Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-05-09
County Officers.
Dakota in 1890

Dakota, even in the future, at the rate
changes and developments are taking
place within her borders now.
The attention which Dakota has at
tracted within a few years past is:with-
out a parallel. No country before, 10y
her developments acknowledgements, has
ever been able to commandthe ad1nira-
ton of the whole civilized world. No
country before has been able to draw
the stream Of emigration so long and
without any diminution. True, there
are many countries which have had
sensational booms, where thousands
have iocked and the stampede of hui
manity has been wonderful. The his
tory of gold mine discoveries is the his
tory of human stampedes, when the ex-
cited seekers of sudden wealth have
gathered, hunted for gold, suffered, and
then, disappointed, have scattered to
the -four quarters of the earth" But
where is the country whose riches have
been able to offer thAstable Inducements
and the lasting benefits which our own
Dakota offers to the pilgrim who would
seek a new home2 The excitement
here is not the excitement of the dia-
mond hunter Of Brazil, or the gold hunt
er of California; it is not the excitement
that rewards one man for his efforts
and disappoints a thousand; Or that
draws people from their homes to en-
dure privations and hardships, only to
be disappointed in the end, but rather
the excitement of Dakota is the result
of such a stable and lasting growth as
only an agricultural country can cause.
The impulse that would seize the
easterner and cause him to leave his
friends and all theties and associations
that make home dear, and Voluntarily
seek the chimes of Dakota, has been a
wonder and IN amazement to many.
But it is not phenomenal nor even mar.
v%elous, When we comet reason about
it and note the advantages offered here,
and think Of the yicissitudes and dis
comforts that the early pioneer of our
earlier states were subject to, the only
wonder is that Dakota has not been
overpopulated.
When our g~randfathers left New
England and the middle states to find
homes in the west, they sought the
wooded countries OF Ohio, Michigan
and Illinois. They could not penetrate
the heart Of the new country by rail
road, but the journey was slow and te-
dious and full of peril and hardship;
nor could they yoke the oxen to the
plow and strike a furrow a mile long.
There were living trees standing to de-
fly the pioneer and his pillow, ashley had
defied the storms and winds. There
were huge rocks and boulders standing
deiantly as they had stood probably
since the glacial period, or who knows
how much longer.
Progress in those days was indeed
slow, as it might well be. But look at
the northwest, the land Of the pioneer
and pilgrim to-day! The Almighty
seems to hayepreceded us and prepared
a quarter section all readyto SOW. The
trees and stumps have taken their de-
parture, and the rocks and boulders
showed into the bowels of old mother
earth, leaving the rich surface without
a barrier or obstacle to impede the
progress of the honest tiller of the soil.
The railroad, trying to keep even stride,
has pushed it's way through the new
land, and the Dakotaian can till his
acres, 1900 miles from his birthplace,
and yet can reach home in two or three
days ride.
Why should people wonder then at
our rapid growth when we contrast it
with days gone by? The wonder is
that Dakota hasn't a million people al
ready instead of half that number.
And why you people will stay in the
East when such advantages are offered
here, is n of the queries which we
have never yet been able to solve. The
emigration to Dakota last year reached
about 10000, but had there not been so
much skepticism in the East the emf
grafton would have swelled to near a
half million. But as people begin to
learn of the true merits OF Dakota, tie
emigration will largely increase, and
ever this year it is confidently expected
that the new settlers will reach over
100000 by the beginning Of 1885. 1t will
continue to increase at that rapid rate,
and in 1890 we can throw the curtain
aside and show to the world the grand
est scene Of the age. We will exhibit
over 5000 acres, with one-half under