Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-01-11
ABOUT wYoaaINo.
A Trip With Governor Moonlight II 4

- Trip WIN dovernor Meonhghf " 4
/ Buggy.
3 Correspondents OF the Boston Ad.
ssYertiser. The first thing that struck
The governor I'M hi; travels was the way
4 (which land-gobIling had been car
ried on In the territory. II was
amused, said he, ITO find cattle and
horse ranches claiming thousands Of
aercs Of land under and by virtue OF
the various classes of entries permit
ted and granted BY the United States
laws, ndymuchi Of It by virtue Of dis
scoyery only. In conversation with the
United States land officers at Cheyenne
a have learned that many of the entries
have been made by men and Women
who have never Set foot in Wyoming.
and never had any knowledge Of the
lands, its locality or its surface appear
ance. $50 The heme-like prin-
.eiple OF land for the Iandless has de-
generated into The monopoly practice
Fof more land for The land ewnets.
There seems to have been an epidemic
raging in Wyoming to secure this sup
posed to be worthless land, and then
there seems to have been another cpl
demic to get rid Of it, not by returning
it to the government like SO much con-
science money, but by disposing Of
whatsoever rights they supposed they
had obtained 10 it, TO individuals, COM
panies and corporations who were
willing to assume all risks for the sake
of getting Immediate possession of the
lands"
Gov. Moonlight, the further he trav-
eled, grew more familiar with this.
By the time he had finished his trip he
was thoroughly Disguised. There
seems to have BEAM says he, ga senti-
ment that all you can get out of athe
government yon have q right to get,
and not be over particular about it.
There seems to be also another semi.
ment, that, as much of the land is OF
little value. the government ought to
4be glad to get the money for it. and not
be too particular and exacting about
residence, cultivation and timber cul-
ture." 81 s4t - :.
II But things are changing now. 1T is
a case of reaction owing tothe abuses.
There is to-day healthy sentiment for
a frank and fearless enforcement 81
the land laws looking to actual settle
ment, those who are IN possession OF
large bodies of land are DESTROYS OF
selling, but men will not buy unless
the title from the government is per-
feet. ST
One thing which would help I'M
mensely to settle this wnsss ke inmi-
grafton. This ia whas all the people
are looking forward to. The govern
or complains that, while the western
states and territories are indnstriousiy
and persistently advertised, Wyoming
is not, To the one colonization soci-
ETY. at work there he gives the benefit
81 the wide circulation of mis- report as
an advertisement, gratis.
And what are the inducements Wy
oming and Moonlight hold outa First.
an agricultural boom, the buggy ride
showed in some of the ranches, ga
strong tendency to gardening" and
some of the finest vegetable gardens to
ne found in the country There has
been two big cattle shows this year. and
in each of them was found the trotting
track so familiar to frequenters of the
Massachusetts festivals. The Wyoming
horse. the governor says, is a peculiar
~ hardy creature. 81 have never" he
adds, .sseen Wyoming-bred horse
with poor feet.' There IL good deal
doing in the way Of soda, and some
thing in glass msking. Window glass
is the sort turned out, and the one fac
tory in the Territory is the only one
west of Rock Island, Illinois. The bed
of sand which supplies the factory is
perfectly white and apparently mex
haustible.
There is little coal mining in Crook
county, but the oil field is perhaps the
richest in the territory. There are
wells the Shoshone basin, in the Rat
tlesnake basin and near Powder river.
A syndicate has been organized in Chit
cago and Milwaukee to work the field.
The value of the deposits in this region
may readily be calculated when it is
observed that the Standard Oil company
at once sprangto grasp all their chances.
The metal chiefly found in the Wyo-
ming mines is copper. Only one mine
had been worked at all, extensively at
the time the governor took his buggy
ride. ssThe one great trouble in the
mining developments of Wyoming" he
explains, sis the cost of living" The
moment the agriculture productions are
such as to sustain the people engaged
in all kinds of business men will feel
able to turn their attention. to prospect
ing, but the cos: of living ID, SO high at
present that. bare prospecting will not
pay them. That the precious metals
abound in Wyoming none'will. deny,
but until some rich paying district is
struck the mining interests will drag
along, awaiting the favorable turn of
cheap food and cheap transportation.
Al big find cares nothing for cheap hv-
ing. for oil is q boom and all is on the
high pressure order"
One Of the thriving and most prom
ising agricultural enterprises OF fertile
Wyoming is the construction OF the
Mammoth canal. This canal is to be