St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-04
North DaE,Jfu.

Last May Col. L. DOnan presented a mem
orial at the general conference of the Epis-
copal church at Philadelphia, asking for the
appointment of a bishop for North Dakota.
This paper admirably sets forth the growth
aud resources of Dakota territory:
North Dakota has almost exactly the same
area as her southern sister section, includ-
ng the far famed wheat fields of the Red
River Valley of the North, the vast and
scarcely explored Devils Lake and Turtle
Mountain regions, the valleys of the james
and Missouri, and the mighty pampas of
the northwestern counties where tho focks
and herds Of a nation may find pasture.
1t is a magnificent domain of -, 900 square
miles, while New York has but 40, 600, Penn
syvania but &c, 900, Ohio but 81, 900, and all
six New England states combined but 65,-
600.
Since that time many new counties haYe
been formed and organized, tens OF thous-
ands of acres of government and railroad
lands have been taken by new settlers, hun
dreds of new farms have been opened up,
more than a score of fourishing towns have
sprung up where the prairie grass was I'M
broken then, and all the older towns have
grown with marvellous rapdity; so that it is
safe TO assume that the population of North
Dakota has increased at least % 900 in the
eight months since January l. Thu ratio of
growth in every respect is without precedent
or parallel.
The taxable valuation of North Dakota in
June, 1850, was So, 324, 700; in June, 1888,
$40, 600, 600.
The postal revenues of North Dakota
for the year ending June so, 1880, amounted
to $50, $40; for the year ending June 30,
1882, S75, 294.
In June 1880, there were but one private
and two national banks in North Dakota
January /, 1888, there were fourteen ma
.ioual and twenty-five private banks. In
June, 1850, there were but nine churches; in
January, 1888, there were seventy-six, cost
ing $4,000. In June, 1880, there were but
seventeen school buildings; in March, 1888,
there were three hundred and twenty seven
public and thirteen private schools; since
that time Fargo has completed an $50, 900
high school building, and the foundations of
half dozen collegiate institutions have been
laid in various portions of the territory.
In June, 1880, there were in North Dakota
but ten weekly newspapers and one daily; in
January, 1888, there were eleven daily,
forty-two weekly and six monthly publica-
tious, aud new ones have been established
since to supply the demands of an intelligent
newspaper-reading people, daily growing i'll
nuHbers.
In June, 1880, there were but 1876, 357
acres in cultivation: in January, 1888, there
were 7S3, 356, and the value of the wheat
crop alone for 1888 is estimated ut S15, 000,
300.
In June, 1850, there were but 900 miles of
railroad in operation in north Dakota; in
september, 1888, there was something over
1000 miles in operation, and several hun
dred more in process of construction
North Dakota has to-day greater railroad
mileage than Connecticut, New Hampshire,
Vermont Florida, Oregon, Arkansas, Mis-
sissippi, Nevada, West Virginia, Delaware,
or Rhode Island and the two sections to-
gether have nearly 5000 miles.
The number of acres of land entered in
North Dakota during the year ending June
80, 1879, under the acts of congress requir-
ing actual settlement or cultivation, was
515,O07. During the year ending June 80,
1888, the entries reached the enormous ag-
gregate Of $3.50, So acres Such rapidity of
growth has never been witnessed on earth.