Morris tribune., 1891-09-16
A Fine Description of Stevens
County.

! SOunty.
Under date of Hancock, August Sth,
George E. Clark of this village writes
the Skaneales On. w. Free Press as
follows:
Stevens county is located at the
southern extremity of the beautiful
park and famous Red River Valley
region, and is in the second tier of
counties east of the dividing line be-
tween Dakota and Minnesota. Its
characteristics are rolling prairie
surface, timber fringed lakes and a
deep, black, loamy soil, producing
heavy crops of native grasses in its
wild state, or abundant harvests I'M
der cultivation. No settlement is re-
corded before the Sioux outbreak in
'62 and its first white visitors were
those that traversed the Red River
Valley trail from points on the Mis-
sissippi to Selkirk an the Red River
From the first settlement of the coun-
ty in 1866 to the present time, pros
perity has attended the agrculturist,
excepting fifteen years ago when
grasshoppers visited the county, and
even then only about 25 per cent of
the grain crop was destroyed.
Although the soil is admirably ad-
apted to stock raising and mixed
farming, as we look out upon the
thousands of acres of grain, its heavy
pillows waving in the clear sunshine,
We know that wheat is still king. An
other evidence is the numberless car
loads Of machinery that every day are
being side-tracked at these stirring
agricultural towns, or the intense ac
tiyity that animates our wideawake
dealers in the same. Some time ago
it was our good fortune to be invited
into the carriage of friend somewhat
noted for good horses, and under the
exhilerating influences of good COM
pany, a landscape clothed in the rich
est green, that was responding to the
abundant rains in style that was in
viting to the eye and promised a hand
some revenue to the fortunate owners,
we sped away over the gently rolling
prairie, dotted with clumps of trees or
promptly squared off in long straight
rows. Away to the east bushy clumps
of trees andwide intervals ofmeadows
marked the winding Chippewa. To
the west lay its twisting twin, the
Pomme de Terre. Big lakes and lit
tie lakes glistened between. From
their banks east or west, north or
south, waved little oceans of wheat,
bold headdlands of corn green seas of
oats and flax, each variety striving to
show to the best advantage the excel
lent qualities of Minnesota soil. A few
days ago as the day was drawing into
the long northwest twilight another
drive terminated at the home of A. A.
Peck, short distance from this place.
When this gentleman filed his home
stead right on this place, fourteen
years ago, he found it as the Sioux
and buffalo had left it, with nothing
to break the rolling monotony of the
scene higher than the grasses at his
feet; now beautiful bank of trees,
taller than his tall windmill, and on
the west and north, enclose an ideal
priarie home. On one side ofthe shad-
ed drive, plum orchard is bending
under its load of fruit; on the other, a
smoothly shaven lawn is shaded by
graceful ivy-clad elms, thrifty ever
greens, shrubs and flowers, which in
turn merges into a garden that
abounds in all summer vegetables,
fruits and flowers. 1t is a beautiful
setting for neat residence with bios
soming bay windows and cool, shady,
ivy-clad porches, commodious, nicely
painted barns, yard full of sleek,
contented COWS, and then away from
these stretch again apparently the
same luxuriant crops before described.
There is plenty of land to be had at
$40 or even less per acre that with
some industry and carefdl manage
ment would reproduce this same pic
ture- Today as we look out over the
landscape the green has turned to
gold and the most prominent actors,
in an exceedingly lively" scene, are
Osborne's, McCormick's and other
binders, now small speck in the far
off golden horizon, which after long
watching, grow larger and larger, only |
to recede again on the long, long
rounds. Another characteristic is the
recently imported population of which |
"no man can tell whence it cometh, or
whittier it goeth," except that it fol-
lows it's inclinations, and the harvest
as it recedes northward. Looking at
what we consider the finest harvest
we ever saw, and noting the cheap
ness of the easily TILED soil, we see
every reason to believe that this year
of 81 will be season of great pros
perity for the farmers of the northwest.
Yours very respectfully,
GEORGE E. CLARK.