Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1886-06-02
THE MILWAUKEE & SIT. PAUL.

than a twelvemonth distant. The Rec
ORD has always refrained from giving
publicity to every ''roorback" started III
regard to the building of road IN this
direction. We have believed a road to
Bismarck through Emmons County,
missing the county seat and it's fine sur
rounding farm lands, was something not
based on precedents and very mprob-
able. Unlike certain newspaper we
know of, the RECORD has not claimed that
roads would describe dozen right and
acute angles and impossible curves just
to get to the journals place of publica-
| ton: But we believe the time is near at
hand for the building of road through
this county, and that it will touch the
county seat. We will give reasons for
the faith that is in us:
The objective point of all roads to be
built southeast from Bismarck must nee
essarily he the great markets of Minneap-
oils and st. Paul. The Milwaukee road
has two or three branches IN Central Da-
kota. Is it not likely that the com
pany will seek to reach Bismarck from
the point on its line nearest thereto, or
from the nearest railroad center, by the
most practicable route through the best
agricultural country? Ellendale is the
town on the Milwaukee road least distant
from Bismarck, and Aberdeen is the clos
est railroad center. A "bee line'' drawn
between Aberdeen and Bismarck runs
through Leola, Hoskins, and Williams
port, the county seats respectively of Nc
Phers"n, Mcintosh and Emmons coun-
ties. 10 prove this let the reader take
piece OF string and a map, placing an end
the former article at each of the cities
named. Our readers should also remem-
ber that, where other things are nearly
equal, and proper inducements are held
out, it is much better for railway CON-
pany to build through county seat than
to start rival town a few miles away
and fight for the seat of government. It
is very easy for railroad to kill town
by leaving it little to right or left; it is
not so easy to change county seat The
building of railroad generally causes
more than one town to spring up on its
line inside the limits of county This
engendcrs new rivalrics, and the old
county seat holds her own until she gets
a road herself. 1t has been the policy of
every line built in Dakota to touch
county seats where possible.
Another thing which should be consid-
cred Il; Railroad building IN Dakota or any
other prairie country is comparatively
easy work. 1t isn't necessary to hunt all
Indian trail, Il buffalo trail, or a COW trail.
a railroad will seek the best agricultural
country it can find. without making
costly dclours 1t will not turn angles on
a hunt for trails Mr.. McGarvey, u
Bismarck contractor who recently took
Il grading outfit down to Edmunds county,
passed through Williumsport and Hos
klns. lie said to Editor Orth, of the lat
ter place Il could build Il railroad very
rhu.tnlV fhs,r T
marck."
Another point in favor of the route
named would be the advantage to the
company in All easily and cheaply secured
right OF way. From Wllliamsport to
bismarck most of the Northern Pacific
lands have been sold, and the same is
true for some distance frem this town to
the southeast. OF the whole forty miles
embraced within the regular limit of the
lanu-grant, for not more thun one-tlird
of the distance by the Wllliamsport route
would tic new road be compelled to pur-
chase right of way from the Northern
Pacific. Most Of the odd sections for
the distance named are owned by Bis
maick business men aud their Eastern
friends. Whatever influence, either in
gifts Of land or right of way, can be
exertcd from that source will certainly
be III our favor.
Were railroads legally prohibited from
building on close parallel, there might
be danger of the first road leaving the
great agricultural table-land around Will
lamsport and lodging about among
buttes and coulees in search of trails
But there are several roads which must
eventually get to Bismarck from the
southeast. Suppose the first roud runs
eight or ten miles northeast of this point.
VI course all our transportation for the
time being would be done by it, But,
when the second road is built, it will cer-
tainly he few miles distant from the
first 10 get to Bismarck from south
eastern railroad centers it would have to
keep southwest of the original road.
II it should run northeast of tie first line
IL would have to make a curve or it would
tap the Northern Pacific before reaching
Bismarck, neither Of which routes is di:
rect between the proposed terminal points,
Policy would send it as far away from
the old line as possible without breaking
the alignment between the cities at either
end. That would bring the opposition
line through this great farming region
and how much freight would the old
road then get from this vicinity7 Its only
local patronage Tor many miles would
come from the hills of Logan county:
Now, let us see whether grain enough
could be raised in what we have always
termed "The Williamsport Country to
make it an object for a company to stick
to its bee line through it, instead of max
ing costly curves on hunt for "trails."
There are say eight townships in the
Wllilamport Country, meaning the table
land on which this town is situated. Two
thirds of this, at a low estimate, is level,
rich, and capable of easy cultivation.
Last year; with farming only in occasional
spots, over 1000 bushels of grain was
raised. At say 400 bushels of wheat to the
Car, for this little crop, produced mostly
on ground broken the previous year, LES
cars would be required to transport it.
There are 36 sections of $40 acres each
(23;O40 acres) in II township. In the |
eight townships we have total of 1884,
S2O acres Now; say twuxthirds (much |
less than the real amount) of this is good |
and easily titled wheat land. At 18 bush
els to the acre, which is below the aver.
age for the two years since settlement,
we have 3,317,O0O bushels: Now, take
out pasture lands, ETC., and cut it down.
Make it 10000 900 bushels. This Will
iampsort table-land possesses sufficient
area for the production of this amount of
wheat or it's equivalent in value of other
products: At 400 bushels to the car;
2, 0OO, 900 bushels of grain would load
.. 900 cars, or $50 trains of 30 cars each.
Is there any other continuous body of
good land in this part of the Slope that
could do as well7 OF course we speak of
possibilities, and not Of Immediate prob
abilities hut, with railroad, We believe
this region would show an annual pro- i
duction of million bushels of grain In
very few years.