The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-04-02
HERALDING HAROLD.
THE NoRrHwEsT's NEW TOWN.
Not Very Much Development at Present.
But n Roseate Future Pictured
The Fort Worth A. Denver
Extension Probabilities.

HAROLD, March I-lSpecial Corre-
spondence. l-Some business matters
having called me into the Panhandle,
concluded, ON my way back, 10 switch
of aud take look at this place and tho
surrounding country. Harold Is In
Wilbargor county, 30 miles west, or q
little northwest, OF Wichita Falls, and
is TO be the next terminus of the Fort
Worth & Denver City railroad, / learn
that the railroad company will here
erocta round'house and probably ma
chine shops. So the prospect is that
IL will remain the terminus of
the road for an indefinite time and
become quito an important city.
There is no probability that the road
will 60 beyond IL until tho country TO
the west Is settled up so as TO make
business for 1t, for the time Is probably
passed in this country when railroads
are built for tho mere love of building,
or to give property to construction COM
panies and none to stockholders and
will be settled up sufficiently to justify
tho passing on, is a matter of question,
but certainly it is mighty thinly settled
beyond Harold just now. / therefore
take il that the road will stay here at
least as long as it has staid AT
Wichita Falls, and 1t has now been at
that place lust two years and two
months. Then we should soon witness
here a city at least rs big as Wichita
Falls now is, and probably a good deal
more so, as it is not at all unlikely that
large portion of the business men OF
Wichita Falls will move here as soon ~
tho road touches tho place. That will
be some time next month, for the grad
ing IL now finished within few miles
OF here, and tho work is being pushed
rapidly. Harold Is now quite u we'll
known name in Texas, but IL
will be a familiar name in
short time. At present there is but
one solitary house here and that is not
yet completed. But there are num-
Der of tents here and one can get COM
Portable lodging and such creature COM
forts as ars necessary. The first house
is being built by an enterprising
preacher, and 1t is said that it will he
sort of hotel or eating and lodging
house. Ho may find after no has fin
ished his house, that he will have to put
it on rollers and move IL a lite, as / be-
lieve it is not yet definitely known to
outsiders exactly where the town site
is to be. That il will either be on this
spot or near it is, however, very certain.
They arc now constructing here two
enormous tanks, or lakes, or ponds, one
OF which will give over 200 acres OF
water and the other nearly as much.
They are procured by damming up u
drainage basin, which draws TO 1t the
rainfall of great scope Of country
There is also creek running through
the BASIN, OF small size, but always fur
nishiug wator in large and deep pools.
These tanks are situated three miles
apart, the upper one intended tor water.
ing cattle which may be brought
liere for shipment south or east, and the
lower one for cattle brought here on IN"
railroad for driving north. The idea in
this is to prevent all danger OF the cat
tie with the two destinations coming IN
contact and producing "TeXas or sple-
netic fever" for it is said that the Pan
handle cattle VIII take this disease from
cattle from other portions of Texas just
as quick rs the Kansas, Missouri or Ne
hraska cattle. Between those two
tanks, at convenient distance, the
new town will, no doubt, he
located. have asked nearly
everybody here to show me tho exact
spot, buv haven't found the one yet
who can say that he positively knows.
However, am satisfied that | am now
Within easy pistol range OF the spot
where, in less than six months, there
will DO q busy, bustling city, where the
largest cattle business in all Texas will
be transacted. There will be cattle mon
and COW boys here by the hundreds and
thousands, and this class of people al
ways contrive to make things lively
about them.
But has the new city any other basis
for prosperity and permanence beyond
the cattle trade? / havo now looked
into the country all around here, and
can state that it is very superior ccun-
try as regards soil, as well as very
beautiful one. The country is all rich,
so much so that l do not believe single
section of land can be found within 10
miles of Harold which is not excellent
agricultural land. Atleast, after careful
looking, have seen none which is not
fine land for the pillow and farm. 1t is
as universally rich as the country
about Mckinney in Collin county.
But the soil here is not the blackwaXy
as it is in the locality referred to. 1t is
for the most part chocolate colored,
equally as rich and tar better to work
in than the blackwaxy. 1t is undoubt
eddy destined to become grand agri-
cultural district. Red river and Pease
river, with their grand valleys, are on Y a
few miles away, and Beaver creek Is
only about three miles off. There is al
ready quite farming population along
these streams, and they have been veIy
successful in their farming. They all tell
me that for fruits, mel
ons and grapes especially,
the latter the country is not to be sur
passed. l hope to be hero again in
few months, and no doubt shall then
see brisk town, with rows of mercan-
tile houses, and all the usual parapher-
MALTA of theaters,, tipling shops, etc,
Such is life in the great and rapidly
developing west. And, no doubt, l
shall find the wide prairies, now open
and tenantless, showing on AL hands
the prosperous homes of tho granger.
The lands hereabouts belong almost en-
tirely, as yet, to the school fund and to
the Houston d Texas Central
railroad company. These school lands
can be bought for y per acre, with 30
years to mako payment. The railroad
lands are said to be held at 50 80 per
acre. These prices are "dirt cheap" tor
such lands. In five years or less from
to-day they will be worth $40 per acre or
more. SENIOR.
Ammoniated Bread.
Ammoniated baking powders-that is,
baking powders in which carbonate OF