The Oskaloosa herald., 1901-08-29
A Glimpse.

EDs. HERALD-Far be it from me
TO speak disparingly of my native
state, or of my own people, Far be
1t from me too, to think there is no
other place except Iowa. Every
country has its drawbacks and also
its advantages. ALI sections of the
county are good. None is best for
all things. Let us not mskeithe mis-
take, therefore, ofEthinking, as so
many have done, and still few do,
that when we have crossed the Mis-
souri, and Sioux rivers we have left
the land of "wine and honey" and
entered that of scalping knife, famine,
crop failures and dire calamity in
general. Such is not the case.
We would like to writesmuch about
the two Dakotas and of Minnesota
but as space forbids we shall :confine
ourselves to s. Dakota alone.
South Dakota, yet, OTTO speak in
her maidenhood, is a great state
great in mineral wealth, scarcely be-
ginning to be developed, great in
grazing and stock-raisingI and Igreat
in farming. There is no richer coun-
try in productiveness of soil than
eastern South Dakota. In fact it is
a continuation of western Iowa and
western Minnesota, were 1.-THE Mo.
and Sioux rivers fifty miles further
west people who now look upon
South Dakota with grewsome horror
would consider it a paradise and
would fall over each other trying TO
get choice quarters of the fertile
land which is now hers. The fact is,
they are falling over each other any
way. Both fear and antipathy are
being rapidly overcome.
What South Dakota can do in the
way of profitable farmingsis shown
by her prosperous andi contented
farmers, most of whom own their
own land, and by her enterprising
cities and towns. OF the latter Sioux
Falls, town of ten thousand, stu
ated on the Big Sioux river in Mime
haha county. aboat twenty miles
west of the IOwa-MiDnesota line in
the MIDST OF a fertile agricultural
section, may be taken as fair type.
Sioux Falls is building better than
she knows. 1t Il substantial in every
way,progressive, paved streets, street
cars, municipal telephone system,
a court house that is the superior of
Mahaska's, five railroads with their
connections to ell points, a packing
house capable of handling 1900 hogs
every day, the matchless building
stone, the beautiful Sioux marble, or
ASioux quartzire" as more popular
ly known-of which many of the main
business blocks and the court house
are built, and which is shipped from
here easily, accessible and inexhaust-
able quarries, to other places many
miles ground. The Touring mills,
some running night and day, the
wholesale grocery, wholesale fruit
house, wholesale hardware store, the
schools, both public and private, un-
excelled in the west, the solid blocks
Of imposing business buildings, the
hotels, and the country in the midst
Of which it is situated, all speak for
themselves.
Sioux Falls, as South Dakota, has
seen its worst days, it, as all other
towns, especially Of the west, suffer
ed from the boom of 1872 and '93, the
partial crop failure of '94, the effect
OF all Of which was heightened by the
impending panic. Under that boom
impulse, in which Senator Pettigrew,
whose ranch and home we had the
pleasure OF passing, is said to have
figured conspicuously. Sioux Falls
had dreams -nnrealized dreams thus
far Of becoming q Chicago OF the
west. Nothing seemed impossible to
the self conscious daughter OF the
Big Sioux Her corporate limits were
extended in every direction until they