Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-06-02

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Landseekers by thousands have come
to Minnesota. Thousands have gone
to South Dakota. There has been a
good settlement ON the forest lands
of Wisconsin but the industrial agents
say that the big advertising Of free
farms in North Dakota was a big fac
tor in taking the best of the home
seeker travel to that state.
This years immigration has pushed
the outposts of settlement in North
Dakota beyond the Missouri river. In
South Dakota the homeseeker has
taken many of the lands close up to
the banks of the big Muddy and now
threatens the trans Missouri domain
with invasion. Cut over timber lands
of Minnesota and Wisconsin have been
peopled. The investor has spread his
buying all over the northwest and the
well-to-do farmers seeking homes in
Minnesota and the Dakotas are in,
cluded in this class. Settlement in
North Dakota has been characterized
by big increases in population in the
western part Of the state. In South
Dakoa the homeseeker has been partial
to no particular section. In Minnesota
the Red River valley has been favored
and a large number of settlers have
invaded the central counties. The
wealthy Iowa farmer looking for op-
portunity Gin the north'' has crossed
the line and settled in the southern
counties.
The railroads have always been a
big factor in promoting settlement Of
the northwest. This is to be one Of
the most successful years in the history
of the Great Northern, Northern Pa
cifc and the 500 immigration depart
ments. Settlement has been general
along the main line of the Northern
Pacific in North Dakota and heavy on
all Of its North Dakota branches. The
Great Northern has carried thousands
into northwestern North Dakota The
500 has promoted settlement along all
of it's lines in North Dakota and espe-
cially in he northern portion of the
state. In Wisconsin the 500 has done
most of it's work in a few counties.
The Northwestern has directed its
! homeseekers to northwestern Wiscon-
sin. The Milwaukee road is respons-
ible for most of the movement into
| western South Dakota The Wash
burn road has aided in the development
of new sections of the Missouri slope
The valleys of the Mouse and Des
Laos rivers in Northwestern North
Dakota have received more of the
homeseeker movement than any other
section of the northwest. So many
people have gone to that region that
the lines of settlement have been
pushed beyond the valley proper into
the higher lands west of the main line
of the 500 and along the main line of
the Great Northern. The territory in
to which all of these people have gone
extends from Rugby to a short distance
beyond Minot on the main line of the
Great Northern and north to the inter
national boundary. The 500 and
Great Northern have given this district
special attention. The Great Northern
has been gradually covering that por
tion of the state with settlers since
'94 when it brought the first train loads
of Dunkards from Pennsylvania and
Indiana and settled them along the st.
John and Bottineau branches of the
Great Northern to the east. Last year
this settlement could have been traced
in it's journey west by the immense
number of filings in the Devils Lake
land office. This year the big business
was transferred to the land office at
Minot. Since Oct. / last the Minot
office has registered over 5000 home
stead filings. Most of these have been
on land north of the Great Northern
main line. The ''cattle country has
been invaded by the small farmer and
the Mouse river valley has been turned
over to the producers Of grain.
This brings within the area of culti-
walton and production the entire ter
ritory north Of the main line of the
Great Northern in North Dakota from
the Red river west to twenty five miles
beyond the 500 road. Each year has
seen the invasion of the virgin prairie
completed to new outpost. When
the Great Northern planted the Dun-
kard colonies at Devils Lake and other
points on its main line and on the st.
John branch they spread out in all
directions in search Of farms. Grad
ually the broad stretch of country be-
tween the Langdon and st. John
branches was settled, and the invasion
continued west to the 9Bottineau line.
This year the intervening area was
overrun and the 500 and Great North