Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-03-30
RAPID SETTLEMENT.
Colonel Lounsberry Tells How tn.
Settlement of the State Has
Progressed.
Thinks the Census Will Show
Larger Population than
Dreamed of.

Co. Lounsberry, whose work as
special agent for the government,
gives him opportunity to observe the
settlement of this state. says:
"The vast immigration coming to
this state through the active interest
OF the several lines of railroad can
scarcely be realized. The Devils Lake
land district has been receiving the
bulk of the land seekers so far but the
other districts have not been over
looked. During the year 1899 home
steads were hled in me several dis
tricts as follows: Devils Lake, 4423:
Minot, 1910; Bismarck, 1,4O1; Fargo.
19I; Grand Forks, 729, making a grand
total OF 1929. These filings may
fairly be presumed to represent four
new settlers to each or nearly 10000
new people, while large numbers have
purchased land from the Northern Pa
enc Railroad Co. or from the loan
companies or other decided land.
These with the new settlers in towns
and villages will increase the settle
ment in the state during the past year
to probably $4,000 and the new settlers
coming in this spring will further in
crease the new population to the vicin-
1ty of 100000 by June l.
New lines of railroad are being built,
new industries established and in
my opinion the census of 1900 will
show a population in the state of 45O.-
600, against less than 10000 in 1890.
giving the state al additional member
OF congress and completely changing
Il complexion OF the new legislative
districts.
In 1892 l marked out the lines of a
new county to be called Mclean, and
suggested that the county seat be
located at a certain point to be called
Washburn and that w. d. Washburn.
then a prominent member of the
United States senate, would build a
railroad to that point and develop the
vast coal interests of the Missouri
river. country. The county was created
at the next session of the legislature
and the county seat located and named
as proposed, and last year w. L. Wash
burn purchased 114,OOO acres of land
IN the vicinity of Washburn and COM
menced the work of railroad building
as | suggested he would do seventeen
years ago with the result that a very
large portion of me land he then pur-
chased has already gone into the hands
OF new settlers who are coming into
the state this spring by the train load,
They are coming with their wives and
children with bands of horses and cat
tie, trekking very largely from Iowa
n other western states, giving a new
population experienced in opening III
new countries from knowledge gained
through the work of their fathers.
Lands which were going a begging
two years ago at from 50 to So an acre
are already selling readily at from $l
to IS, not only in the Washburn dis
trict but in other parts of the western
part of north Dakota, which the set
tiers in the Red river valley of twenty
years ago were wont to class as worth
less and to insist would never be set
tied. Up to the last two years these
lands were largely given up to the
cattle interests but recently it has been
discovered that these prairie lands
can be broken up in the spring and a
profit of So to $40 an acre gained the
first year from sowing flax on sod.
Indeed there are many instances where
the sod crop yielded a much greater
sum that $40, sometimes upwards OF
S15. besides paying all. expense Of
breaking, seeding, harvesting, thresh-
ing and marketing.