Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-12-12
s1oux FA11s. Dak., Dee. B. Is

CHURCHES, ITS INDUSTRIES, AND ITS OUT
LYING FARMING COUNTRY NOTES OF BRAT.
TLEBoBEANs AND OTHER vERMoNTERs.
SIOUX FALLS, Dak., Dec. 3, 1884.
Dear Ph@nir! As the excitement attend.
ing the presidential election has subsidized,
perhaps the minds Of the good people in Yer
mont are in condition to take an interest in
matters pertaining to the great and far west
ern portion OF Uncle Sans domain known as
Dakota. Business is quiet here as well rs
/ elsewhere through the country, but the en6r-
getic and pushing business men of Sioux Falls
are making calculations and laying plans to
develop the resources of this beautiful city
| the coming season. The Iowa, Sioux Falls &
! Northern railroad will doubtless be built next
| summer, as the surveys have already been
made through this place. We have already
! two railroads, but our business men are am
biuous TO make this a great commercial city,
| aud in order to do this 1t is necessary to have
! better railroad facilities for the railroads
here, like some in Vermont, discriminate in
! their freight tariffs In many cases they charge
local rates for merchandise shipped into this
| place, making it impossible for our merchants
| to compete with cities in Minnesota and Iowa
| in doing wholesale trade. This state of af-
! fairs will not be tolerated much longer, as the
| business men here, when they want to carry
| forward any enterprise that they think will
| tend to build up the place, do not hesitate to
| put their hands in their pockets aud contrib
ute fr, oly towards pushing it.
1 know the people in Brattleboro Justly
! pride themselves on their excellent schools,
| and when talked Of leaving that place some
came to me and confdentially advised me not
to 90 where could not give my children a
| good education. Now let us zee which has
the best schools, Brattleboro or Sioux Falls.
| In this place we have excellent public graded
schools, there being one large brick centre
! building and large brick building in each Of
| the other three wards Of the city, making
four brick school-houses. The territorial deaf
aud dumb school is located here, having a
magnificent building In addition to these
the Bsptsts are building a very fine, substsn-
| tisl stone college, which will be ready for use
in the spring. The Episcopalians are also
erecting a similar institution. Both are built
on fine locations overlooking the city, and
| will be not only ornamental but OF great ben
| eft to the city. The SIlsbee commercial col
| lege is located here, and is doing well. We
| have also Photographic institute, which has
| Just been opened by Mr.. r. G. Brown, for
mer resident Of New York state and an expert
stenographer, having bad years Of experience
IN court reporting. He is at present official
stenogrspher under Judge Palmer-who, by
the way, is one of Vermonts distinguished
|
ties for education are Of the highest order
Can any one hesitate about coming to this
| part Of the west ON account of there not being
| good schools
Sioux Falls is well supplied with churches,
| Episcopal. Baptist CongregAtonalist, Pres
| byterian, Methodist. Free Methodist. Scandi-
nevian Baptist, Norwegian Lutheran and
! Catholic being represented There may be
others, but these are all / think Of at present.
In manufacturing Sioux Falls cannot com.
pare with Brattleboro except at a disadvan-
taRe but manufacturing is gradually work
ing. Two fouudries have been built the pres
eut season, aud are working night aud day.
The Holly system of water.works is in full
operation backed up by both water and steam
power. 1t gives an abundant supply of good
water, and with first class fire department,
affords excellent Gre protection. There is a
pork packing house in full operation. 1t is
estimated that 60, 900 hogs we're brought into
market last season, and the prospects are that
more will be sold this year. The streets are
lighted by electric light as well as gas The
telephone company had trouble with the city
authorities for some time about the location
of poles, but the matter has been satisfactori
ly settled aud the exchange IL now in full
blast. There is one large Touring mill in op
Grafton, and also q tremendous big one that j.
lying still and does not add much to the in
dustries of the place but the cut Of th'
building looks well on the booming circulars
that are sent through the country to induce
immigration. The coming season will nc
doubt see some new manufacturing establish
ments started, as there ia excellent water pow
er, the Big Sioux river falling over 80 feet il
the city limits. Sioux Falls granite has oh
tanned quite a reputation for excellence as
building material. etc, and is being shipped
in large quantities to Omaha, Chicago, anC
other large cities to pave streets with. 1t il
very hard and takes on high polish. Their,
is a polishing mill in this place which turn
out monuments, mantels, and many other use
full articles The stone has pink shade ant
is very beautiful when polishtd fully tqua
to the Scotch granite. There are severa
stone quarries in tue city, which employ 80,
or more men during the summer season. Th,
payroll of the principal quarry amounts Il
about S2j, 600 per month.
The farming country adjoining the city, q
| wrote in my former letter, is very spaTsel!
settled, but the land is capable Of produ cinj
excellent crops with little or no fertilizers
The past season has demonstrated the fac
that corn can be raised in southern Dakota
for we have it in abundance at 30 to 81 cent
a bushel. Grain of all kinds grows in abun
dance, although the eastern people have
] wrong impression as to DAkotas being
great eat.growiDg region. Northern DA
kota is noted for its excellent wheat, bu
there is very little raised in southern Dakota
Vermont probably is nearly as well adapted
/ for raising wheat as southern Dakota. Th
present price of wheat is from 40 to 30 cent
per bushel, a price that does not pay h
raise, even where the soil is adapted for 1t
A., | The farmers in the northern portion of th
territory are in straitened circumstances o.
account of the low price of wheat. Many o
1 them are bankrupt. What chance is ther
for poor man with his farm mortgaged an
a paying 10 to II per cent interest when whea
D | is worth only 40 ceuts r bushel that is, SUP
i | posing his crop is almost exclusively wheat
{ | What the farmers should do, aud Rs many O
4 them are doing, is to go into the stock-rai'
i ing business, but az that requires some car
: ital, many are too poor to do that. Dakot
+ is a fine farming country, provided it
/ farmed in the light way, and not devoted el
clusively to the raising Of wheat Gras
Il, grows in abundance and it costs scarcel
: nothing for pasturage. Hay can be pul
chased in this city for 81 ton, and the fa
mers can get it by simply going out on tn
prairies and cutting it. There is always
good market for stock, and it seems to N
A there is no place in the United States wheI
; stock raising can be more prohtably engage
I in than in Dakota IL those who go to II
u New Orleans exposition will look up the d.
i kota exhibits they will see grass six feet hig
: that grew in 90 days from the day the prair
l. was burned and one specimen II feet higl
G They will see potatoes weighing two IounC
y each, beets weighing IL to 20 pounds, puml
II kns weighing l2O to POO lbs., aud 9TH
@ getabl,s corresponding. Tney will E,
III SAM les of Dakota upland soil three to foJ
n feet thick and lowlaud six to seven feet thic
!, or deep, and many other things that "
convince them that this is wonderfully pr
ductive country.
;. Sioux Falls has o hre insurance oompaI
W that was started the present season that is d
ing an immense business. There has al
y been a mutual life insurance company stsl
ed somewhat on the plan of the Bay State
Massachusetts. The probabilities are that
will be very successful.
There are a good many Vermonters in D
kota and l am continually running aero
80 them. | bad the good fortune short tin
since to get acquainted with Rev. Mr H.
ris, rector of the Episcopal church 10 II
- place he formerly lived in Vermont, 81
had a brother who was rector of the EpisC
pal church in BratllebOrO for sometime.
presume many of your readers will reme
Der them both. NJ. Harris likes DakC
very well, but he thinks that Vermont
about as charming place from May to
tober as he has ever found. The bills a
. forests of old Vermont are pleasant recoll,
tons, find TO all VeImOnters, but have l
a. IA.