The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-03-30
MINER COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA

| or to make safe investments in the west, is di
 rected to the territories, about to becom states, perhaps an article giving a brief de
 scTIption and a few Of the chief characters I tlcs of one of the finest and most promlsinI
 counties of South Dakota, by traveller who has visited the different counties of thi l prospective state in search of home, and V h'
 has finally located in the rich and fertile county of Miner. will be of interest to th' readers of THE ARkANsAM TRANELER WI l do not wish to picture Miner county as para disc. as some en thu siasts might do, hut rathe to give you few sound facts and stattstici concerning the same.
 Miner county contains sixteen geographic townships, and although not as large in are'
 as some of the nelghhoring counties, lt con tains nearly as many ttllahle acres. It's loca tion Is a little north of the southern boundary of Minnesota and three counties west of th'
 western boundary of that state. The land II slightly rolling and occupies an elevated stu stlon-1, :. q feet above the sea level slopinI eastward toward the Fig Sioux riNcT ant westward toward the James rlVer. It i~ inter sccted by the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Pau railroad. from east to west, and hy the Chi cago X Northwestern railroad from north t' south. these roads crossing each other a nearly the center of the county.
 The soIl Is of a rich, dark loam, extending [, the depth of from four to six feet, underneatl
 which Is substantial suesotl ot mari clay The character of the soil is such that tht
 growing crops withstand excessive rams o long .continued drouth>, with little damage II either ca >c. The county as yet has never eut fered from drouth. The land in tts ild stat, Is covered with a iuNuriant growth of grasse winch make an excellent quality of hay an' so nutritious that horses ant cattle thrlVt upon II during tho winter without grain o other proyender. The soil "a especIalll adapted to the production ot fine qualitl
 and variety of wheat. alec ot corn. In fact corn is one of the best crops raised and Il q thought that Tn time thls section will equa fl not excel Iowa as a corn growing country
 some 1dea ot the character and richness of tn, soil can be obtaned from the following item
 During the year lssS there were 21i e0 bu hel of wheat, barley and flax marketed al How ard, one of the slN shipping points iu tht county. Al present the tendency undoubt edly T. to engage more extensively Tn stock
 raising. The introduction of the fine breed ant best classes ot graded stock and the eas, and success with which the growing an,
 breeding of stock can be undertaken. haVi gwen every encouragcment to this profitable and most important branch of in iustry. rhert
 has been tlo.UOO worth of high bred horses an, cattle imported into the county since Ianu arv of thI> year.
 The county IS watered hy the west brancl of the NCrmtllon river anu Rock creek, be sides numerous wells of clear and pure water There arc now seventy five aTte>ian wells Q fine water in the county, which were ohtAtne, by simply boring with a common two-incl augur te the depth ot eighty or ninety feet two men being able to put down well 1T three days. These wells are never failing an, flow strong steady stream the entire year It IS estimated that no less than l0t more arte sian wells will be sunk during the coming year.
 The climate is one of the finest of any sec tlOn or the country anu ls as tree rom anN objectionable feature as that ot any farming district iR the United states, the winters beiny short and only moderately cold the summer are long and breezy, the springs and falls arI pleasant and remarkably free from stormi and disagreeable di weather. The weather ser vice at Washington shows Dakota in genera
 to possess more sunshiny days. thrOughou the year, than any state or territory Tn tho | tnion. Trees are being planted everywhere
 and will soon form fine groves. They serve two purposes in the winter they are grea protection from wind, and m summer furrisl shade for cattle and tend to increase the rain fall.
 There is no vicinity where the health seek ke
 can be better suited. Being situated high an, dry, the Atmos phere IS always clear, thus ac counting for the scarcity of all throat and lunI
 difhculties; also renders this section free iron malaria.
 The population of the county is 900. an, consists, principally, of Americans, with leaven of other nationalities. Germans, Scandi
 navians and Welsh naturally gravItate here. s
 the bracing air IS like that they have left behinC them m Germany, Norway and Wales. All ar, an enterprislng and energetic class of people They have not come here to take up one hun dred and sixty acres of land, to toll and mak' a productive farm for the purpose of selling it but are here to stay. Here they expect tt ralse and educate their children and spend tn, remainder of their days Naturally, our atten tion is directed to the school interests. Tn,
 law makes most liberal provi sion for the sup Two sections of land in each township ar, reserved by congress, the proceeds of whicl cannot De leRAlly ulNeEteu rom the purpose of maintaining and supporting the schools In looking over the assessment rolls of th' county for 1883 we find lS5 Sl3 acres of Ia bl' land; the valuation of real estate, $SI4 500 personal property, including 3 3t9 horses. lll mules, 6.sl3 head of cattle 9S4 sheep, l.56 swine, amounts to Ae5 900. making & tota assessed valuation of over a million and quarter dollars, this being one-thlrd of tho actual valuation. Land can be purchased a from SIX to twenty five dollars per acre according to it's location and mprov ements The tax levy for 1888 was eight mills.
 Howard, the metropolis and county seat o
 Miner county, is pleasantly situated in tho center of the county. 0 slight elevation or