Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-12-26

hoou olIiCc 1907 WIlcIl w Ill. MChlULTlCk, ID
brother of Jerry McKlttrick, who died
few weeks ago near Osnabrock
proposed that we have a basket social
at the boundary line on the 4th of July
About zoe people from Crystal City and
the surrounding settlement turned out
aud had most enjoyable time. Since
then the picnic has been kept up with
increasing numbers attending till last
Fourth there was more than a thous-
and on the grounds,
G. l.. THOMSON,
Cypress township, Dec. 10, 1895.
.0SNABROCK township was organ
oized in 1884. 1t was formerly part
of Hummel township, which embraced
what is now Alma, Montrose and
Osnabrock townships, and as town
halls and school houses were rather
scarce on the virgin prairie the first
election was held in Jas. L. Anderson s
blacksmith shop and resulted in elect
ing Peter Wild, chairman William
Condell and Jas. Kellas, supervisors,
w. w. Rockefeller, town clerk Most
OF the inhabitants of the township at
that time were in the north-end and
was settled principally by Cana
dlans. The south-end is all
taken up now, but the inhabitants are
about equally divided between Cana
dians and Scandinavians.
SCHOOLS
One Of the first steps taken by the
pioneers was to provide schools, and al
though the nearest town Was 40 miles
away they bonded the township for
funds and built two good schools one
on the east and the other on the
west Of the north-end, hauling
the material 40 miles with teams over
a country practically without roads.
Now we have fine schools in the town
ship with more to follow.
PosT-oFFICEs.
Osnabrock post-oflice was establish
about the time the township was or
ganized with Jas, L. Anderson as post
master. 1t was moved to the .townsite
of Osnabrock when the railroad Was
built, Soper post-ot1ice was establish
ed in the south-end in 1888 with j. d.
Soper as postmaster.
STOCK.
Mr.. Wilson. one of the pioneers
brought some of the thoroughbred
cattle in with him, but the people did
not seem to catch on and at present
there is but very little high bred ustock
in the township-an opportunity for
someone.
PROGRESS.
In the year 1885 Jack Frost made an
unusually early call and nearly all the
grain i'll the township was badly frozen.
This was felt keenly by the new settlers
and some became discouraged and
either abandoned or sold their claims
and started out find better place, but
nearly all those who could do so have
returned while others would if they
could. But many saw the bright future
through the frosty mist and remained.
They have succeeded we'll and are
quietly buying the land that their CO.
pioneers abandoned. Foremost among
them is Peter Wild, and anyone that
visits his home will willingly declare
that nothing succeeds like success
There are plenty of others we could
name who are living proofs that this
county is all fright. Here is some proof
of another kind: The average yield
of wheat throughout the United States
for the present year is 1907 bushels per
acre; for North Dakota 81 bushels for
Osnabrock township so bushels. The
average yield of oats throughout the
United States is 30.0l bushels; North
Dakota 81 .Ol, while in Osnabrock we
had between so and 60 and many fields
yielded close to 100 bushels per acre.
SOIL.
The soil is a clay loan sub-soil with
black mud on the surface and it's fer
tility was very we'll expressed by the
man who said that if he could take 100
acres back east he would barrel it up
and sell is for fertilizer.
WATER.
There is plenty of the best water in
world to be had for digging an aver
age depth of 2Ofeet. The south branch
of the Park river rises in this township
and in that locality there are lots of
springs quite close to the surface.
GRASS.
There are great many slough dis
tributed over the township which grow
grass from to feet high and makes
the best of hay. While the native upland
grass makes good pasturages as long as
it can be reached through the snow
as it cures in the fall while tame grass
dies.
CLIMATE.
Nall Int cav SomaOnp isn't If aWf,,l