Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-06-18
IN THE QUEENS DOMINION.
Young Harris. Late OF Jefferson Tells Of his Trip
and Prospects IN Canada.

EDITOR CENSOR: l give you little
account of my trip f. rm South Dakota
/ to Alberta. Canada. We left Brown
county Thursday, April I5. There were
13 emigrrnt cars from Mansfield be.
ing picked MP south from Watertown,
| Redheld, Worthwhile and other stations
along the Northwestern road, running
to o axe North Dakota There we pick
up ~ more emigrant cars. making 25
They gave us a special and run us to
Hankinson that night where we were
side tracked for 4S hours waiting more
"migrants from the east Minnesota.
Iowa and eastern North Dakota Hank
iusnn being small place we made it
nrettv lively around there. We left
Hankinson with 40 cars, besides two
sleeners end two coaches. with a double
header, the train being so heavy we
could run only at the rate of "a miles
nm hour. Owing to storms p short tiue
before we started the track was in a
bad condition, in places being washed
out entirely, and ours was the second
train that had passed over the road since
the water had risen The other train
was only mile ahead of us and had to
90 inst as the track was relaid, and for
of the time Three times we were stop
ped to wait for them TO clear away
wrecks Their were several places
Where side tracks were under water one
to four feet. From Minot to Portal we
had three engines, as here for several
miles we Travelled through water
from six inches TO two feet deep At
Portal we laid over several hours as we
hnv hay
the 500 line TO the G. r. R, and our
stock was also examined before crossing
the Canadian line, to be sure no diseased
animals were taken across. Here our
cars were put in bonds that nothing
would be unloaded until they reached
their destination From there we were
taken along pretty lively until we reach
ed Calgary, within 150 miles of 1ur des-
tination. There we stopped for twelve
hours as all cars stopping between there
and Edmonton had TO be released from
bonds. The track was rough from there
and they cut our train in four divisions.
All cars in bond for Edmonton were tax
en- right through landing April "a, at
nc making Just 240 hours on the road,
travelling distance of 500 miles.
/ can say saw much country that |
would care to settle in until got within
so miles of Edmonton. All the way
where the land was not under water it
was rough and stony or sand WAS bank
ed up on both sides of the track like the
hills of eastern South Dakota. with the
exception of about 30 miles north and
south of Portal There was some fine
farming country, we'll settled and most
of the people have fine buildings. The
country is well adapted to farming and
grazing and there Is prosperity there.
While there was crowd of over 200
jally men, besides women and children,
some of the boys who had never been
over the road before were pretty sick of
their new home One young man talk
ed with was going through alone to see
what there vas for him, stopped just be-
fore we got to Calgary and took the frat
passenger train back TO Minnesota. but
had made up my mind to see the end
of it as long as | had started. Here I
am on a rented farm II miles from Ed
monton, that being the end of the rail
road at present. All of the boys who
came this way have rented farms for
summer and as soon as crops are in we
intend to take eeks outing and home
stead farm apiece. There is railroad
survey from Edmonton, northwest to
the coast and rs soon as that is complet-
ed there will be boom on land here, as
it is only a short distance to the mining
region Of British Columbia. The land
here is quite rolling, there being some
timber and some prairie land. The tim
Der is mostly of tamarack and spruce in
the low lanG and poplar on high land,
and many places nothing but brush.
Wild fruits are plentiful here. such as
Strawberries, currants, gooseberries and
raspberries All kinds of small grains
do well, the average yield of oats being
100 bushels of oats TO the acre and other
things in proportion. All kind of vege-
tables are raised here. The soil is a
black loan with yellow clay sub-soil.
The summer season is shorter here than
in the states, but grain seems to mature
much quicker than there Oats weigh
ing four bushels to the sack are not un
common. There are drawbacks here as
we'll as every place, but we have TO put
up with those wherever we are. IL is as
good place for young man TO 8 cart as
any IL he is willing to % through with
the tight places in frontier life.
T. W. HARRIS.
Alberta. Canada, June 9.