The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-12-09
Ny Wanderlngs in Dakota.
Correspondence Of the journal.

Correspondence Of the journal.
FREEMAN, DAKOTA. Nov. II, 1856. landed
at LennoX, OAK, Il little after midnight on the
! morning of Sept. y. The stars were shining
brightly over my head, but did not appreciate
their beauty rs it was the fourth night that
had been broken of rest. We could sleep in the
cars very well if they would not stop every
night and take aboard some wild drunken set
on their way home from some fair or dance.
Many would sleep in the DAYTIME but | was too
much interested in the surroundings for that.
After getting few hours sleep, set out to
find my Old caSsmatc Mr.. j. f. Ferguson, who
is engaged in avery successful lumber business
here lie also owns considerable land from
which he produces large quantities of meat and
grain. Mr. Ferguson and myself began our
education in one of the common schools of the
Pine Tree state where the youthful mind is al
lowed free scope for its own development.
The town of LcnnoX consists of one Short,
muddy street with row of small wooden
buildings on each side. | say wooden because
probably more than half the houses in Dakota
are of sod>, After looking over this portion of
a fertile country started for Central, Dakota,
to visit my uncle, A. J. Cole who recently
started on a farm of nine hundred and sixty
acres. He has erected good house and barn
the past spring and has got several hundred
acres of land under cultivation. Mr.. Cole was
not only pupil but 4 teacher Of Waldo county
in his early wears. lie has since taught pen
man>hip i'll nearly every state Of the Union and
was for ten years Principal Of Commercial
College in Illinois,
The Valley of the Dakota River is for the
most part q rolling prairie though i'll some
places we may travel for miles on level tract
a> smooth and level as barn floor. The south
erh part Of the Valley is Il deep black soil with
some sand underneath in some places. while
farther north the black soil is not as deep,
though much of it is two feet, and i'll some
places 1t contains sand but rests upon GOOD
cIayey >ubsoil. Around Aberdeen is Il bcauti-
tut ieNcl country extending a> far south aS Ash
ton. From there for some distance south of Red
Held the region traver>el by the G.. NJ 4 st. F..
R'y i comparatively uneven and sterile. The
artr>ian well ut Aberdeen is said to throw out
minute fish in it> water, leading to the concu-
SION that the water comes from some river or
lake far up among the mountains.
My uncle and With two GOOD horses and Il
supply Of provisions and camping fixtures, ac-
companied by faithful dog, started to visit Il
portion Of the toteHu Hills i'll the northern
part of Mcintosh county. As we approach the
eastern boundary of the county we come into
the Hills almost uncon>ciouSIv it being a sue
ccs>ion Of Slight elevations less fertile thou We
had seen heretofore: bat we We're conscious
when the hNin9 ants tor,nentcd lis for three or
four hours They were a perfect swarm of
pests and there We're two came to the funeral
OF every one we killed. An old hat was brisk
" used in wardng of our winged companions,
all to no avail, but they ii>appcarc,l that nirbt
and | have not seen. one since They some
times attack Il crew of laborcrs 50 ticrcrly rs 70
compel them to u1it work.
We drove for six hours that afternoon with
out seeing living mortal or a drop of water.
The country travcrscd will probably he settled
sometime but is not desirable at present owin~
TO its unevcnncS> and the shallownc>s of the
soil Toward evening we came into Il Russian
settlement located in quite 4 fertile tract of
land. Here we procured water for our horses
and hitchcd them to Il hay stack. While we
camped bv their side uuite as comfortably rs
we could in the Russian sod house We did
not enter these dwellings but from without
they rescmbrd eastern pig pens Hens We're
perfectly at home in the house. cats ana dors
were plenty. and all animal life seemed TO flour
ish under the same roof
The next morning we awoke to find Il bleak
chilly wind. threatening rain. we started on
our Journey westward and soon cot bevou.l all
traces OF humanity The Nils erased lyprr
about mc,li,m hight. with rather steep sides
and extended in 4 north ana south direction
The valleys We're quite IRREGULAR There were
places where from one to i've acre, appcarpd
quite fertile hut the surrounding hill5 were
barren and tLpi- >unn,itS were ,rownrJ with
a thick coa1inm of rocks. There were some
valleys Of hundred, and even thousands of
acres which produced a heavy Growth of ,era,s
but | noticed thar around the etlgc and about
ten feet above the surface Of these beautiful
fields Of grass the soil was all washed from