Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-05-26

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of Indiana, her population is near the
million nne. High authorities give
her the credit of having the smallest
! percentage of waste and the largest
portion of good tillable land of any
state. She abounds in minerals and
large rivers. The climate is similar
to that of New York with less snow,
and much clearer skies and bracing
atmosphere. And in truth the acme
of healthfulness. -,
But why waste time on such we'll
known facts as these, but let us turn
the past thirty-five years. We see on
teh past thirty-five years. We see on
these plains of boundless miles mil
lion of antelope and buffalo roaming
at ease while the white man ventnred
Fat the risk of his life.
Later we see the trains Of immi-
| grants: s5s
Crossing the prairies as of old,
/ The pilgrims crossed the sea,
To make the west as they the east,
The homestead Oh the Free"
Thus is was our c-~y had it's begin
ming 1880 in the shape of single log
cabin, the habitation of the first white
settler, for as yet the sound Of the
locomotive had never vibrated In the
air, and the soil was unbroken by the
I nI0w Of Qualification 80. sfG .s
But now look upon the Pierre Of
today, she is a boom town like most
of the western cities, but instead oil
growing and Furnishing by the way
side one snort year like SO many OF
the others, she grew like the trees that
border her streams until today this
young city exists and still struggles
| on
i And as one of our well known writ
er's said; Pierre's location was SC
fashioned by nature that little has
been left for man to CO." Aside from
her relative location, Pierre has an ad
mirable site for a beautiful city. From
the waters edge the land gradually as
i cends in terraces to the north ana
west and finally breaking into elevated
and picturesque hills upon which the
residence portion of the city are rap
idly encroaching. The hills form ar
important feature in the topography
Of the city. The lower and more Level
parts of the town are occupied by bus
mess houses and manufactors.
We believe in comparison with other
western cities as Denver, Omaha, Sioux
! City and st. Paul that Pierre has more
advantages than they ever possessed
and not one of these locations com
bines all the advantages Of our city.
Notice the similarity. For great cities
are built on great water ways and
nature has placed this magnificent
/ river about 500 miles west of the great
lakes as If to suggest to the wanderel
that here, before crossing, man should
pause and build q supply ho,,se for the
country lying beyond
Kansas City, Omaha and Sioux City
are upon it's banks ana Just above Lies
Pierre, the coming metropolis of The
new northwest. It's location gives Ii
still more advantages than any OF
these other cities, for it Is not only
the geographical center of the state
but it is the center Of population, thu
i center of a great agriculture country
Eastward lies the cultivated, to the
west extend the extensive pasture
Hand and but one hundred miles di
rectly west of these, the Black Hills.
one of the greatest mineral producing
sections on the globe.
/ These are all within the reach oil
4 Pierre, making it the natural distrib
nting point for a vast territory. /,
i The cattle and grain trade that made
Omaha will naturally center here, fol
Pierre has already become cattle
marketing centre. The mines thar
Ihelped make Denver are almost tho
same distance from it as the hills arr
from us. We must distribute to the
lands west their clothing and provis
lions and to the people Of the east the
lumber and minerals of the Hills
while they must eat the beef that
lroam on our plains s +
There is not single reason why
any OF our Missouri river cities
should exist today that does not apply
WIN equal force to Pierre OF the fu
! ture. Tney have already had their
growth and the lands west of them
are peopled and cultivated.
Pierre's empire is just opened, fol
until short time ago the Great Sioux
Reservation stood like q Chinese Wall
barring the onward steps Of progress
When the commission headed BY Gen
eral Crook came to q standstiil In It's
works gof securing votes Of the In