Morning journal and courier., 1884-11-08
re DAKOTA AND RAoK.

l re DAKOTA AND BACK.
 | FOur Thousand Miles in Ten Days The Wonderful Growth of This | COuntry's Material Prosperity-A Trip of To-Day and a Trip Fifty l Years AgO-Sch0OIs, Churches, Jafls | and Good Hunting.
 | A New Haven gentleman writes: 'I am prompted to pen a. few lines, giving some
 facts concerning the growth and prosperity 1 of this country in fifty years witnessed by l myself. In my early boyhood two stage ! coaches supplied the travel on the turnpike
 between New Haven and Hartford, the then bee line from Boston to New York. saw the 1 building of the Hartford and New Haven l railroad and heard the statement, No one l will ride on it, as it goes twice as fast as a
 horse can trot; it'll break their eternal necks. Sides, if it does go horses and oats won't | sell farmers ruined and COWS in the pasture l lot scared to death' Persons went out West in covered wagons, way over the Catski1
 mountains to Schoharie, Schenectady and later on as far as Rochester and Buffalo and few into Ohio, where corn would grow without hoeing. Still later few ventured to Chicago. I well remember on my first
 visit there the ups and downs in the mud where Lake, Madison and other streets
 now graded and show rows of costly build ings extending many miles. But Chicago is
 not now the far West and it's rapid growth
 and prosperity are among the things already
 well known.
 'tNow for the recent trip. I left New Ha- ven for ten days, took a sleeper in New York at in the evening, was in the nesz far West to breakfast, at Buffalo for dinner, Ohio for
 supper and Chicago for breakfast, stepping one hour, thence via Northwestern road through Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Dakota Territory, reaching Huron at half past 3 o'clock the second day out from Chi cago. To my astonishment (and to yours could you be there to see) found city of four years equal to many eastern one of twenty and some of fifty years existence. The Kent Hotel at the depot was delightful spot I slept the first night there off the cars from New Haven. No one could wish Q bet ter bed or table away from home, and the neatness of the dining room and the tidy uniform dress in plaid gingham of the young lady walters, aided the appetite for quails toast, prairie chickens, geese, ducks, delicious beef and vegetables, such as Dakota produces. After dinner Mir. Campbell with his span took me over miles of territory about Huron, where
 here and there were planted the homes of
 many thrifty farmers, some with advanced improvements and others just starting their
 trees and crops in corn, flax, wheat and gen
 eral farming. On Jim river we noticed small
 stock farms (if In Connecticut they would be called large) where immense barns and sheds are already erected for the increasing de-
 mand. Back to the city of Huron, where we
 spent some time. The First National bank is a
 large brick building. Here the Htna, Phoenix,
 Hartford and other large insurance compa- nies have agents. Located on the first floor
 is the Dakota Farm Loaning company and
 the First National bank, known as the bank
 of deposits from the government. The rep
 utation of the managers of tho Bank and Loan company is widespread throughout the
 country for the very safe and successful
 manner in making their loans. next visit
 ed the court house, it's well appointed apart mepts for the business of the county. The jail is underneath, with few prisoners all
 in one iron room, truly a punishment to get
 there). Above, the board of education have for the territory has it's headquar-
 ters here And here let me say
 that all through this country you see new churches and school houses of good style erected visited the graded schools at Huron with Mir. Miller, chairman O in the best of order, taught by capable teach CTS. The equipments of the buildings showed no mean estimate of the value of edu- cation. Overflow schools in Huron are held to accommodate the increasing pop to be erected. Rev. Smith Norton, general missionary, has headquarters here, e,and thirty two new churches have been formed and sixty-seven men have been commissioned 1 by the Home Missionary, society the past l year. The press in any city has great pow CT to advance or destroy the welfare of the | people and the prosperity of the country. At l Huron, the Dakota Leader edited by E. T. 1 Cressey, strong Republican paper, has a l wonderful influence on all the great enter prises for the future good of Dakota. The | signal station here and the government land | offices were next visited. Half day was spent with General Fessenden and President | Campbell in duck hunting, the sport being l very novel one for me. Game of all kinds IS ! very plenty here. No place in the far West | impressed me more in its favor and as one of | unbounded growth in the near future.
 "En route for Pierre, situated opposite | the Indian reserve on Missouri river, | we noticed many villages from one to three | years old, with churches, stores, school | houses, and all the appearance of rapid | growth. Far out on the prairie could be seen | the homes of settlers on their one-hun- | dred-and-sixty-acre farms Sometimes only a mud or turf house of one or two rooms accommodates the | whole household. There were immense cat tie trains on this route and drover told me that he took five thousand across the river that day and that twenty thousand more