beautiful place,
especially during spring and sum-
mer. At IN early day the citizens
planted trees around their possess
ions. go that to-day the place looks
az if situated in a natural grove.
No other town in Dakota can boast
of so many shade trees. To visit
Elk Pointin the summer and then
go to other prairie towns, which
have not ever a sprig in sight,
makes one feel lonely. A nice
grove of shade trees add aboht as
much to the beauty and comfort of
a home as a pretty house. But
this place has also many pretty
residences. Some are quite large,
and nearly all hastily painted, while
the yards are regular arbors of
shade trees and rustic seats. l
write of Elk Point as | have seen it
for the last seven years / look upon
it as one of the prettiest towns l
visit in the large scope of cuntry l
traverse. | like a shade tree and
companionable men, and here you
find plenty Of each.
The people of Elk Point do not
change around very much. An
occasional new-commer finds a
home here and does well. But the
business n,e usually find what
they wish to do, and then settle
down and stay right at it. The
town is full of old settlers, old bus
mess patriarchs who have grown
gray and wealthy in trade. Among
the many who began business here
many years ago and have done we'll
are NJ. Hoffma, Freeman Bros, C.
w. Beggs, H. Murphey, J. E. Blair,
G. B. Steckman, +. NJ. Budde, j.
B. Brubacher, NJ. w. Sheafe, J. M.
Talcott, Flannery Bros, F. W.
Smythe. and many others. Those
named have been in business many
years for Dakota at least, and they
are known far and near as reliable
men. To-day l looked up and
down the street and noticed the
names l learned some years ago by
reading the signs in front Of their
places of business. Even old
Uncle Quick still follows his trade
of saving wood, and to-day, during
the big snowstorm, he has been
buisly plying his vocation in an
alley near the Merchants hotel. He
whistles the same old tune without
a variation or even a broken cog to
cripple the harmony. DR.. Ravens
still meanders the streets with his
pill bags, his gray locks flying
around the brim of the same old
hat he wore while saving off legs in
Wisconsin twenty years ago. Old
Mr.. Flannery cracks his daily quota
of Jokes to the amusement of the
guests of the Merchants; while
across the street in the same old
office sits J. A. Wallace, ever ready
to guess on the result of local cleo
ton. Further down the street is
jolly Sam Hoffman, q confirmed
bachelor, with the same pleasant
smiles for customers and the gentler
sex. On the other side of the street
is the home Of Geo. Steckman, who
lived a bachelor for forty years and
then became a husband, and is now
a father several times. In the
courthouse sits County Treasurer
Geo. Stickney, the democratic veteran
OF Dakota. ready as of yore to tell
you how to carry the county" or
raise some of the finest blooded stock
in the west. In the next room to
him can always be found A. O..
Ringsrud; register of deeds, a good
officer and shrewd politician. M. w.
Sheafe continues to operate the OAK