The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-01-12
Letter Number Three.

Z
the great flour mills were at st. Paul
They are at Minneapolis, and St.
Anthony's Falls: which are located
near St. Paul. Originally nine miles
separated the centers of these
cities, but they have both built so as
as to be very close to each other, and
soon will become one. Minneapolis
is now the larger city.
! We left st. Paul at 1925 a. IN. on
y that balmy second day of Nov, 1909
Z The country runs off in gravelly and
bluffy banks for several miles, then
hattens into a farming country.
The land does not look fertile except
for spring wheat, or such hardy kinds
of grain. Farm houses seem two or
, three miles apart, and IL looks little
like the resorts in which Ohio takes
so much pride.
One thing looked strange in that
country. The road for miles in Min
nesota is lined with small lakes. So
many depressions, all full of water,
yet the ground about is so dry.
o G hu 1dre lakes are found in one
county. We thought how Clarke or
Champaign counties would utilize
and beautify these places. But
trouble would occur before ornament
al trees could be grown, as there is
no moisture, yet the lake bottoms
and margins are covered with grow
ing grass like meadows. No timber
is seen. except continuous strip of
fir, after you strike western Mime
sofa and are h tlf way thro gh North
Dakota. 1t is rIirie. The next won
der was, what do the folks do for a
living? All to be seen was barren
hills, texce pit the dry grass slop'ng
down 10 the track for mile after mile
On these hills are little nous s, ISx24
approximately, and barns but little
larger, with from three to eight cows
or horses grazing. These are ranch.
mems homes. ] saw a man and a nice
team What did he haul? There
was no corn, wheat or grain in sight.
Oar trail lay along 4 ravine, a
natural road-bed. Finally we would
pop up on an even .praire, and a
sparsely settled farming country re-
vealed Itself. We saw few towns of
any size and those 20 to 35 miles
apart. We were told that this land
is prt emptiDg rapid y and its richne ss
exceeds its expectations. Some
coarse coal is found, hut the ground
II covered with alkali.
Our train was q flyer and stopped
seldom. rhc windows were double
glass and the cars vestibule. There
were six conductors from St. Paul to
Spokane. One came first and made
transfers from one kind to the reg
ular ticket. The second and sixth
conductors did the real work. Their
caps have conductor on one line
and Great Northern" on a line
above. So you can always find him
easily.
At dark Tuesday we crossed over
the Red River of the North into
Fargo. North ID kota. II is about
the size of the Cherokee, at Dun's
bridge. The next morning at a. IN.
freight wreck stopped at Minot for
10 hours. Wednesday at a. m. an
other wreck delayed US hours more
Being delayed IA hours by these mis-
haps. we made the Rockies by day
| light. The conductor said look out
at 1880 in the morning for your first
view of the mountains.
Now for little Walla Walla. We
read of l39 deaths caused By pneu
monia at Chicago within hours:
of 81 degrees below zero in New EGG
land: of man freezing at Lima, o.,
and we are thankful that we are not
there where one-half you make in
Summer goes to keep you alive over
Winter. aud you start in the Spring
| as poor as you were last year. Fifty
years in snow drifts are sufficient for
me.
We have no potato bugs, mosquit
toes or Euglish sparrows. There are
not manv birds away from the noun
tains. This is a warm, clear day.
Our second snow fell Saturday even
ing and made six inches, but melted
as it fell. l am telling some things
to surprise the young, and may be
the elders can learn from 1t. A bar
ber charges 25c for a hair cut, 25c
for trimming whiskers, 15c for a
shave, and l0c for oiling your hair.
You had better ask for a schedule
before getting too much in any line
\ piece of Turkish carpet rug 9x2i
inches costs $50. and for a piece 3x4
yards they ask 81 500. Salt sells for
y cents per pound, eggs CSC per
dozen, butter 25c to 65c per pound
ana breakfast bacon at 20c per 10.
1t has bSen degrees above zero at
Spokane, but the lowest here this
year is l5 above. We laugh at cold
and billiards here. The freeze las
never bothered plo wing. Nothing is
thought Of seeing two horse wagon
loads of manure going out or loads
of alfalfa coming in late Sunday
evening. Yet there are many good
people here.
The jain is across the street from
u. Jast now the jlil-birds are clean
ing snow from the walks. 1t seems
good recreation, even If there is a
ball and chain to one leg.
Just now the mountains over in
Oregon look so beautiful with the
suns reflections. | did not tell you
all our prices here, for many things
are on parity without Il being any
harder to live here than in the East.
No one yet has said. would rather
live in the East, but all are strongly
n the negative. Yours.
y. III. BAILEY.