Morning journal and courier., 1886-07-29
CORRESPONDENTS.
To Yellowstone Park-The Crops in
 the West-The Wheat Prospect-The Fascinating Yellowstone River..

 the West-The Wheat Prospect-The Fascinating Yellowstone River.
 YELLOWSTONE PARK, July 16 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Eight days ago on hot Thursday after noon two amateur travellers started for tour of the continent, the same to include ride through the great National Park. The ex trelne heat when boarding our Pullman in New York nearly collapsed the writer, which, added to the report of over one hundred ill the shade in Montana, brought half regret at the undertaking; but with a lower tenn perature west of Albany our spirits rose correspondingly, and the ride along the lake shore from Buffalo to Toledo was one of needed refreshment. Though our journey was intended for rest and recreation, yet in measure business absorbs my thoughts and the growing crops are all important. Through northern Ohio wheat is in the shock and is fairly good, certainly not poor. Co1.r is thin and backward, but oats surpass all previous recollections of that cereal. From Kilborn City, where we awoke the second day, the wheat is below average, but this section of Wisconsin is not famous for a large yield. The corn here looks well and is growing rapidly. As we neared La Crosse a Fillmore county, Minnesota, miller informed me that the country just ahead was literally
 
 beyond redemption any rain might now bring. As the burned district failed to ma teTialiZe my informer was forced to admit that storm since his leaving home three days previously had helped matters some what. We compromised the situation by his admitting large corn yield and my assent to a half wheat crop. The facts are that in a large area of the Northwest an early spring and too little rain has injured the small grain, but greatly helped corn.
 A halt at Minneapolis for two days gave us time to again view that pushing, growing city, now so prominent as the largest four ing center but one in the world A talk with leading millers there confirms my belief that the growing spring wheat crops of Min nesota and Dakota will be fully three-fourths of average. To view these great grain grow ing sections by daylight we took early morning train for Fargo, reaching there at twilight. Along the Northern Pacific mense, many fields showing stand of six feet and in the tassel. The wheat is f'good by average" many fields being excellent.
 Fargo is much larger that at former vis- it six years since, but is not near so lively; seems to have been struck by a sort of pa ralysis so frequently witnessed in young cit ies of two rapid growth. The wheat region west of Fargo through the Dalrymple farms and a few miles beyond Casselton is good, but drouth has told severely on all crops near Jamestown, at which place we halt for a short visit.
 The little city of Jamestown, situated on the Jim river, is charming place six years old, with four thousand population. A talk with one of the leading business men here reveals bad outlook for the farmers in this vicinity in consequence of the drouth added to the low prices ruling for last season s crop. Such faith had the farmers in higher values that not few borrowed money on al for arti 1oafa at las hv mt insurance and storage have nearly lost their all My informant, a MT. Wilbur, believes that the lesson has cost Jamestown and vii cinity over one hundred thousand dollars, and that not few grangers will have to be assisted next winter or starve to death One thing is observed on a few of the wheat farms and that is small herds of cattle. A diversified industry finds it's reward in the pursuit of farming as in other business en- terprises Cattle can be driven to water, but water in drouth eau only reach the wheat by expensive irrigation, and then only in fa- vored localities West of the Jim river wheat is slim, hardly worth harvest, and in many fields is being ploughed under. At many of the stations through Dakota wheat is yet being delivered from farmers hands, which is proof conclusive that the invisible supply has been the great factor in the low prices ruling for many months. The only place of note worth mentioning before cross- ing the line into Montana is Bismarck, the capital, and that would soon pass from mind but for an imposing railroad bridge l which here crosses the ''big muddy"
 Just before sundown ''the bad lands' are 1 reached and stop is made at Medora. This 1 station is headquarters for numerous cattle | ranches and famous principally for curious | sandstone formations and as the home of th4 1 Bad Lands Cowboy" weekly sheet pub 1 lished as stated by the editor not for fun, but money in advance. I invest ten cents 1 for copy and mail the same to my friend, l L. H. w., thinking it may help him in his | exhaustive researches in the cattle domain. l We turn into our Pullman at Glendine, at | which point we strike the Yellowstone river, a stream we are to follow closely to it's source l over four hundred miles, stream full of in terest in connection with the Lewis and Clark expedition eighty years ago, yet but little known until the Northern Pacific made l it possible to the tourist. For many miles we watch this fascinating river and fall asleep to dream of scenery grand that awaits ! us on the morrow.
 We awake at Custer, where a round up of. cattle greets the eye, and at the station cow boys and Indians are in force, the latter by | reason of this section being on the Crow res ervation. From now on the principal car 1 talk is on the Rosebud massacre and the late | General Custer until Livingston is reached, | when change is made for Cinnabar, to | which the Yellowstone for fifty miles is | watched by the traveller with wonder and de- | light. At the terminus of the branch road we are | met by stage, and an eight-mile ride brings l us inside of the park to the Springs Hotel. | from which in few hours we are to com 1 mence an inspection of Wonderland.