Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-11-03
DAkOTA'S PROSPERITY
Gov. Church Submits His An
nual Report to the Inter-
iOr Department.
TIE Past Year Has Been One OF
Unparalleled Prosperity to
the Territory.

Gov. Church, of Dakota, in his annual
report shows the territory to be in a
fourishing condition, with large additions
to its population and wealth during the
year past. Speaking of the increase in
population he says:
There has been 40 cnicial count OF the pop
uIGtlon sluce the federal census Of 1855, and
II" only figures available for the years 1876,
1917 sDu 1873 are estimates, approximatel,
correct, made ~ the commissioner II immi-
grafton, ana based on the pubiic land entries
A. reported by the ten United States land
NICE within the territory On June 30,
1897, The commissioner estimated the number
oi DakJta's Inhabitants to amount to 500, GOO
souls: a year later, June 30, 1881, the same
authority gave the territory a population OF
Joo,AU. and hus estimate for the year ending
June 80, 1885, indicates a gain, etuce the date
oi the laet report, 81 G2,346, or a total popula-
ton today OF go s23. This, OF course, does
not include Indians, government employees,
nor the other Inhabitants OF the numerous
Indian ana military reservations which cover
one-hflh Il The entire area OF the territory.
Add these and the ~hole humber Of people
within the boundaries Of Dakota will approach
closely to 200 600.
SETTLEMENT DURING II YEAR.
Referring To the settlement Of lands
during the year the following statement
is given:
Complete tables fromthe official returns OF
the different land offices In the territory
show there were 1910 new filings under tie
general land laws during The year ending
June 80, lSSS, IS follows: Homcsteads,
3,S!S; pre-emptionf, 1925, and tree claims,
1904. The acres newly filed on during this
peri ! were ,s3s, l42. There were l0,455 final
proofs mace II which 4,677 were cash entries,
1 4 49, final hntn.Ifant nt.t. nnf IA ,,.-A--
culture proofs, OF the cash entries there
were 1898 proofs made under the pre-emp
ton law aud l,349 commuted home.teads.
The area acquired 10y final proof and cash en-
try curing the year was | 6l6,650 acres aud
that purchased by land scrip 3, los acres. The
new settlements were almost equally distrib-
ut,d north and .outh OF the 9Th standard
parallel: the area filed on in
The four government land Offices at
Fargo, Grand Forts, Devils Lake and Bis
marck amounted 10 050,473, and IN the six Of
ficcs 81 Yaukton, Michel, Wstertown, HUI
ron, Alb rdeen snd Deadwood to So, $50 acres.
The land districts last named include The
ol or counties Of the territory, which sc-
counts for the large excess 81 lands acquired
by tina. proof In these Offices as compared!
with ne area acquired In the four a~orthern
districts. Th final proofs south Of The 7th
standard parallel covered u t tai area OF
| l,l51, IA acre. whilst those north of that
amounted To t5S, $50. The area Of un.urveyed
lands taken ~ nut uo' fled on Is estimated
"a beiuC equivalent TO one-third of the area
lied on In the Bismarck aud Devils Lake Of
fees or about $50, goo acres The sale Of lands
by the Northern Pac fl Ra lroad COMPANY
and private owl ers IN difr, rent sections OF the
{ rrttorv are Appropriated as being equlva-
lent 80 % per cent. OF the government lands
fled on for The year, or a1out AGO, Coz acres.
The grand tot OF Ian IL nt.l' filed on and
purchased by immtgra as FOR settlement for
The year enni & June 80, 1858, therefore, close
" a~pproximatps the sun Of $4,000 acres, or
$500 rq-are miles, an area twice that Of the
stat. OF Delaware.
The vscaat lands OF the tetritory-lands
'nbj ct TO homestead, pre-empt'on, etc.-ap-
proximate the sum OF % 245, 9iS acres.
THE RAILROADS.
During the building season Of 1878
SAP miles of completed track were added to
the railway systems of Dakota as follows:
NorIhfih rarlnc.'
~. Paul, Minneapolis aud Manitoba ..... $50
Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis and
oHana .............. ............... 81
Chicago, Milwaukee and st Paul ........ 100
Chtcago and Northwestern ...... ........ IS
Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley -. -
Minneapolis aud Pacific. ............... 50
Duluth, Wstertown and Pacific .......... -
Duluth and Wilmar. 23
Illinois Central III
lO'al .,....'....,... ......,......of
The total number Of miles Of railroad
in op Grafton in Dakota in 1883 is 1888
miles. The railway mileage OF Dakota
is exceeded in but thirteen Of the thirty
eight states.
AGRICULTURAL PROGRESS.
Under this head the rep0rf savs.