The Washington times., 1902-07-07
Northwestern immigration.

The tide of immigration into the
Northwest-including Minnesota, North
and South Dakota. and Eastern Mon
tana-is again running at its Hood. II
is like the movements OF 1879. 1883, and
1887 in its intensity, but unlike them In
almost every other respect. The number
of settlers who bad come to the North
west in the first four months OF l?O2
exceeded the entire immigration of last
year, and the total for 1902 promises to
surpass the number of settlers from
Europe that poured in any cne year into
this section during the period OF great
est foreign immigration. There Is
wide divergence in estimates of the vol
ume of settlers as the number OF rail-
road tickets sold can be used only 10
approximate the total. and several rail-
road companies have not yet differen-
tiated the statistics of immigration from
the totals representing their general
traffic.
| In a single car, containing eighty-siS
colonists. recently. only thirty-two tick
cts were collected. owing to the pres
ence of large number of children un-
der the tariff age. Then, too, it is i'm
possible to separate the actual settlers
from farmers out on tours Of inspec-
tion with a view of future removal
President James J. Hill, Of the Great
Northern Railroad, estimates the total
number of settlers coming in by the
Northern lines for the year up to June
1 at 162 .000 of whom $1,000 have set
tied west OF the western boundary of
North Dakota. 10000 going to Oregon.
$4,000 TO Washington and 1000 to Mon
| tana: in addition. $4,000 have settled in
North Dakota. $4,000 in Minnesota. and
5000 in South Dakota. while $4,000 have
gone TO Manitoba. 1t is almost un-
necessary to add that large numbers of
settlers bound to the Pacific Northwest
have undoubtedly Journeyed thither by
way of Omaha. The climax Of this
years movement is now over, but pros
pecting farmers from Eastern States will
undoubtedly investigate the country this
fall. and the early months OF 1903 will
see the flow of immigration set in with
renewed vigor.
Besides the settlers attracted by wild
lands there is a notable movement of
farmers who are purchasing lands Al
ready under cultivation. Both classes of
settlers. however, are coming mainly
from the Middle States. Iowa, Northern
Missouri. Illinois, Indiana. Ohio and
hof nIJ
farms at from SIS TO 500 an acre. and |
with their money. farming implements
and sometimes live stock, are moving |
to the Northwest and buying better |
lands at from 81 to SIS an acre; or, if |
already under cultivation, at from sl5 TO |
$50 an acre.
Whole trainloads of these well-to- do |
farmers are passing through St. Paul |
and Minneapolis with such frequency |
as to provoke no comment. They are
American born, already educated in the /
ways of the American people. and this |
infusion will be almost Immediately felt |
in the crop production OF the Northwest,
in the business of its commercial CEN
ters, in the improved methods of farming
brought from the East, and in the great
or energy OF communities where they
settle. Nor Is the farmer who comes
from Iowa placing himself, by this
change of location, In more disadvan-
tageous position for marketing his pro-
duce. Railroads have so covered the
Northwest that the farmer at Minot, N.
d., for instance, Is as near to Duluth
as the farmer at Des Moil:es. Iowa, is to
Chicago. and the freight rates from both
lake points to Liverpool are the same
Review of Reviews