The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-02-28
SOUTH DAK0TA'S q
LAND EXCITEMENT
Two Hundred Thousand lmmi-
grants Are Expected in
State This Year.
NO EXODUS THIS TIME
Flesourccs Of tho State Are Under
stood Now, and the Disastrous
Days Win Mot Be Repeated
Increase in Land EriccS.

Aberdeen, S.. D., Feb. 2O.-SOuth Da-
kota is land crazy and 100000 irlmi-
grants are TO be brought into the state
this year. South Dakota was land
crazy once before, but the delirium is
the wilder now. because it took so
long to recover from the first excuses.
That the railroads are committed to-
the task of bringing in the 200, 900
would be inferred from the fact that
a land company affiliated with the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul has,
since January l, acquired 2S.G00 acres
in northern South DaKota--in the
northern part. because the south took
its flight last year. Five other par
ties, following in the wake of the,
railroad, have bought. in six weeks,
66. 400 acres.
The people in the SOS lost their crops
because there was no water from
above. The farmers of 1900 began wa
tering their fields from below by ar
tesian wells. Last year South Dakota
had the best crop west OF the Missis-
sippi.
vance in land prices TIL 1898. Il could
be picked UP most anywhere il the
state for S. an acre. This is the way it
climbed. in averages for the state:
lSaS....",".....s 6.0 1go........,..sl0.W
1895. ............ $50 1901 ............ 1900
And this year the average is ex-
pected to near the SEQ mark.
Before 1898. 10000 acres of land was 4
big total sale for the state of South
Dakota. Since then, it has looked like
this:
1898. 10000 & 10000
1se.......... ao,oM 100000
A few big stakes were made in South
Dakota land deals last ear. Mr.. Ed
munds of Yankton bought an S,000-acre
ranch two years ago for 800, 900. When
he sold the last quarter last year, he
was $4,000 och The Adams & Floete
company, Chicago, turned sixty quar-
tiers twice; they made 500, 900.
South Dakotans who came to the
state in the SOS, haven't forgotten the
exodus. But they say it won't happen
again. They say the people nave
learned what to do with South Dakota.
This is what they mean:
Stock Raleine and Dairying.
In five months last year 81 to 1871
creameries in South Dakota paid $452,-
464 for some 1924 900 gallons of milk;
so the Isl must have done q 1901 bust
ness of 1000, 900. Seven years ago, there
wasn't a dairy in the state nor a cheese
press.
The farmers found South Dakota
was made to grow range cattle. Cattle
shels are a curiosity, In the range
country where the cattle of a single
ranch Craze by thousands on as many
acres. there are two kinds Of grass, the
Buffalo and the alkali. The Buffalo
grows In knots. 1t curls up like fine
excelsior IN the fall and cures on the
ground. The cattle go roofing for their
iced in the winter and turn up fat in
the spring.
Then the farmers found that South
Dakota wasn't so sure a Wheat coun-
try. When two-thirds of the 1915 inches
OF rain comes in June. July and August
1t isn't wise to try to make the wheat
grow through the cold, dry winter. But,
as 1t was, South Dakota grew 21. 900, 900
bushels of wheat in ~190O-rintl in the
United States.
Inc men who are moving to South
Dakota now have money. They are the
sons and grandsons of men who went
earl yto Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, and the
younger generation moves west. They
come with money to put up their build
lngs, build their fences, plant their
trees and buy their implements. Thew
Will keep on coming, for there are
LOCO, GOO acres of rich ranch land west
of the Missouri--tEe land of the buff
falo grass-to be had for SO cents an
aacre from the government. When the
acres of the Rosebud Indian
reservation-land worth from $1,000 to
$1,000 q quarters opened in accord
ance with the treaty, there will be 25.-
OOo claimants to rush for the land.