The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-08-26

Excellent Farming Section in
Little Fork Country.

/
Few residents of the range realize
that within comparatively short dis
lance from here is to be found one of
the finest and most productive agri-
cultural sections of the state. A visit
to the fertile valleys of the Rice and
Little Fork rivers, recently opened to
the outside world by the building of
the Duluth. Virginia & Rainy Lake
railway, will convince one of the flu
ture Importance of this country to
the range towns.
While the section is as yet practi-
cally undeveloped, its future is evil
IDENTIFY recognized by the homesteader,
and many permanent improvements
are noted in every direction. Many
fields of small grains and large acre
ages of potatoes are to be found
throughout the valleys this year, and,
In the absence of threshing machines,
the grain is being cut green and put
in ensilage for stock feeding during
the winter months.
Some idea of the fertility of the soil,
which is rich black loan with clay
subsoil, may be had by the casual OBJ
server as he looks at fields of oats with
heads full foot In Length. Wheat.
brought into Ashawa for exhibition,
is nearly equal in size.
The section is comparatively level
for distance of ten or twelve miles
in width, the full length of the rivers,
and is easily cleared, being covered
only with shrub underbrush, poplar
and birch.
Among the better developed farms
in the section about the new village
of Ashawa are those of John Owens,
former clerk of the court of st. Louis
county; Nels Benson, of Tower, and
Gust Johnson, alderman from the
first ward of Virginia. Many from
this city have also settled there. Mr..
Johnson has engaged quite extern
sively in stock raising and has about
forty head of sheep, two teams and
score Of cattle on his place. Another
farm, which is being developed south
of Ashawa for stock raising purposes,
is that owned-hy Charles Walker.
former proprietor of the Walker hotel
at Mountain Iron. Walker is on the
Rice, and has large amount of
valuable white oak timber border ing
the river bottom.
While many of the settlers have
been on their lands for some time
the building of the railroad into the
section has had a great tendency to
hurry development. In the course of
another two or three years the pro-
duce from this section will supply the
range communities.
Sixty-fve thousand acres more Of
choice agricultural land comprising
towns 62-19, 1920, 1921 will be thrown
open for settlement at the Duluth
land office October Is and 10. The
three towns extend from Ashawa to
the Itasca county line.
The land is watered by the Little
Fork, Sturgeon, Bear and Rice rivers,
and is tapped by the Duluth, Vir-
ginia and Rainy Lake road. There is
little or no timber there now but the
region is said to be extra fine agri-
cultural land of the same quality as
that mentioned above.
Agreat number of squatters have
already settled on the land and when
the opening occurs it is expected that
no small amount of litigation will be
Instituted as there are said to be
three or four cabins on each forty in
some places.
1.-THE first come the first served"
system of distributing the claims will
be observed in this opening as it has
in the others which have taken place
at the Duluth Office and as the land is
said to be fully equal if not superior
to much of that given out in the Da
kota land drawing, the greatest rush
that has ever occurred at the land
Office is expected.