Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-09-08

interest that had to be paid. w. S.
Branch, one Of the first settlers of
Parker writes from Orlando, Fla:
There was a board partition
between my store and Geo. w.
Stones bank. We cut a hole
through and Mr.. Stone loaned money
to the early settlers at 2 per cent a
month and / Witnessed the
mortgages through Parker's first
hole in the wall
Nobody Over in the west Missouri
country has to pay - per cent a
month" for borrowed money, so
these later settlers there are having
less abstables than those who pio-
neered it in the southeastern portion
of the territory.
OF the character Of the improve
ments made by settlers down there
in Turner county, read this by w.
H.. Sanborn, of Pasadena, Cal,
regarding his experience as he drove
toward Parker in June, 1879:
We drove past the sod house Of
W j.. D~evereaux and up the hill
cross country past the old sod
shanty Of John Connors, past the
house Of Mr.. Rogers and past the
part dug out and part sod shanty Of
a Nj. King"
1t was less than twenty-five years
ago that those conditions prevailed
down therein what since has become
a region of splendid farm houses
and groves due to the incoming Of
railroads.
G. W. Howard, now of st. Paul,
Mimi, was an early settler at Par
ker, and for three years had charge
Of the sale of lots for the townsite
company. In 1882 he was succeeded
by Mr.. Wells, of Chicago, and in
regard to the prospects at that time,
even after Parker had both the Mil
Eaukee and the Northwestern rail
ways, Mr.. Howard says:
1T was a lit.le doubt in my mind
about Mr. Wells getting enough for
the lots 10 pay his salary and
eKpense
II anyone will give both the Mil
Wsukee and the Northwestern rail-
road lines 70 any of the towns in
>tEnley Or Lyman counties, there
VII De- no question about the town
sts agents selling lots enough to
pa! ms salary and expenses"
And within two years from that
time at Parker, when Mr.. Howard
didn't believe the townsite agent
could sell lots enough to "pay his
salary and expenses" a miniature
metropolis had been established
just as will be the case almost any
where in that west Missouri country
when it shall get railroads.
This anniversary edition of the
Press Leader reproduces three
columns out of the Parker Press of
Oct. %, 1884, FIVE years after Par
ker had been established -only five
years after Mr.. Pratt had wondered
In Providence had set him down in
the dreary waste as his punishment
only five years after Mr.. Vernon
saw "all the surrounding country
was a barren prairie and see what
wonders those FIVE years had accom-
plished, just as five years will accom-
plish wonders across the Missouri
now that the tide of immigration
has begun its flow.
According to that record Of Oct
20, 1884, five years after a railroa,
had reached it, the town had water
works, a fire company, brick bushes
houses and residences, two railwa,
depots, a roller Touring mill,
creamery, a sorgum factory, a furni
ture factory, a cigar factory, bottlin,
works, repair shop, twenty fos
merchandising establishments o
various sorts, two banks, thre
hotels and half a dozen restaurant
and boarding houses, three churche
school houses, two weekly paper
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