The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1897-03-25
A Letter From Hope, to the Her.
aid, Omro, Wisconsin by
a DakOtan.
Homo n n Ian 20 1so-

LEAR EllllOf. Ou flSlllllS uClSu-
boris homo this evening was both
surprised and pleased to find among
other papers, copy of tho Ormo Her
aid, and You can imagine with what
eagerness scanned its pages, contain
ing as it did news Of friends and home.
| | believe it was said of Campbell's poems
by brother bard, upon finding a
thumbworn volumn of them at way
strife of this busy old world of ours,
''This indeed is true fame" and at once
thought of those words on discovering 2
copy Of the Herald in ono Of these far off
western homes. 1t served to remind me
of a promise made you in Wisconsin be.
fore leaving for North Dakota viz: That
l would write something for publication
regarding my impressions formed and
experiences while serving in the humble
capacity Of instructor in the common
schools of North Dakota
Now friend Slocum, am not gifted
by nature with those qualifications nee
essary to the profitable and successful
Wooing of the gentle muse; however,
asking your patience and that of your
readers, l will briefly chronicle some of
the said impressions and experiences.
You will remember that it was my plan
| on leaving Wisconsin to surprise my
cousin, l.. n. Wood, who is located at
Valley City by appearing in that city on
! Thanksgiving day, to enjoy week s visit
with him before assuming my duties
here. My plans fell through, for the
first person whom L met on entering the
lobby Of the N;collet hotel, Minneapolis,
was Lynn Wood and John Paris, for
mer Waulsau boy, now located at Prairie
DuChien, Wisconsin. We went on to
Valley City the next day arriving there
| on the 25th of November the day of the
great blizzard.
The English language is far too frail
to express my feelings as, looking out Of
my window tho following morning,
took mental survey of the scene before
me. Imagine Il bowling wind blowing
at the rate of-miles II refrain from
making an attempt at estimating the
speedl an hour. the air filled with whirl-
ing, binding snow, and the mercury 30
degrees below. All day long and tho
next night it ragged, and on tho day fol-
lowing, when we were able to look out
again from our retreat, tho sight which
met my gaze was not calculated to in
spire one with the most enthusiastic
ideas regarding North Dakota.
The streets Of the city were blockaded;
struggling inhabitants were wallowing
through drifts piled mountain high in
vain efforts to perform in a measure the
duties of daily life. The buildings looked
indeed like "tall and sheated ghosts as
Whittier described it, covered with fine
snow driven into every nook and crevice
Of them. We managed to get down town
and learn some OF the late reports re
garding the damage done by tho storm.
A train filed with passengers was re-
ported showed in at a cut about two
miles from the city, and accompanying u
relief crew, carrying food and fuel. We
went out to the sccno OF their imprison-
ment. The cab0ose and part OF the pas
senger coaches were alone visible, the
larger portion Of the train being COM
pletcly covered in the immense drift.
Tho passengers after being well supplied
with food and fuel, concluded to make
the best of it, evidently, and seemed to
/ rather enjoy their novel prcdicament.
Several of the male passengers walked
| in to the city with us on our return pre-
| ferring room in the hotel to the cramp-
ed quarters of tho imprisoned coaches.
Whole car loads Of stock were reported
frozen to death in belated freight cars
| along the route of the N. P. Telegraph
wires were down, and direct communica-
| tloa with the outer world cut off com
plstely. The immense rotary snow plow
used in the west were brought into ser
vice and crews OF mol were busy shovel
ing for nearly a week before VIC were
| again connected with tie outer world.
This was my first experience in North
Dakota and you will not wonder when |
/ hat |,
Der and gloomy hue somewhat. when |
| sin, with it's mild winter its genial fire
| meadows. Throughout all l was cheer
| ed by tho consoing information suggest
! ed by my friends that lit is beautiful
! here in the summer time" How very
| gratifying to one nursing frost-bttcn
| ear, and gazing on the scene l have
! pictured.
| But to assume more pleasant ard
| cheerful thread of my narrative, let Inc
| say that in many respects North Dakota
| is the peer of our eastern states, and
| that this storm have just described
| is far from an everyday occurrence: in
| fact, the most severe and damaging OF
| any the state has ever experienced. The
class OF people occupying tho larger
| farms arc many of them eastcrn people.
| full OF energy and vim and prOspering as
are few who arc engaged in similar Vur-
| suits east.
The wheat crop has been excellent
| and prices very good. It is estimated
the largest track of land will be cultivat
| ed this coming spring that has ever been
cultivated in the history of the Dakotas
| I look around me for the want and suf
fering SO often described in our home
papers and l find none. notice every
farmer comfortably housed, fuel and food
| in abundance comfortable buildings for
| his stock and a general air of thrift and
prosperity pervading the country wholly
unexpected by me. I will venture to say
that in no place in this or any country
will one meet with more genial hospital
ity, more comfort and happiness than in
these western homes. The towns sur
rounding are also busy hustling burgs,
void of that pletheric lethargys so charac-
teristic of many places.
Hope, village Of some 500 inhabi-
tants supports bank, several churches,
opera house, skating rink, and restaur-
ants and stores in abundance. In one
store seven clerks are employed and kept
busy, and the assortments OF goods are
equal in variety to those of establish
ments gracing cities Of several thousand
people in the east There are four large
elevators in the place, and their records
| is FREQ uently six and sevon thousand
| l;,c1, nie, ,,p ,,1aot bnrf1 !n6 hy ooch n, opn