The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-04
A H00SIER IN DAKOTA.
Agricultural and Other Resources Of the Teri
tOry-Rainfall and Temperature


! Correspondence of the indianapolis Journal.
| ABERDEEN, d. T., Dec 30.-Being so far re-
moved from Hooserdom, and favored with only
an occasional copy of the once SO familiar
Journal am ignorant as to whether or not any
lndianaian has written you anything of our
glorious country, and SO at a venture, and
prompted by philanthropic motives, is this
epistle indited. Dal1otas boom, inaugurated by
the opening of that grand avenue of traffic and
travel the Northern Pacific railroad, and swelled
by the great trunk lines of railway that pierced
Dakota at her central and southern boundaries,
has been as successful as was intended it should
be, and is calling the attention of the people not
onlyof this country and Canada but of Europe as
well, to the wonderful fertility of the soil, and
! the resources of stream and mine, whose devel
opment has scarcely been begun and whose pos
sibilities stagger the most fertile imagination.
Going west from St Paul and Minneapolis, on
| the C., NJ q st. p. railroad Dakota is entered at
Big Stone City, beautifully situated on BigStone
lake, and q further ride of few hours brings
the traveller into the famous Jim river valley,
which in extent and productiyeness rivals the
Red river valley of the north Aberdeen, the
metropolis of this valley is ten miles west of the
James or Dakota river, and though but three
years old is fast developing into city in fact as
well as name. At this place is the United States
land office, with district subject to it compris-
ing $780, 600 acres. This land district is about
125 miles in length, by half as broad, and extend
ing westward to the Missouri river, where begins
the great Sioux Indian reservation. Aberdeen
being the terminus of the railroad, it has natur-
allybuilt up healthy jobbing trade in the coun-
try westward. Although the railroad stopped
here it must not be supposed that immigration
dld, for long ago the government land was all
taken IN this county, and westward the hardy
| pioneers have gone, until the country in
| which steam whistle has never
been heard is thickly settled. That
the land is being rapidly taken up is
evidenced by the fact that during the month of
November 30O000 acres entered and 200,
600 proved up" Still land is plenty, and
| when the railroad is constructed westward to
| the Missouri river and to Bismarck, in the
| spring, immigration is expected in larger mum.
| bers than ever. To subdue the wild soil of the
prairie and prepare it to raise forty bushels of
| No. hard" wheat per acre is no child's play,
and it is the man who had some such idea who
| returns to the east defaming Dakota. Intelli-
| gent well directed effort in farming, such as
| one gives to ordinary business, tells in Dakota,
| where every acre of his quarter section can be
| put in cultivation. s.ast
| The great question of vital importance to Da-
| kotans has been that of fuel but there can be
no doubt that the coal mines now operated in a
rude manner by the Indians on the great reser-
! walton westward, contain an abundant supply,
and men of capital are only now waiting for that
| region to be opened for settlement, to operate
| them on a large scale 400 t2 oi Ustaaon. ies
Dakota has long been maligned as the mother
of billiards., and a synonym for
| a country shat was nine months winter and
three months late in the fail. But such reports
are the legitimate offspring of ignorance. Little
rain fails here, except i'll the spring, and occa-
| sional showers during the summer From the
middle of October to the present, there has been
| but one rain, and no more are expected until
spring So far this winter, the thermometer has
marked 30o below zero, and those spending their
first winter here have had to be shown the nstru-
ment, so doubtful were they of the fact A spe-
cial fact of interest to us who had heard so much
/ OF Dakota billiards., is an entire absence of any
| thing of the kind True we anticipate some
| blizzards-high wind on a cold day-but they are
| not everyday pastimes of old Boreas in these
| high attitudes singing reminder of the feel
| ing winters you endure in Indiana, was occa-
| sional damp, frosty morning, when, with the
mercury at zero, it was more intolerable than our
customary clear, dry, 30o- below zero mornings.
Facts are facts, and in this feeling is beev
| ing.
| With all her great natural resources, with all
| her wealth and intelligence and necessary popu-
| ation, Dakota must be denied the right
! OF Statehood; must submit to pay
! a seeming tribute of respect to that corrupt
| gubernatorial Jumbo, Ordway, and not be al
lowed a voice in the selection of her own eKecu-
tive officers, nor those of the nation. A conven-
ton Of as able men as undertook the I'M
portant work of forming a State consultation as
sembled at Sioux Falls in September, and
| brought forth q constitution containing no OK
periments, but embodying the tried and suffi-
cient constitutions of longsestablished States.
Their appeal to Congress contains no sentiment
of revolution, neither go they to the Congress of
| the United States az supplants, but they 60 as
men-nen who know what is due them, and
dare ask for justice The responsibility now
lies with the Democratic Congress, and, though
party lines are not closely drawn, the peo-
pie Of Dakota will know JUST why they are re-
fused admission to Statehood, and will hold
the leaders to "a strict accountability