The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1884-04-19
At the Head Of the Heart Valley.

DICKINSON, April II, 1884.
My recent visit to Belfleld was very
enjoyable; found the citizens of the
town and country of a superior class,
abomding i'll courtesy and genial hos
pitality. Am much indebted to John
r.. Thayer and Geo. Blankenberg for
taking me about the country, Louis
c. Hay, the genial town site and land
agent and all that 1 met with were
very pleasant. agreeable men. The
town is quite young, less than year
since the commencement, yet has
promising outlook for the future
it has one thing that 1 have not no.
ticed elsewhere, that might profit.
ably be initiated by all the towns
along the line, that is, large emf
grant house, where emigrants may
camp free of charge until they can
erect their houses. The town site is
a beautiful one at the head of this
valley, 90 miles west. The valley is
broad and rises very gently to the up
lands. The butteS i'll the nelghbos-
hood fade away to very small SIZE.
The soil of the valley is black with
more loan and no sand. more sticky
when wet than here, a superior soil
for roots, grass, oats and other grain,
yet think wheat and perhaps oats.
will be liable to grow straw too large
to stand up. The brown upland soil
is like this, with less sand near the
top of the low, small ridges. The
Gallien brothers have 1000 acres,
about three miles north of town, OF
fine land, with three good farm houses,
one of which cost $4,000. A good
vein of coal near by is reached by
stripping off two feet of soil. For
four miles north west of town the
soil is a soft, light clay, yet dark i'll
color when freshly turned up. 1t will
doubtless hold moisture well and be
a strong soil for roots, grass and grain
yet cannot be worked as easily as the
brown soil. Mr.. Ertel, just north of
town, raised fine potatoes and some
oats on sod broke late, although the
season was unusually dry last year.
West and north west there is fine
table land of the brown soil that is in
order to work early. l went south OF
town, Oh horseback, with Mr. Thayer
about three miles to see a fine coal
bank in the bluff of the South Heart.
1t is covered by S to8 feet of brown
soil, with vein of brown Ignite eX-
posed to view in the face of the bluff,
about fifteen feet deep and it may go
some feet lower than it is exposed.
1t is very conveniently situated for
the citizens to drive up, load from the
VEN into their wagons and drive
home. Will try to describe the coal
in Il future communication. We
crossed the river and Travelled some
distance further south. Among
other fine claims we found a young
German family, with comfortable
frame house, several acres broke last
summer for start, stable and chic
ken house, shade trees planted and
growing, a good well of water and
the man and his wife looking and
talking as though they were hopeful
and happy, and well they may; their
means are evidently small, but they
have the pluck and industry to make
for themselves a beautiful home and
farm, the free gift Of Uncle Sam to
his adopted citizens. We took q cir-
cult round back to town and found
the land pretty evenly divided be-
tween the soft clay and the brown
soils, all gently rolling. John r.
Thayer & Co. supply the people with
lumber and building material at fair
rates. missed seeing Mr. HARRISON,
merchant and postmaster, and my
last winters correspondent, but am
pleased to learn that my loss is his
gain as he has gone east to take
partner to enjoy the home he is maxi
ing in the pleasant young town at the
head of this beautiful valley. On my
way back to Dickinson, called at
South Heart and met Mr.. 2. j. Car
son, of the Port Huron, Mich, syndi-
cate, which has taken 1000 acres Of
prime land, broke 200 acres lastafall
and will start new town miles this
side of Belfield. Mr.. Carson invited
me to pay him a visit, which / hope
to do at an early date.