Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-09-08
Thursday, September s, 1904.
SETTLEMENT OF SOUTHEAST.

NOlf hli'Dt t"S
twenty-five years ago, according tc
the testimony Of pioneers, it pre-
scented characteristics very much less
favorable than now confront home.
steaders on the lands west Of the
Missouri. Listen to the evidence:
The Parker Press Leader has
issued a fine special edition in cele-
bration of the twenty fifth anniyer-
sary Of the towns location. Several
pages therein are devoted to remin-
iscences Of early settlers, who recall
some Of the discouragements their
new venture inflicted, but over
which they ultimately triumphed.
Just as those viii triumph in the
western region now being settled.
A pioneer Of Parker, the county
seat Of Turner county, was G. q.
Pratt, who arrived ON a railroad con,
~struction train in June, 1879; and Of
the outlook at that time, the quarter
century anniversary edition Of the
Press-Leader says:
in the morning, Mr.. Pratt
mounted to the top Of the car and
gazed long and steadfastly, but in
vain for q Single or anything that
marked the dwelling Of a fellow
creature. A. he gazed upon the
unblemisbed landscape, bounded on
al SIDES by the blue sky, be thought
EE 81 his Shortcomings and wondered
q PrCw16eure lad set him down in
that drsE-E waste as hh punishment
~DrsErr waste that sounds ike
EnmkaT hsa~ETure doesn't IL Then
read this IN regard 10 the water
supply agsu 1hszs, sfl 80 miles
es,ss III M1ciral nm west
Trht sunnia Rn5 fan ~ 1873
wHs dry and practically rEinlsss and
must luE Hisolr uaatss n5ck
svervwier. HDG wErttr was sSErre
amt pnur To IluRzrTss nov tad
Hud iaov snsarsss Nj FrHz sEEs thsE
ns-u IA VI unrI ainaE TIE railroad
rrznk Ip tis firtci. vsrIlst tIao 10
uutfsi. ~ESiterssfis carpenters TErssrs
znr lsb0rsrF NasiIsI 1il.sr riun1ss
freaA tint srIn with d sssn1- Zip Ep
water uisp a izarrsl maui II II sgEn
zn13 mol Il. amt ii war ussa ~ fast
rf1zat III was lssvtr 8EsHIn ra0asc before
ID nsae erulmlmfsd.
amt still Mrtrisel kz0eEs the west
Missouri sumrrF about its water
ssuwltr- VI sOwn over there has
imf Al Glse sach water as was used
al Esrxer twenty-five years ago.
Il H Vernon, who now lives at
Hzszrden, Ia, gives his impressions
a q quarter Of a century ago regard
ing Turner county, which nov is a
comparative garden:
when l first visited the present
site of Parker there was no thought
that's city should ever be built upon
it, as all the surrounding country
was a barren prairie. Inasmuch as
j did not like the location of Par.
ker, / moved my family from Yer.
million to Lennox, just east of Par.
ker, as | liked the location much
better. We resided in Lenno,
about three months, when the scar
city Of water became so great tha'
we decided to move"
This was the condition 60 mile,
asst OF Mitchell at that time, ant
nevertheless, look at what the inter
vening years has wrought. An.
Mitchell declares that the countr,
farther westward never can be Fl
for occupancy. That is what MI
Vernon says he thought of Parke
when he first saw it-but he wa
mistaken.
c. N. Pier, also one of til
pioneers Of Turner county thu
talks Of times down there only
quarter Of q century ago:
II have . distinct recollection
What il meant 70 us at Swan Lake |
have . market which we could driy
v and return home the same da,
afber having for years having had |
~ >>>~ ~~orkak;no md kroI;n~