Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-05-12
AN ILLINOIS r M IN
WESTERN CANADA.

formerly a prosperous farmer OF that
state, who recently emigrated to West
ern Canada, taking up a claim for him.
self and for each of his three sons.
From Mr.. Kost's letter, which was
written Feb. 8, 1904, we publish the
following, believing it will prove of great
interest to those who have contemplated
settling in the Canadian Northwest:
81 had in August, 1902, secured a claim
for myself, and filed on three quarter
sections for my sons. My claim is one
half mile south of the Edmonton and
Lake ST. Anne trail.
Coming so late in the season we had
little opportunity to break and to pre-
pare ground for a first years crop,
still We raised owe 100 bushels of very
fine potatoes, and sowed a few acres
of barley, but the season was too far
advanced for the barley. However, we
secured good feed from it, and on rented
ground Is miles east of us, raised a fine
crop of oats, so that We will have plenty
of feed for horses. We cut about 60 tons
of hay and thus will have IN abundance.
We have, all told, about 240 acres of hay
meadow, which would yield the past
year over three tons to the acre, and in
an ordinary season the meadow would
furnish 600 tons of hay. The grass is
very nutritious, and cattle on the ranges
become very fat without being fed a
pound of grain.
Gov {bo ,n1arJ 4Ln &C orpu-c from
eight to ten inches tall. This is called
range grass, and is suitable for stock
at any time, even in the winter when
the ground is not covered too deep with
snow. Horses subsist on it alone, at
all times, provided they are native
stock. The grass in the hay meadows
here is called red-top, and grows from
five to six feet in length, and when cut
at the proper time yields an abundant
crop of nutritious hay.
"Our cattle have not cost us a cent
since we came on our homestead, only
the small outlay for salt and labor in
putting up hay and shelter. All cattle
have been doing we'll this winter, and
feeding up to the first of January was
unnecessary, as there was good range
up to that time.
"All the SHOWS up to that date were
followed by winds from the northwest
that melts it very rapidly; these winds
are called Chinook winds, and are al.
ways warm. In one night a Chinook
wind may take away three orfour inches
of snow.
I'VE have built on our claim a com
Portable house of hewn logs, 20x26 feet
one and one-half stories in height, will
a good cellar. During the latter part o
June we RATED logs down the Sturgeon
to a sawmill, about eight miles away
and thus secured 5000 feet of good lum
. Der which was needed for the house
Later in the season a shingle mill 10
Gated six miles away. To this W
hauled logs and had shingles cut TO
the roof.
!; "We had an abundance of wild frui
the past season, consisting of gooseber
ries, strawberries, raspberries, eyeber
ries. b%lueberries, cherries and saska
lOOIlo. llS ldlLSl u q llllS iOohIhS IVA
ry, red, and quite pleasant to the TASTE
but not much to be desired in cooker!
The strawberries are the same as thos
that grow wild in Illinois, Raspberrie
e are red in color, large and equal to an
s of the tame varieties, and so are tn
G gooseberries. The cranberries consi!
of the high ard trailing varieties. TIL
latter are most sought and contiguor
8 to the swamps. The ground is LITERAL
s covered with them as with a red carpe
G but the best and most sought is the blue
0 berry. so called by the Indians. TIL
d is the famous 'hu~ckleberry' (whortlt
berry, Of the Blue Ridge Mountains
J. Pennsylvania, and cannot be eXcelle
d for excellence by any fruit cultivate
d 1t is found here both on the prairie al
n in the timber in immense quantities.
n Game is very plentiful so far as pra
RE chickens, pheasants, ducks of
Is kinds, and geese are concerned. We ha'
a taken nearly 500 chickens and phea
ants. also a great many ducks.
can occasional deer is seen, but a
lie not plentiful. only one having BET
taken during the season in this settl
ment.
D. "Fish are very plentiful at all seaso,
of the year. Fish wagons and sic
a are passing almost daily along the trf
d with heavy loads of fish, destined f
st. Albert and Edmonton. From t
Ia latter point they are shipped south
the Calgary and Edmonton railroad
points along the line, and also to ASST
re boia, on the Canadian Pacific railroad
For further information apply to q.
IN authorized Canadian Government Age
is whose address appears elsewhere.
D.