The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-03
OF BARNES COUNTY

u
OF Barnes county, North Da-
kota, is 297 miles from ST. Paul
via the 500 line, and sos via the North
ern Pacific The county has its name
from A. III. Barnes, territorial Judge
from 1873 to 1854. a Wisconsin man
VINO returned to that state after
eight years of service on the bench
Inc county contains forty-two con-
gresslonal townships of land, and the
oneyenne river runs centrally across
IL from north to south. 1t is well cut
up, too. with railroads. The 500 runs
dlagonally across from the southeast
70 the northwest, and has fifty three
miles of main line and five miles Of
side track and ten stations. while the
Northern Pacif1c's main line runs
across the center from east to west
thirty-seven miles, and two branches
fifty-two miles, one line north, and
the other east and west through the
southern tier of towns, having alto
gether eighteen stations, supplied with
fourteen miles of side tracks. In re-
spect to shipping facilities, via two
great tranScontinenfal lines, the coun-
~ IS wei! favored, no part being remote
service
1t is to be remembered that this is
comparatively a new country It is
not long since buffalo were roaming at
Iree VIII where town lots are now stalk
ed out for sale. The early settlers
round profit in hauling the bones of
these shaggy denizens of the prairies
10 market, the hide hunters having
slaughtered them in countless numbers
The railroads, too, found profit in car
rylng them away to Eastern factories
the traffic from North Dakota running
INTO thousands pfs cars. Boys and
| girls still i'm school were born before
the region knoNTA has Barnes county
mad a place on he ana b. The railroad
was built throlfS aere in 1872, and a
mixed train went west one day and re-
turned east -ne7Ytsday, if the weather
permitted.
What is now the thrifty city of VAL
ley city was at first a siding known
as the crossing OF the Sheyenne.'' 1t
was then called Wahpeton for a short
time, and following that Worthington
ana later the present name was select
ed by common consent. And the name
is most appropriate located as the city
is IN pretty valley, surrounded by
wooded hills, whose natural foliage is
crowning ornament to the river
winch mugs three sides Of the corpora
uon. In natural amphitheater form
ed in the bluffs by this sweeping bend
In the Sheyenne river, Valley City has
a picturesqueness rarely found in towns
OF the prairie states. With foresight
not usual in new communities. q
pretty bit of forest, now called Island
park, was early bought and improved
until now no town in the state can
DoaSt more attractive resort This
is only one example of the progressive
character of the community.
In 1880 there were less than 800 peo-
pie in Valley City. Now there are over
5000, and in several respects il is the
third city in the state. Believing in
municipal ownership, the city has its
T own water system and electric light
plant, and both are operated at a
profit. The water is taken to a stand
pipe ons the hill and given 120. feet
gravity pressure, enough to carry it
to the top of the highest buildings
Many OF QurEJ Western towns take Nad-
vantage of the fact that the prairie
seems unlimited, &7or else speculation
| becomes rife5 and sprawl themselves
out Ina w1destt freedom over too large
an area. Valley City, happily has
avoided this spreading habit, and a
more compact and substantial town
cannot be&f0Qld in the state. This
compactness allows the building Of
sidewalks, with well graded and well
| lighted streets between. The people,
! too, have the tree-planting and tree
| protecting habit, and about many of
the homes are handsome lawns and
| garden plots.
Valley City is surrounded by a very
prosperous agricultural country, and
drawing trade as it does from an ex-
tensive area, the mercantile concerns
are of an extensive character, some
Of them carrying stocks that would do
credit to large cities. Valley City is
not mere local town, solely depend
ent on local surroundings. On the
! contrary, it is an important center,
| from which is distributed supplies
used over wide stretch of country.
At the crossing of two rival transcon-
tinental railways tt has advantages
not possible in towns without compe-
tition In rates and accommodations. A
metropolitan spirit is shown in every
undertaking. It is ethe home town Of
the most extensive -four milling inter-
est in the state. Its5banks send money
| by hundreds of thousands of dollars
| to loan in the EaSt.-Its schools attract
! students from every part of the state,
the normal school having young peo-
pie from no less than ten different
! states. North Dakota has kept abreast
of the times in education. In this par
ticular Barnes county is strictly at the
front. The opAnty contains 159
schools, and in M. w. Barnes the
county has q most efficient superin-
/ tendent He was the first to establish
a pupils reading ss circle, somewhat
! after the plan of the Chautauqua, and
several other counties have since
adopted it and other counties are ask
1 ing his methods. He also introduced
a system of giving attendance certif-
icates to pupils, which has been pro-
ductive of good results. There are
fifty-two school libraries, and Arbor
| day work shows 2,100 trees growing In
various school yards. The school
houses of the county have a value of
| $207, 420, and the various districts
have $40696 in cash standing to their
| credit There are 125 teachers en-
| ployed, the average salary being $44.42
a month. The enrolment shows the
names Of 1884 pupils, and ninetyfour
school districts furnish free text books.
Mr.. Barnes is now serving his third
term, and should be kept in the place
just as long as he is willing to serve.
Barnes is one county of the state
! that keeps up crop record with the
counties Of the Red river valley. II
produced last year 2,416,732 bushels OF
! wheat, 1,S25,627 bushels of oats, 677,S12
bushels of fax, 609,929 bushels of bar
ley, besides corn, rye, potatoes and
other products of the soil in handsome
! quantities. Is tsany wonder that the
farmers fill the local banks so full OF
money that the bankers have to send il
East to keep it in circulation? Only
- AZ. 4