New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1884-07-23
Letter from Spokane Falls.

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of my friends hear from me, I now
take this opportunity to tell you lit
tie about this country.
Spokane Falls has about twenty-five
hundred inhabitants, and is beautiful
" situated on the south side Of the
Spokane River. The country is most
picturesque, and the falls OF Spokane
River. which in the space Of half a
mile fall one hundred and Atty feet,
are very grand and beautiful; must
say the best ever saw. The climate,
/ am told, is very mild, as the river
never freezes thick enough to bear up
a man. This town has two banks,
two largo Touring mills run by water.
Telephone and water works are now
being put in. a large Catholiccollege
Is under construction.
The surrounding country. is compos.
ed of rolling prairie and timber, but
the largest portion Of the prairie near
by is composed of gravel, which would
be considered worthless in Minnesota.
But here they claim that event it will
produce good crops if plenty Of rain
fall, which is very seldom.
In regard to labor, / would say that
there are more people here than can
get work. Business is overd0ne in
every respect as near as have been
able to ascertain, Government land
such as is of any value is all more or
less taken up, although great many,
it seems, have only taken land on
speculation, for they seem to be anx-
lows to sell th0ir TiRht Fnnk DasGh.
bach, ST., and party have been over
in Idaho, at Lewiston and Uniontcwn..
At the latter place they saw Mr.. Baum.
gartner and Schubert. also young
Friedman. They seem to be well pleas.
ed with their new homes, but our party
could not get suited and SO they re-
turned to this place and will try an.
other course. The boys say the hills
and mountains were too steep to suit
them over in the Idaho country. They
all feel stout and robust after knock
Ing around in the mountains for about
three weeks. We also met Mr.. Swan
Lindstrom, Eric Larson and two of the
Sweedland boys. It seems that Mime
sofa folks are hard to suit in regard to
land for some Of these farms are up on
such steep hillsides that people are
obliged to tie their grain wagons to
the headers to keep them from upset
ting. One man went as far as to say
that 1t was necessary to put break
on plow to keepit from running on
the horses going down hill, but we
didn't take that all in. One man said
to Mr.. Linstrom that he would not see
those hills after he was here year.
He said il he could not see them he
could run against them. Another one
said it was profitable to buy those
peaks as one can plow them on two
sides. We are not going to give up
yet, perhaps we can find something to
suit us after a while. Prospects are
not very flattering just yet, for the
farmer only gets fifty cts. per bushel
for wheat, and has to pay three humid
red dollars for binder, one hundred
and twenty five to fifty five dollars for
q wagon, one hundred dollars for a
mower, cash or ten dollars more if on
one years time-hay rake fifty dollars,
sewing machines seventy five dollars
such one as you can buy for 30 and 35
dollars in Now Ulm. AnsNo. 8 stove,
fifty.fiye dollars, which you can get in
New Ulm at from 80 or IS dollars.
Cows are worth from 40 to IS dollars
per head. Butter 35 cents per lb.,
eggs IS cts. per doz., hay brings Is. to
80 dollars per ton it is made Of green
grain, such rs wheat, oats, barley and
rye. It is just about out Of the milk
now SO It makes good hay. The rea-
son they cut such for hay is because.
there is no wild hay anywhere near
here and 1t pays better to sell the
grain In hay than to sen wheat at 50
cts. per bushel. Flour sells at four dol
lars per Dbl.
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