Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-07-11
SMALL BEGINNINGS
Men Who Started With Small Means,
but Plenty Of Energy and
Perseverance,,
IN Spite of Crop Failures, Have
Steadily Incrt ased Their Prop.
erty in Value.
"a Couple Of Old Settlers Of This Class
is Foupd by the Tribune's
Correspondent.
Apple Creek Pioneers.

] correspondent. =
Apple Creek Pioneers.
Nathaniel Shelton, formerly a resident
Of Lewistown, Me-, where. in company
with Isaac Thompson he was in the mer-
camille trade; came to Burleigh county, n.
d., in the spring of 1873, and settled on a
\ quarter on section 2-1S8.7s and began i'm
provements at once and here he, with wife
and three children, has resided and farmed.
He Has had good crops, poor crops n
! failures. He has sold his products at good
z9Sprices; at other times he has found the
market glutted and prices low. He lost
# his barn by fire a year ago. Still he is not
complaining. He has his homestead with
its improvements, and his tree claim with
many growing trees. He has several head
of horses, eighteen COWS and S calves. The
,#s roads leading to his farm have been i'm
proved, the streams and sloughs bridged,
and a station has been put in within a half
mile OF his land. The school house is only
one mile away. The neighDors have made
many substantial improvements. Ills
children have had an opportunity to be
educated, and Walter, his son, now grown
to manhood, is at home industriously lend
ing a helping hand. Hattie is teaching.
The family is all together, are in good
health and all see in their home and its
surrounding improvements some compen-
sation for their coming to the far west to
try their hands at pioneer life and farm
ing. They have in crop sixty acres Of
wheat, twenty-five of oats, thirty of corn,
and garden truck. Everything is growing
rapidly-wheat heading and corr will
soon be in tassel and potatoes in blossom.
Mr.. Shelton has every reason to join in the
general good feeling prevailing through
out the county and does most heartily.
isaac Thompson, his former business
partner, is also located neal him and is
busy improving and looking after the
crop.
j 1t is a pleasure to meet and converse
with those who have the experience that
those people have had. They gave en-
-couragement by pointing out and calling
very thankful for. Burleigh county was
very fortunate indeed when the several
families from Lewistown, Me-, decided to
permanently locate here. 1t is to be hoped
chat nothing will happen to induce them
to change their field of action, and l was
highly gratified to hear that they had no
such Intentions.
In visiting "Nat." Skeletons farm one, is
forced to see and call on his nearest neigh
Dor and pioneer companion. That is the
home and farm of
E%@&1S r E. SCRIBNER,
also an old resident Of Lewistown, Name,
who came to Burleigh county at the same
time Mr.. Shelton did, both following
shortly after j.. A. Field. MIR. Scribner
took a quarter adjoining Mr.. Shelton, and
their residences were built near together
and at about the same time. Mr.. Scrib-
ner's wife did not join him here until four
years after. From the day he took his
claim he has resided on the land, and with
very little hired help has broken and cult
waited the land. Both he and Mr.. Shelton
set out groves around their houses. They
TX are quite large and in addition to the beauty
and shade are a wind break and shelter.
Mr.. Scribner has a comfortable residence
Il and warm barn and convenient %out-build-
lngs.
He has in crop, 10 acres of wheat, 10 Of
oats, 10lo corn, rs in millet, and a garden.
~ I1C q d opCCl0lty VI OllIOH CulUulO
and has been very successful in that line.
He said !: II have raised from one-half to
one acre of onions every year since | broke
the first ten acres-1878-and, while the
land was new, without any aid from COM
post and fertilizers of any kind, l have
300 bushels has been the average, yield.
The same with potatoes. The yield has
S been from $50 bushels in dry or bad sea-
sons and 250 to 300 bushels in the good
years. l raised onions, potatoes, beans,
peas Ieassne tur m n . %r1ata alag as +n, p%s%R}R nd,
sweet, pop n common-on the s0d as
well as On the cultivated lauds, and every
year | raise the improved Rec corn that
yields fifty bushel baskets per acre.
It natures in ninety days. 1t IS a sure
crop and now most generally planted on
articles that we have begun raising. 1t is
feed for horses, cattle, pigs, fowls and
IA sheep, and for blowing under to en-
rich the soil it is equal to timothy stubble.
Il we had all the wild hay we could wish
feed for my stock. It is also a great land
cleaner. 1t kills out the weeds. l have
thirty-tive head of cattle. ~ They are good
blood-Durham. l think that where you
want beef and cream, combined, the Dur
ham s.tne best. don't make butter to
run with the COWS. 1t brings them for
ward, and the time to build up a good
frame on stock is while young. Skim
milk Will.not do!it, and the market price Of
butter will not pay us to rob the calves. I
cannot complain Of my venture here. It is
an excellent climate. My son owes his
present good health to having made Dako-.
ia his home. He cam here in poor health
and soon became a well man. He is now
lin Chicago practicing medicine. l have
raised several %good-paying grain crops
and lost three; that is to say, / lost money
10 certain kinds of crops at different
times, but every year I have made ends
meet and 1 have my land just as good as it
ever was, also all the improvements on the
land and the general increased advantages
OF the township, county and state. We are
aalI new beginners yet. 1t is only twelve
years since we began our work. We8cer-
family did n%ot;expect toscome into an un-
broken prairie. country, build our houses,
Improve the land, open up roads, build
bridges, school.houses, county and state
buildings all in twelve or fifteen
years, ana do this all on the
profits made by farming. find
great deal OF satisfaction In what has
lIshony,N Ho,,n ord n1aoo ,,ro In hi VIM triad ~