The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-10-02
RURAL NOTES.
What Our Reporter Saw and Thought
During aJaunt Through the Country.

In bringing ourself to II focus fora toul
of rusticatiOn last week Mcpherson town
ship was made the objective point, than
which there is no town in Blue Eartl
county more replete in historic Interest
or romantic legend; for it was once tn,
wild, free home of the inoffensive Win
nebagoes, who were removed from
thence to Nebraska i'm 1868. The town
ship contains the village of Wnnebagc
Agency, which is located most superbly
for thrift and growth, but the develop,
ment OF events seems to have discrimi-
mated against IL, no railroad having vet
passed that way, Il fact that has some
what fossilIZed the village. The legal
name of this town is Hilton, but the
title, Winnebago Agency, by which il
was designated when that tribe was set
tied about il, has been so strictly adhered
Ia that the proper name Is rarely used
unless in the assessors returns, or 9th
er legal documents. Few townships in
the state have such desirable facilities
for agricultural purposes as Mcpherson.
About one-third of il is heavily timbered,
and the remainder liz prairie, all furnish
ing a deep, rIch, loan soil, and an
abundance Of wafer for man and beast.
The LeSueur river Eayerses the town
from southeast to northwest, forming u
boundary line between the timber land
and prairie. The Agency is located in
the south part of section 8, on the prairie
side of the river, and is noted place of
trade, drawing from well developed
farming region ON every hand. Three
houses do general merchandise bust
ness, and find II paying trade the
year round. Two blacksmith firms, II
hu m lynr Shnnnnalyne utl, Ia
butcher and druggist conduct II prosper
ous business in their respective voca-
tons, and two physicians find sufficient
Ia do in the art curative Ia maintain
them. The Mcpherson Eagle mill is Il
feature of the town that has always PROV
ed Il source of great convience tn the
farmers, and, though idle now, offers Il
good opening 10 some of sufficient means
and enterprise to place il upon II scale
To compete with the most recently con-
strIcted mills IA regards modern i'm
prOyements. There are in this village
four churches, two apologies for hotels,
three saloons. Two schools furnish
nursery for the growing ideas of the
burgh, one of which is located half
mile east of the town and the other
about the same distance west. Despite
the dearth of railroad facilities the vii
lage keeps growing IL little, at least one
half the buildings now therein having
been erected i'm the last fifteen years.
Its population, as well AZ that Of the
whole township, il mixed, the foreign
element predominating, and among
these the German and Irish element
prevail. A goodly number of half-breed
Winnebagoes and few full bloods are
still there, but have been forced by the
irresistible march Of civilization to abln-
don their native pursuits, practically and
apply themselves to the vocations of
their more fortunate white neighbOrs.
We made pretty thorough tour of
the whole township, and could produce
several columns, the result of 0bserva-
ton, but mere synoptical review must
suffice. One of the principal things
which elected our notice was, to what
extent the farmers in that locality are
their productions, or, if
you wish, not doing 80, and the conclu-
sion to which any one must inevitably
come after even superficial investiga-
ton of the several parts Of the county is,
that Mcpherson and some of the ada
cent towns are far behind other portions
of the county i'm the breeding of the bet
ter kinds of stock and raising diyersi-
ty of crops. The citizens are industrious
almost To u fault, and their determine
ton is irresistible, which makes 1t i'm
possible for them TO do otherwise than
succeed; yet their reward is but partial.
We're they To abandon the cereal idea
more extensively and direct portion
of the efforts now put forth "tO make
both ends meet" with limited yields and
poor prices, 10 the stocking of lands
wasted and worn by successive crops of
grain for the last score years, il would
enhance their satisfaction
with the occupation they follow and add
largely in the course of time To their H.
nancial bearings. To be sure, such a
state of affairs must be brought about
gradually and judiciOusly, lest discour-
igement should wither the zeal of the
ones attempting it, or faith he lost
through the necessarily slow process.
IL requires means in abundance 10 equip
q stock farm properly, hence the hard |
working agricnlturist who has been yir- |
lnally strapped" by constantly failing
wheat crops, must find his governing
motto in the scriptural saying:
"By little. and little"
md abide the developments of time.
Once commenced and perseveringly fol- |
owed until its advantages have time TO |
demonstrate themselves, stock farming |
md the raising of diversified crops
never yield to any other, for il is the