The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-30

q, The members OF our company were the
first of the large land operators to- in
wade the new northwest in search OF lands
for colonization purposes. We had a year
the start of the other fellows and after
a long and careful investigation, we, de-
cided that the country lying south and
east of the Moose mountains in Assini-
boia was the best place in which to; in
vest. We were influenced in this selec-a
ton by the following facts: The soil is
good, heavy black loan varying sin
depth from one to five feet, with clay
subsoil. The top soil contains all the,
constituents which are necessary to in !
sure the certainty of a large crop each
year of the wheat which makes Canada
famous. q 10
The surface is gently rolling. There"
are no large hills or deep valleys. =. The
large number of small streams which rise
in the Moose mountains and traverse this
portion of Assiniboia. insure safe drain
age and minimum Of waste land. &a&t@@&
Good water can be easily obtained any :
where in this favored district by digging
wells from fifteen to fifty feet deep# I'M
many cases the water Is softsand inS alIi
cases the supply is inexhaustible. a.
Numerous small towns of from 100 to
800 inhabitants are Scattered along the
different lines of railroad which traverse
these lands, the principal ones being
Carnduff, Carievale, aGainsboro, Oxbow.
Glen Even, Alameda, Estevan, .Froby-
shire, Portal, Arcola, Manor and RedVerss
There are many other stations which
afford market places for the productssof
this region. The average distance of our
lands from railroad is about seven miles,
ranging from the lands adjoining theAail-
road. to a distance ofsaROut fourt en- nNNess
: The lands are about the same distance
from Lake Superior ports as Jamestown,
Devils Lake, N. D., Austin and @Winonas-
Mimi, and that Mason City, Marsha lltQWn
and Des Moines, Iowa, are from Chicago.
Notwithstanding this is a new country,
freight rates compare favorablt with rates
from the towns above mentioned, if hot
lower than the rates from the North Da-
kota towns. .-e. H.. p -... II r,
This is not an untried country. Other
sections may be all right, but have not
been tested. The soil may look good when
other conditions. may not be right. In
many localities where lands are being Of
fered, no one has farmed long enough to
know the results. Experimenting in get
ting home may be costly There are
people living in our district who have been
farming there for fifteen years. They az
tell the same story. Wheat has averaged
about twentyfour bushels per acre, oats
fifty bushels per acre, barley forty bushels
per acre, rye thirty five bushels per acre;
flax fifteen bushels per acre, While tmo-
thy, rninet and other tame grasses have
done eXCcpLlOndAy WSll O1A SAAo Ae1i AAS >StA
which they have been tried. The only
wear in which this locality suffered from
drought was in 1900, when the crop was
practically cut down one-half- FROM the
above figures; but then it was nearly dou-
BILE the average Of the famous Red river
valley. 80
The government report on this section OF
western Canada is as follows:~ ~ aaI&
The Center Of the Wheat Belt. ~ ="
The eastern portion Of. Assiniboia, for q
distance Of some 120 miles west from It's
eastern boundary, is practically eontin
uation to the westward Of the grain
growing areas of Manitoba. and although
the soil is somewhat lighter than the deep
black loan Of the Red river valley, 1t is
very warm and productive. zf.ssi
About the center Of the southern section
Of this portion of Assiniboia a marked
Typographical feature, known as Moose
Mountain, occurs. This hill, or range Of
hills. which rises to considerable eleva-
ton above the surrounding plains, is some
thirty miles in length east and west and
about fifteen miles north and south. Parts
Of the hills are thickly wooded, and many
small local water courses head therein and
run down to the surrounding plains ',
Between the hills and the boundary line
, of the United States and Canada, and ex-
tending far east as the boundary Of
the province Of Manitoba, is a district ex-
ceedingly fertile, and looked upon as ex-
cellent for agriculture. During the past
two years a great number have made their
homes there, and they have been very
successful. Many Of these were Germans,
who, having lived for some years in Mich
igan, and failing to accomplish what they
desired in the way of making living.
followed the advice Of delegations sent to
western Canada, and now have comfort
able homes in the Alameda district.
Goal in abundance is found in the south
in the district drained by the Souris river.