The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-03-20
fuel supply one farmer said he and


the the boys got up coal once in
three years. They went to a mine
about three miles away and dug
and hauled home about 30 tons and
put it under cover. and settled the
question Of keeping the pot boiling
as. far as fuel was concerned. Since
returning, the writer was informed
by a citizen of Minneapolis that he
had used the Wilton coal since last
fall. that it cost him 81 per ton at
retail and that in using it he had
cut his fuel bill in half.
The Northern Pacific company
promised to build from Bismark to
Washburn Is years ago, and many
settlers went into the country to
meet disappointment, but it now
seems reasonably certain that by
August the county seat OF Mclean
county can celebrate the advent of
the iron horse.
Washburn is on the river, II
miles beyond Wilton. It has a
court house, hotel, several stores
and good location for a large town.
It's trade across the Missouri and
up the river covers large scope of
country. Of course the sales OF
land il, the vicinity of Washburn
and Wilton make an early settle
ment of the country almost certain.
Wilton is at present very active
and more progressive than most
towns of its age. In fact, except in
the pine region or some mining
camp: [ have not known such rapid
growth. The Washburn enter
prises alone are sufficient to keep
one town red hot. Mr.. Macumber,
the manager, is a frank, courteous
and efficient gentleman who looks
after all the tenderfeet that happen
to drift north from Bismark,
Mclean county. if area is the
measure, is great principally by
itself. 1t comprises 106 townships.
or is four and half times the size
of Redwood, reachino from the Mis-
souri, river east to Wells county, a
distance of 50 miles. The western
portion designated the Missouri
slope, is mostly a level prairie
broken at intervals by runs
from the hills north and east of the
Missouri. The soil is deep gray
aud black loan with clay subsoil.
Near the runs there are some stone
and ridges not suitable for cultiva-
ton, but the broken lands take up
only small portion of the great
bench of fertile and desirable land
lying between the river and the
hills twenty or thirty miles away.
The portion Of the country called
the hills is continuation of a range
OF low coteaus which has it's begin
ning across the Canadian border
and runs southeasterly across Ward
Mclean and Burleigh counties, and
extends into South Dakota. The
term hills is given both to the hills
proper, which are rot over five
miles wide: and the approaches on
either side that are at the first only
an increased swell in the prairie
until the level and featureless plain
a little bit away gives place to an
occasional knoll and finally to a
country too uneven for cultivation
but rich in meadows, streams and
pasture fields.
James Clark lives in the eastern
part of the country, in rich agri-
cultural district. His section has
the promise of an extension of the
Sykeston branch of the Northern
Pacific this season.
The present winter has been
very favorable for the stockmen on
the slope. The mild weather and
absence of snow has reduced the
cost of feeding to the minimum.
One farmer with large herd of
cattle and 80 horses reports that he
has fed only couple of weeks. An
other, that it has taken 500 pounds
of hay head, and a third that he
has fed nothing at all. It depends
mostly on how closely the bunch
grass was cropped down in the