The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-09-07

OF the finest wheat countries in the
world, and at Dalrymple passed through
the great Dalrymple wheat farm which
is said to contain 10000 acres, and it is
the greatest wheat farm in the world.
The wheat crop this year is exception
ally good, and it has all been harvested
in god shape. You can see wheat
fields reaching as far as the eye can
see, but no corn. Bismarck was reach
led about noon and then we crossed the
i Missouri river at Mandan, where we
also changed time to mountain time
which is an hour earlier than Central
time. Bismark is the capital of North
Dakota, and the site Of new Ft. Lincoln.
Lewis and Clark's winter camp in 1904
O3 was fifty miles north of Fort Mandan.
At Mandan we crossed the Missouri
river on the new steel bridge costing
l$l,0OO,00O, and the new bridge is taking
the place of the old one on the same
site without interfering with the eros
sing of trains.
About a hundred miles west of Bis
marck there is a marked change in the
country, which becomes pretty rough
and is tit only for grazing purposes,
cattle and sheep, but little grain of any
kind being raised. 1t gradually became
4 rougher until we reached the desolate
|country called the bad lands. We made
a short stop at Medora, a small place in
the heart Of the bad lands, made famous
by the fact that here it was that Pres
1 ident Roosevelt spent several years of
his life on a rancho during his earlier
life, and was typical COW boy. At
Medora some years ago Marquis de
Mores, a wealthy Frenchman endeavor-
ed to start a big packing house to COM
pete with the Chicago packing plants,
as he thought it would be possible to
ship the dressed meat right from the
| grazing country and thus save an i'm
mense sum in freight charges. He
erected large plant, hired the foreman
of Swift & Co.. at Chicago as superin-
tendent, moved several hundred families
there, and succeeded in blowing in over
half million dollars without anything
to show for it. About this time he was
sent to South Africa On government
mission for France and was ambushed
and killed. The big buildings are
standing idle with placards on them
Offering buildings and machinery rent
free to any one who will start an in
dustry of any kind in them, but they
will crumble and decay before anyone
can do any business in this God forsaken
country. The entire population of Me-
4 dora is only 3S. The widow of the
| Marquis has fine residence near the
town, owning several thousand acres of
land, and each summer she comes out
from New York with party of friends
and spends few weeks on the ranch.
At SIX O'Clock that evening we left
\ lat nd
During the night ride the train passed
through some historic country, Miles
ICity and Fort keogh, and Custer, the
scene Of the famous Indian massacre.
and also Pompey's Pillar, high rock
(which was climbed and named by Cap
tain Clark OF the Lewis and Clark
expedition in 1906.
Monday morning we reached Living
stone, l,O07 miles from st. Paul, and half
way to Portland. Here is where the
Yellowstone Park tourists leave to
enter the park, and here we had our
Baldy Peak being visible to the south,
also Gate of the Mountains.
From Livingston we start up the
grade to cross the mountains for the
first time, our train having three en-
gines, two pulling and one pushing and
we slowly wind around with many
crooks and turns until we reach the
BoZeman tunnel at the top of the Gal
latin range OF the rocky mountains.
The tunnel is 1862 feet long, and then
for twenty-five miles we follow the west
Gallatin river through a fertile valley
which is one Of the finest wheat sec
tions of the northwest, to Bozeman,
iob n:.b;
1000. We are now between two ranges
of the Rocky mountains, the Bridger
range to the north and the Gallantin to
the south, and both can be seen in the
distance. During this day we exper-
fenced our first trouble in getting
plenty to eat. AT Livingstone. five cars
of Yellowstone Park tourists were added
to our train and they We're the hungri-
est crowd we ever saw. The aiming car
service of the Northern Pacific had
; been superb, but one car could hardly
feed sixteen coaches and it was neces-
sary to stand in line for couple of
hours before you could get into the
dining car. The train makes no stops
for meals and when a station was reach
ed where there was lunch counter it
was soon put out of business. Our adj
vice to people who go west is to take a
liberal sized lunch basket with them
for it will be sure to come in handy.
Through all kinds OF country, with
!; here and there a rancho house, but for
miles and miles without house in
} sight, we continued our journey, reach
} ing Helena, the capital of Montana, that
, afternoon. The state capital can be
, seen from the train, but it is very
, small affair when compared with the
: Iowa capital. Helena in an earlier day
, was the scene of lively times during the
time gold was being taken out there,
the town being built on what is known
as Chance gulch, where more than $40,
: 100000 in placer gold was taken out.
The main street Of the town was one OF
!, the richest producers, and every foot of
the ground has been turned over time
and time again. We are now in the
midst Of the mountains and the scenery
, is very fine, tho constant changes in the
) formation OF the country proving inter
J esting to the traveller. 1t is impossible
, for writer to describe them, for they