Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-10-02
4 TRIP TO WlNNEPEC
wISsEsHIEKsRs VISIT CANADA
Experiences Of, Party Of Land Seek.
ers asA Description Of Cities
Visited.

Visited.
We left Decorah, Tuesday, Sept. 18th
with a party of eight, consisting Of the
following: DR.. Jewell, John Williams
G. r. Williams, Of DEBORAH; Drs. VIII.
cox and Pssin, Of Frankville; Mr.. B.
B. Rathburn, Of Postville and Stanton
Hoyt, of Webster City, Ia, aecompan-
led by E. E. Auchmoody, Of Decorah.
The G. M. 4 st. p. train carried us
safely to st. Paul at $40 p. m. We
took in the sites'a that city during the
next day, meeting several old Decorah
boys that are doing well in their vari-
ous lines of business, but always glad
to meet friend from old Winnesheik.
The city was very artistically draped
in mourning for our lamented Presi-
dent making an impressive sight, one
that will never be forgotten.
We left st. Paul at 7:10 p. m. on the
Great Northern with Morrisin Stevens
county as our destination and arrived
there at 100 q. m. We took several
good drives in this county, and found
considerable land cl clangiDg hands,
ranging in price from Sis to $35 per
acre, but this county seems very spot
ted and as rule did not appear to be
overly prosperous. All business was
suspended from 8 a. m. until 6 p. IN. in
honor of the Presidents funeral and
memorial services held at the different
houses of worship.
From Morris we went to Brecken-
ridge, Minn., and Wapheton, N. d.
These towns are only one-half mile
apart. In Wapheton there are no sa-
looms, but just across the Ottertail river
in Breckenridge, town of ! 200 people,
there are sixteen saloons. Just imagine
what proportion of the business places
are saloons, it seems as though every
other door was in the wet goods busi-
ness. We took q sixty mile drive
through the Red River Valley in.Wil-
kins county, saw some excellent land
and good fair crops, with thrifty
class of farmers everywhere In evil
dence, many of them German and Nor
wegian. Corn grows very successfully
in this county as we saw plenty Of 1t
that will yield forty to fifty bushels
per acre. This land. is very rich and
prices range from $l4 to $50 per acre,
location and improvements governing
prices.
We took q good dog and gun along
with US, bagged ten prairie chickens
aud three wild ducks, had the chickens
cooked for our supper, which was
rather late in the evening, but I tell
you they were worth waiting for.
We moved north from Breckenridge
to Crookston, spent Saturday and Sun
day In Polk county, Minnesota, but
were not very favorably impressed with
the general character of the soil about
there. Crookston IL good town ,of
1000 inhabitants, has . nice new court
house costing $65, 900, erected last year,
q large saw mill on the Red Lake river
and numerous large business blocks
that would do credit to q much larger
city. All hotels are filled to overflow
ing with land seekers. and all lands in
the northwest are steadily advancing
in price. and the ''wise ones" say that
the next two years will see . larger
advance in all good land than has ever
been known In this country. Game IL
very plentiful in this part Of the coun-
try, but the law prohibits the sale Of
ducks and chickens and they cannot
be shipped out Of the state.
The next run we took was up to
Thief River Falls, in Red Lake county.
There we found Mr.. Albert Baker, Of
Decorah, looking after the building Of
q nice new brick building that is being
constructed for . bank In which Mr..
Baker has an interest. Mr.. Baker is
very enthusiastic over the prospects In
that county and took US out for . thir-
ty-five mile drive which we covered in
four hours, including AL stops. We
saw lots Of land that is very rich and
win be very productive when properly
drained. There b no doubt but Mr..
Baker has picked up some Of the choic-
eat bargains there are to be found in this
county.
We drove over one corner of the Red
Lake Indian Observation and saw the
Indians In their native teepees and 1t
was quite . sight to an Iowa man.
There are l,400 Indians belonging to
the reservation and only about go that
stay here during the summer. The
balance are roamers but return in the
winter. There have been no heavy
frOsts here yet, flowers are In full bloom
and everything nice and green. A Wis
1t In the evening to the Thief River
saw mill was sight pleasing to US, as
there ale $50 men employed there and
they run day and night every day Of