Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-03-09

want another state larger than New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Meesachu-
sets and New jersey combined.
NEW E%KGLAkDIR'S ENLIGHTENED.
yankton's Eastern Agent Telling the
story of Dakota in ths Far Enst.
Boston Evening Transcript: DIR.
Thomas w. Biokneli delivered o lecture
on Dakota at the Mount Bowdoin read
ing room last evening.
Dakota, Mr.. Blcknell sad, is the en-
pire territory ef the great northwest
extending from latitude AZ to 40 degrees
north, aud covering eight degrees of
longitrde. Twenty states the size of
Massachusetts and 100 Rhode sslands
could be cut out of 1t. The whole of
New England, New York, Delaware,
Maryland, n more Massachusetts, two
more Connections, two more Delawares
and six districts OF Columbia could be
made OF it, with some to spare.
The Missouri river traverses and
waters it for one thousand miles, while
the Red river of the north, the Dakota,
the Big Sioux, Cheyenne and Yermil-
lion. with their tributaries, are immense
sources OF water supply and drainage.
Mount Harvey, in the Black Hills, is
$500 feet high, and the Turtle Noun
tains, in the north, are $500 feet above
the sea.
This vast territory, containing 150, goo
square miles, was once the bed of o lake,
aud tie alluvial deposits are the basis
of the great yield of wheat, corn, fax
and native grasses. The alkalies, such
as magnesia, soda, lime, potash,
alumins, etc, make Dakota the best
| wheat producing country in the world.
As soon as broken the soil shows its
adaptationto cultivated grasses, cereals,
all root crops, and the treeless plains
will soon be covered with heavy forests
OF timber, so rapid 10 the growth. : In
the abEence OF wood the people 10 the
western and northern sections find vast
quantities Of excellent Ignite coal for
fuel, which can be supplied in the mark
at at two dollars per ton.
The climate is less rigorous than that
of New England, on aooonnt of the dry
ness OF the atmosphere and the great
number Of clear days. In 1886 there were
302 clear days. The snowfall OF 1856 7
was AZ incheso against 60 in Connecticut,
1853 in Massachusetts, So in Maine end
New Hampshire and 81 inches in Yer
mont. Western Dakota is influenced by
the chlnooks, the winds from the Pacific
coast, which give the country . milder
climate. The spring season opene early,
and at Yankton, in the southeastern por-
hon Of the territory, the wheat sowing
lis now going on. The Dakota blizzard
is of the nature OF an s'old fashioned New
England snowstorm," except that the
snow is finer, owing to q drier atmoB-
phere, and the winds are heavier, I'M
broken by hills and forests. In it's exag,
geratea type it exists only in the news
papers. and has its chief sources in the
brains of the Chicago correspondents Of
the associated press. The population
Of Dakota is hugely If American birth
with q large contigent of the north Euro
pean immigrats, Germans, Russians
Swedes and Norwegians. There are 800
GOO people in the territory, which shoalt
at once be created into states, having
! twice as many as Vermont, New Hamp.
, Connecticnt, Maine or West Virginia. i
has nearly 1000 miles of railroad, onl.
eleven states having more, aud Massa
ehusetts only half as many, !
has 1899 ~postotices, and Massachusett
has BIG. 1t has 352 newspapers
> against ISL in Massachusetts and 80
IN Minnesota. It expended ST. ,e17 ,25
J on $500 public schools and 5055 teacher
in 1855, while Connecticut with her grea
school fund spent $1.S00,000 the sam
year, and wealthy Georgia $3.50. 600. Th
wheat crop OF 1887 was sixty millions {
. bushels, against thirty millions in 1885,
Dakota is o the greatest wheat-grow
ing territory on the continent of Americ,
. The corn crop of 1887 was 10000, 00t
D against $4,000 900 in 1856. The assesse
value of her farms is about 100000 ,GC
:: and the value OF farm products in 1Se
must have been near $I00,000.00,
Q There are still $4,000 900 acres of ri
occupied land in Dakota subject |
, homestead and presumption laws, eac
settler being entitled TO 100 acress {
government land, without money IN
without price. The great Dslrympl
9 wheat farm contains &c, 1000 acres and IL
8 annual yield OF wheat ia from eightee
o to twenty. five bushels to the acre. Tt
cost OF raising wheat is between tweni
and thirty cents q bushel. Within th
next five years all the free lands OF I'll
g territory will be covered with indul
trious settlers. Probably no section
the country is SO desirable for settl,
q ment, as lands and other property a
constantly advancing in value.
LE. HLH