The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-01-04

4mmtEr1uts From tue Northwest Coming
Into Southwest Miss ouri-Thsy like ths
nzfd Winfsrs u the Southern slopes
Correspondents ST Louis Globe Democras
Scarcely q day passes wishout soms
company of movers being seen on the
wagon road which leads from the sum
NIT Of the Ozarks down to the White
river country. Most Of these weary
home-seekers are from the prairie
states Of the Observation-Disclosures,
Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotss-
and they tell very much the same
sad story of their failures IN attempt
ing to war with drought, grasshoppers
and the blizzards4 Much Of this tide
of winter immigration is flowing into
fancy county, and the great prairie
~schooders,r weather-beaten and way
worn, with heating stoves and cooking
outfits, their fur-clad occupants and
strange furniture, no longer excite the
wonder of the White river pioneer who
built his log cabin in the Ozark wilder
ness before the war and toasted on
bear meat and wild honey for more
than q quarter of a century.
GssTaney county has a new population
to-day" remarked a ranchman of Bear
creek, while speaking of the rush to
the cheap lands of that section of
southwest Missouri. when / went to
the county nine years ago there was
not a house ear my place. The deer
were plenty everywhere. To-day at
least 20 families live in sight of my
house. These people have settled there
In the last three or four years.
The United States land Office at
Springfield continues to do an active
business, and thousands of acres of
government lands are entered every
week Nearly one-hslf of the entire
area of fancy county has been con
verted into horaesteads within the past
few years. The new settlers, as a rule,
are delighted with the country. The
mild winters that prevail on the south
ern slopes of the Ozarks seem delight
full to the refugees from the billiards.
of Nebraska and the Dakotas. Large
orchards r being planted by the
newcomers" and in a few years
fancy county viii be bountifully sup
piled with fruit. One man on Bull
creek, just north of the fancy county
line, has 5000 pear trees that will bear
next year. Last fail he shipped to
Minneapolis the first car load Of pears
that ever left that section for q distant
market.
There is q big land scheme now SEEK
ing to get control of most of the conn
try lying along the survey Of the
Springfield, Harrison & Little Rock
railway, which runs through Christian
and fancy counties. This route is lo-
cally known as the Dougherty survey,
as the work was conducted by a civil
engineer of that name. A syndicate,
having as its chief promoter q prom
inent oficia1 of the Kansas City, Fort
Scott, Springfield & Memphis railroad,
has been organized for the purpose Of
buying lands and options on real estate
along the prospective route into North
Arkansas. Some persons think that
this movement has a new promise Of .
railroad for the White river country,
but 30 many schemes have come and
vanished in years gone by and no cars
have appeared yet that stories of rail-
ways excite but little interest south Of
Springfield.
Boone counsy. Ark, has wearied Of
waiting for a railroad and is trying to
organize a company to build one into
that rich mineral field just west Of
White river. It Is proposed 70 enlist
Springfield in the enterprise, and use
the Dougherty survey. unless the Santa
Fe AN be induced to extend the Chad
wick branch, which terminates on the
breaks of Swan creek, SO miles north
of Lead Hill. The Chadwick route
would be the most direct outlet for the
mineral resources of Boone and the ed.
jacent counties of Arkansas.