Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-08-28
OVER THE MOUSE.
A Flying Trip to the Front-Great
Grouse Grounds.

OA0 0NoO NASOANSs
For three years prior to the first of
June last Devils Lake was entitled to
the distinction of being known as the
city at the lend of the track" but the
explorer whose curiosity and love OF
research lead him to that haven
now, must travel far beyond the city by
the great ''inland salt sea- Twelve
hundred men and 500 teams have made
a pathway for the iron horse reaching
westward nearly 100 miles from Devils
Lake, and by the time snow flies in No
vember the Manitoba's main line extern
sion will have reached q poins where
the glare Of the headlight will illumine
the snow tipped peaks of the Rockeys.
Saturdays passenger train carried
Judge o Brlen, D. w. Ensign and the
INTER OCEAN delegate.at-large to Rugby
junction, 81 miles west OF this city;
thence by construction train the party
proceeded to Newport-on-t the-Nlouse, %
miles further on. Conductor Copeland
joined the party at Rugby, and Sam
Dodd's team, with Hans Anderson as
driver, was pressed in at Newport to
carry us to the famous sand hills or CO.
toes, five miles beyond the river. Here
our shotguns wre unlimbcrcd, and in an
hour and three-quartcrs we baggcd Sc
| fine grouse. We never saw birds so
plenty or so tame; nor the weather
quite SO hot. Returning, we reached
| Devils Lake at 1885 Monday morning,
tired, hungry, and considerably in need
OF soap and water, but the plethoric
game-bags stood in full compcnsatiQn1
for the attending Inconvenience. We
had, besides, looked once more upon
the ''end Of the track" and crossed the
first crossing Of the Mouse
The region between Devils Lake and
the sand hills Of the Mouse river valley
furnishes an interesting study for the
tourist. In less than Il days travel al
most every variety Of soil and almost
every phase of habitation or settlement
are seen. Leaving Il city Of 1900 popula-
ton, with substantial brick blocks and
modern dwellings; with schools and
churches; with broad clean streets and
Sidewalks; with all the convcnienccs
that make life enjoyable, we find at the
end of an SO-milc trip the same condi-
ton Of things that existed here in
lSS2-3-peoplc passing through our ex-
perence Of three and u halfycars ago
through the experience of all frontier
towns and frontier countries. The only
difference between the settlement of the
Mouse river country now and the settle
mcnt Of the Devils Lake region then, is
that quite good-sized town grew up
here before the railroad came, while at
the first crossing OF the Mouse, and in
fact for several miles this side, the rail.
road has pushed through beyond settle.
mcnt. and it is going on so rapidly that
settlement will not ovcrtakc it. Chlrcll's
Ferry, 20 miles west Of here, is the last
station that shows any symptoms of
what some people are pleased to term {.
"boom.' The other stations are mere
sidings until Rugby junction IS reached
This is due largely to the fact that no
government surveys have been made.
The railroad passes through IS miles OF
surveyed land from Church's to the
Mouse rivera distance of GO miles.
Unsurvcycd lands 20 begging since
Sparks got into the general land office.
There is no telling how long Sparks will
live, and there isn't the slightest reason
| " IOIlc lIluL IIc VIII EtSluIl. CoIlSt-
qucntIy settlers are taking no chances;
they are not squattiny on unsurycycl
lands and trusting to Sparks to help
. them to homes.
Rugby Junction is the scene of cOnsid
cradle activity. II is at this point that
the Bottneal branch leaves the main
line. The grade on this branch is lin.
ishcd, and the iron will be laid in time
to moyc this years crop from the noun
tain. Here are also temporarily located
d. G. Sheppard g. Cos. outfit Of supply
i. cars, in charge of Capt. Peter Sims and
Lieuts. Murphy and Schwartz. Rugby
being the end Of the passenger and
, freight runs at present, Pat Kelly and
! his brother Dennis are located there
Pat keeps near the front and is Il grca,
success as an organizer Of stations. lie
is worker and if the company don't
: give him supcrintcndency one Of these
) days. it ought to, tllat'saIl Mcssrs. Big.
Glow & Perrin, lately of New York, have
a portion Of the townSite and have put in
Il lumber yard. Half dozen tents and
} few cullcd.board shantics complete the
improvements at present, but Rugby will
grow. One thing the people there arc
blessed with is good water.
e Twenty-Five miles further on brings
! the traveller bang up against the cas-,
bank of the Mouse river and the con
struction engine, like a great thirsty cl
cphant, drops its trunk into the stream
and drinks in the cool waters. while oul
e quartet Of investigators hurry through
the hot sun to johnny Brccn's hotel rol
dinner. Brccn formerly kept rcstau.
! rant in this city. lie built his hotel in
! a day and night, minus several hours
: spent attempting to drive a team Of balk J
: horses from Rugby. The hotel consist:
Of three rooms and is high enough tc
e make a very respectable shade where
e we basked a couple Of hours discussing
the prospects Of the new town and list
= ening to some wonderful chicken stories
from Jack Ferris. In addition to Brccn':
hotel there are two tents on the ne"
. townsite. One of these is Fox & Cor
f mans saloon, where our party found a
i number one article Of cool lemonade
: This new townsite will probably be
: called Towner 1t is located Il mile east
! Of the river on a plateau sloping toward
the track. Some lots have been sold
and a few business buildings are con
tcmplatcd. Newport is on the very
brink Of the river and is a much more
suitable site for the town, being nearer
: water and timber. but we are told there
p is some question concerning the title tc
: the land. and Comstock d. White, who
g seem to have a monopoly OF the town
: site business in this country, preferred {
a location where deeds could be made
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