Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-26
AN0THER PARADlsg.
The Tur'ie-moun'aIn District, In Dakota,
One Of Natures Gardens.
49,. Paul Plnneer p-ns.

The Tursie-"oohtain District, In Dakota.
One OF Natures Gardens.
St Paul Pioneer Pres,.1
The Turtle-slountain district. elVhtv.fIye
miles northwest OF Devils Lake IN D;kota
Is A new country to TIE most Of n. which
has been developing RAPIDLY. aud vet noise.
lesslv. during the last few montbs Mr..
W. ID. Eaton, well known In the news.
paper circles OF the country, has been
visiting tbat country for the past Few
weeks, ana III conversation with a Pic.
neer PreSS reporter az the Nicolett
House yesterday afternoon gave some
interesting facts in regard TO H. 1.-THE
Turile-Mountsin country" said Mr.. Eaton.
ais comparatively unknown to people here.
about, but Is beginning 20 settle up very
rapidly, ana Is destined within a wear 10
become very imrortlnt tributary TO Mn
neapolis and -. Paul. This will anne ir
when say that the present extreme verge
IL trade and settlement TO be reached by
rail- Is Devils Lake. st the end ol the Di-
koia extension Of the Manitoba railway.
For about twenty miles beyond Devils
Lake the settlement is continuous and quite
thick, and the wheat crop this year. which
is The hrst they have raised out there, i
tremendously heavy. The Manitoba road
his Just completed a 2O,00O-bush eleya-
tor at Devils Lake for thi, crop. For
eighteen or twenty miles west OF the lake
there is no settlement at all, nor have there
been any surveys until YOU get TO Turtle
Mountains. The settlement there has all
come since last fall. II was an Indian re-
5crvatiOn Tor Little Shells band until March
2Sth, when the reservation was reduced TO
two townships close 10 the boundary line.
As soon as the reservation was thrown
open. there began a very heavy immigra-
ton from ManitOba-uearly all Scotch ca
nadians--a very thrifty, industrious people.
who were driven out OF Canadi. ~ they
say, by the policy Of the Canadian Govern
ment, which Disseminated against the Pro-
vince OF Manitoba in favor Of the Canadian
Pacific Railway.
The immigration Of Americans, princi-
pally by wagon, almost entirely made up
Of people from the Mildle States, seems 10
have skipped the intermediate prairie and
settled on the south side OF the mountain.
principally in the valley and the neighbor-
hood Of the valley OF the Willow river;
o. that altogether around the base OF the
mountain there is now population " not
less than 300 families.
While a great deal has been said OF Tur-
tie Mountain. very little seems to be really
known. IL is not " mOun,9in in any
proper sense OF the word, but vast cle-
waited plain. about GO miles long aud 30
wide. covered with heavy growth OF tim
Der and diversified with lakes. The highest
point is at Butte st. Paul, which is 100 feet
above the level OF the prairie. At the foot
OF the Butte 81. Pail lies the largest lake
on the mountain, about six miles long and
three wide, and from this lake issues the
Wilson river, a very clear and rapid stream,
with volume OF water about one quarter
greater than that OF the James. This stream,
in the course Of six miles from it, source to
the head Of the valley and the town OF
Dunseith, has fall OF some $50 feet.
At the point where this eligible fall be-
gins a man named Bradley. an old miner
from Pennsylvania, about two years ago
discovered a heavy cropping OF very SUI
periOr coal. and the seam INTO which this
cropping leads has been investigated, and
followed by moro recent explorers, until
the existence OF practically ineXhsustlble
body Of fuel has been clearly established
there. The coal seems TO I've almost identl-
cal with the celebrated Canyon aud Trini-
dad coal OF Colorado, and the hard Goals
OF Wyoming. In fact, there is little
doubt that it Is in the northern edge OF
the great Rocky-Mountain coal.beds. II il
totally unlike and infinitely better than any
other coal vet discovered east OF the noun
tans or west Of Illinois, being hard, clean.
with an exceedingly slight percentage OF
sulphur, and burning all away to per-
fectly.white ash, leaving no cinder or clink-
ers. IL holds it, lire with tenaclty supe-
rior TO any coal excepting anthracite. 1t
produces heat sufficient to weld steel, and
is very rich in gas. Contiguous to the coal
are plentiful groupings Of iron, and several
large aud rich specimen. OF galena have
been taken from the hills in that neighbOr-
hood.
The timber on the mountain il very
dense, and OF a different quality from any
along the streams between here and there.
II is principally white oak, very firm, an4
very clear. The climate on the south side
Of the mountain is remarkably mild. Seed
ing was begun this year in the Willow
River Valley A. early as the middle Of
March, and the sutumn OF last wear was
remarked rs extending up 10 December.
This NAV be particularly accounted for by
the shelter Afforded by the mountains,
which stand between the country on the
south and the cold winds OF the north and
northwest. The influence OF this protec.
ton extends twenty miles south OF the
mountain, so that cattle were enabled TO
subsiSt and take care OF themselves all OF
last winter.
Colonel Towner. OF Grand Forks, went
in last fall with herd, to which he fed no
hay until almost the middle OF January,
and from that time he brought them through
until the grass came up on an average OF
little over ton each. His mules, OF which
he had a large number, found their own
subsistence and came out TAT in the spring.
The country is undoubtedly the finest cattle
range between the Red river and the val
leys Of Montana. The grasses are highly
nutritious, and very vigorous. Natural
hay is abundant, snd the groves and rayines
on the prairie and mountain afford sufficient
shelter and food for hundreds Of thousands
Of head. The prospect Is that several large
herds will De put in during the present
season, the country having been recently
prospected by stockmen with that view. A
railway line has just been surveyed in from
no