Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-02-22
MORRISON OUN (
"A Good Place to Settle I'm The
Reason Why Tt Is Not More
. Tricky Settled.

Tricky Settled.
'TThe ft,lsowing lelter ars Gle furnished
Fly .i,, old setltr tar publication contains
some yall,aasse information 70 e:nigtan,s
and otlisrs1 I. e..
Morrison county is situated nearly IL
The geographical 'center Of the young
and p.,r1iaHy developed State OF Mime.
I sofa, Il ceyers I'm area that would equal
30 full 1ownship, orr ,152 square mills
and Is divitled into two nearly equal
| p TITS b, the father of wat;.rs. The Mis-:
sissrppi river. whtetr 'uns throash il
from ntfths to sou h, ana whic;. he's
man tributaries rlinnirg into i, from
| nearly al parts. oflhe county. Il orig
| inally cE,ntain, d, alb ,ui SEW n townships
OF leland, tn Of pine land and lif.
t''e'snssmixti' timber and brush lands.
| tn pine timber is probably two thirds
cut; of lase balance of the timber (mostly
white oak and sagar maple but small
part has been cut. Most Of the streams
are hinged with meadow bottom lands,
NEARLY oil Of which produce excellent
grass; wl,ick sa ,pi th:: settlers with
abundance of first clas' hay. The county
contains thirteen saw mills, some very
large ones, and" four grist mills. The
principal business done is Numbering and
raising stock and spring wheat The
populations is now t>timat..d a. $4,000,
an average of about ten persons or one
good sizeatamily TO The Sc, ii IA very
small average for so central position
which contains all of the ne essary and
primary elements of wealth, which may
be equaled, tu' not, surpassed, Ivy any
locality in the United States. While we
possess al! the advan'ages Of an old set
tel community, being already well sup
rle'1 with mills and schools, railroads
and wagon r'ads, yet WE have large tracts
OF as productive lands a. this or any
other Stalc affords, unoccupicd, some Of
which CAN I've had Under the homestead
law. and most is for sale at from The
government price OFFS IS per acre up
/" perhaps $25 per acre for improved
farms, Nearly all these uaoccupied
lands can be haught on long time if the
purchaser settles on and improves them.
A large amount Of very fine, farming
and pasture land, we'll located, is for
sale cheap, and on easy terms of pay
meat The population has about dou-
bled within the. past four years. The
difte rent nationali'iss comprising the
present population are proportisned
atout'a> follows: German, 5000; Pc.
landsrs. 1000; French, 2,0O); scandina-
vian, 1000; American, 1900: all others,
1000. Each nationality are generally
settled together, so that new corners can
settle among people of their own na-
tionality if they SO desire. The follow.
in list shows the name and population
"f each village in The coun;y: li''le
Fa',s, 1909; Motley, 800; Rich Prairie,
1850; Royalton, 900; Swanville, 100;
Gravelvi'lc, 100; Bale Prairie, 50; Two
Rivers, so; Elm Dale, &c.: E4ch of these
towns. contains torres and other append.
ages 10 greater or less degree such as
are required to accommodate the sur
rounding settl rs.t,
All VIII are acquainted with the facts
with regard to this section of country
are surp:i:e ed 10 see long trains Of cars
loaded with emigrants passing thro1g
it nearly every day Of the year, to settle
o. the vast pr*irle to the northwest,
where very little time Is 10 be,found
and no pure wafer, where The billiards
in The winter make it dangerous TO be
away from home, and the cyclones in
summer destroy crops and buildings.
Now The reason OF all this apparent
70 'iish and inconsistent: action on tLe
part Of the emigrants is that this coun.
try is not properly advertised: All the
settlers WHO come in are hsre hs acct
dent; they were strolling hbout looking
for a good place 10 make hosae, where
they could get timber, prairie and mea.
dew land, ard Morrison county just
suited them 50 they settled do,wn. Many
are now rich who came here poor The
railroad com panies that have still a
considerable. amount ut land in this part
OF The cohatry are especially interested
TO get TIE emigrants to travel away out
10 the ends of their. lines OF road; they
much. rather carry man 1000 miles
thar 100, and carry supplies. that dis
tarce than less. So they praise up the
Tar off alkali desert, and say nothing
about the country near by be it ever 50
good. Everything is nicely adjusted to
THAT end. The emigrant trains are start.
ed ost frsm st. Paul 10 the evening, and
when the day daMps the train has carried
the drowsy emigrsnt far out upon the
vast prairie of the Red river. valley: The
train, steps to way station and twenty
minutes Is announced rs the time al.
lowed for breakfast. The emigran,
rouses himself up, saunters out from the
pscked car where he can get . breath
of fresh mir and a break fast, if he has not
brought q lunch with him. On looking
to SCI the. sor. Of country he is in, he se.s
IN every direction q vast plain covered
with = white blanket of snow in winter
and green carpet OF grass in summer
with nh bili.,ree or shrub Ia view. He
q first imag ines that he has reached the
Elysium fields OF parxuise. Forthwith
j he hilnls q Land shark NAYS an enfarmn on