The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-24
. SOUTH DAKOTA
RoNEsTEEL A COMING TOWN
New Business and Land Center Near Ne
braska. South Dakota Line.

New Business and Land Center Near Me-
braska- South Dakota Line.
BONESTEEL. IS. Done year ago the
town Of Bonesteel was known to but very
few people outside the boundaries Of Greg
DRY county. Its population at that time
was about sixty, and it's business houses
consisted of general store one hotel,
hardware store, drug store, saloon, post
office and blacksmith shop. It Is now the
terminus Of the Norfolk branch of the F.
f. & M. v. railroad with a population
of at least 800 and new arrivals on each
train. 1t has three trains daily and has
direct connections with Omaha, Sioux City
and other eastern points. 1t has three
banks, seven general stores, three whole
sale liquor houses, four lumber yards,
three grain elevators. five real estate
firms. three first-class hotels, three imple-
ment dealers. four coal dealers, three res
taurants, six saloons, three livery barns
two furniture stores. two meat markets,
two millinery stores, two newspapers, four
lawyers. a physician, one bakery, two
drug stores, two hardware stores, a tailor
shop, two wagon shops, barber shop, a
flour and feed store, two stock buyers.
two telephone exchanges. five dray and
express lines. a buss and hack line, scores
OF competent. artisans, three church or
CARNATIONS and a first-cass graded public
school.
The railroad company has built stock
yards capable of holding 1000 head of cat
tie at one time, first-class station, a
three-stall round house, coal chute,
water tank, turntable, two large freight
houses and four and one-llalf miles Of side
tracks. Bonesteel was incorporated in
June of the present year and since that
time over $4,000 have been expended in
improving Mellette street alone. The city
council is preparing to put In a f1rst-ciass
10 h~xy
an electric light plant in operation by
April /. TIE railroad company has been
running regular trains for three weeks
during which time something over 1000
head Of cattle have been shipped to the
Omaha market, besides several trains OF
hogs and grain.
The business men Of Bonesteel have in
corporated company with capital
stock, all paid in, Of $4,000. for the pur-
pose Of caring for and entertaining the
thousands Of people who will come here
the coming year in search Of homes on the
Rosebud reservation. This tract Of land
consists Of approximately 416,000 acres
and is a veritable garden spot. The soil is
a dark, rich sandy loan with a clay sub
soil and is adapted to raising all kinds OF
crops grown in Minnesota and Iowa An
abundance of pure soft water can be had
at a depth Of from ten to fifty feet, and
first class artesian wells are had at g
depth Of 800 feet.
Corn usually yields from thirty to sixty
bushels an acre. wheat from twelve tt
twenty eight bushels. oats from thirty tc
ninety bushels. barley from thirty-five tt
sixty and other crops in proportion.
That part of Gregory county lying cas-,
Of the ninety ninth meridian was opened
to homestead settlement in 1891, but wa:
not fully settled till some years later
Land at the present time is selling at from
$50 to $40 an acre, and very few care t:
sell at that price. Any one fortunate
enough to secure home on the land to bf
opened will be at least $4,000 better of
than when he arrived here, as the lant
will be worth that amount in cash thu
moment he is able to secure a filing
Bonesteel will undoubtedly secure tn
registration office and also the temporal!
land office, all Of which will help mak'
| it the best and busiest town of Its siz
| west Of the Mississippi river. -