The Bemidji pioneer., 1901-05-02
Rich f arm
ing Country,


Instead of northern Minnesota be-
ing represented as trackless
waste, it will be shown with rail-
road lines, new cities and towns
and all of those details which mark
growing communities. The en-
ormous number OF colonists who
have poured through the twin
cities the past few weeks gives
surety of this change. w. D.
Washburn, Jr., speaking of this
tide of immigration from other
states, says: +
+ Yesterday, one of the half-rate
days, witnessed the passage of a
large number Of settlers through
Minneapolis. They were going to
northern Minnesota and the Da-
kotas. The crop conditions have
been so, very favorable in the
northwest that local agents have
been successful to an unusual de.
gree in persuading settlers to go
into the Dakotas and northern
Minnesota. . @@ o5
The Hackney. Boynton company
of St. Paul, which purchased the
Northern Pacific land grant in
NoI4h Dakota east Of the Mis-
souri,, is said to have sold 100, 900
acres in the past three months.
The Minnesota Colonization COM
pany, which bought the land grant
in Minnesota, has disposed of
nearly 100000 acres.
The largest recent sale of inter-
est is that of ST. Louis and Carl
ton county lands to the Boston
and Duluth Land company. This
sale is important in that it takes
out of the market almost the last
of the large tracts of available
railway land in Minnesota, and
shows the alacrity with which
lands are being taken up IN this
state. Hitherto St. Louis county
has been regarded as almost worth
less for agricultural purposes. In
yestigation shows that most of
the land may be utilized for gen.
eral farming. While this country
requires considerable draining, it
should open mp q large amount Of
fertile lands tributary to Duluth
and Superior.
The Winnipeg 4 Port Arthur
road already extends thirty miles
beyond Warroad, Roseau county,
and is expected that the line will
be completed to Port Arthur by
fail. This road will bisect the
last,area of the aboriginal forest
land ia the state and open up the
fertile valley of the Rainy river.
Hundreds of settlers have already
gone into this region and are
rapidly taking up the last avail
able homesteads.
Contrary to general belief, the
country on the Rainy river has
proved to be a fine agricultural
district with black loan soil and
clay subsoil. A large portion is
"brush prairie which can easily
be cleared. This district will I'M
questionably add a large area of
land to the wheat raising district
of the state.
Work is now being pushed ON
the extension of the Northern
Pacific from Bemldji to Koochi-
ching, where it will meet the
Winnipeg & Port Arthur road.
Work is also in progress on the
Virginia & Rainy Lake road from
Virginia, St. Louis county, to the
northern boundary line. By the
completion Of these roads these
great counties in the northern
part of the state Will finally be
opened to development. ..
The, three counties--B eltrami,
Itasca and St. Louis-each have
an area about the same as that of
Connecticut. Some of this land
is fertile, and the lands that are
| mot available for agricultural pur-
poses are either covered with tim
Der or underlaid with iron and
mineral products. The addition
of this great region to the pro.
ductive area of the state is a mat