Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-06-28
SET Tiers FLOCK|NC TO S0UTH5IK0TNA
Men OF the East and the Middle West Selling Their H;,h
Lands 10 Invest in thu Cheap Lands Of The sto,s

One hundred and two wears apo tho
state of South Dakota was evn,ored
by Lewis and Clark; fifty-fiye wears
later the Indian title was eytineuisboa
forever; two years before, on Nav ~
1857, the first agricultural settlement
was made; in 1861, the year the war
broke out, 1t was made a TERRITORY.
eleven years later it saw it's first rail
road; eighteen years after this Da-
kota was admitted as a state, and q
great influx 2of settlers followed be-
tween 1880 and 1888, and to-day, 1906,
witnesses "a healthy, happy, prosper
GUS, growing state, divided from the
original iaahto North and South Dakota
At thisstf1ne, however, shall present
to- you the beauty and prosperity of
that strong young child, South Da-
kota of which our mother Union is
proud.
According to the census of 1905
South Dakota has population of 455,-
1856, or about six to the square mile.
The population is for theJ greater part
native-born Americans, men and
women, who settled in the original
Dakota in the trying days of long ago,
when the Indians roved the plains,
the buffalo fattened off it's healthy
grasses, and the Sioux made life un-
bearable. In this generation you see
the children of that generation, men
and women, boys and girls, hardy,
honest, upright and willing to work
for their homes. Such is the descend
ant Of the American pioneer
Within the confines of the state of
South Dakota there lies $4,000 square
miles Of territory embraced in what
is known as the Black Hills, the en-
tire state is composed of farming and
grazing lands. These latter are di-
vided into three great territories-th
James river, the Sioux river and the
Missouri river districts, all Of which
water fertile valleys-and with it's
long range of hills, rolling prairies
and abundant surface and artesian
wells, the land of South Dakota, being
of a porous, clayey foundation, is al
ways moist, thereby making the land
valuable and giving to the state it's
wonderful crops.
The Climate and Rainfall.
One of the most essential things
necessary for healthy, profitable crops
is rain and an invigorating. healthy
climate. South Dakota possesses all
OF these requisites. East of the Mis-
souri, river there is an average rainfall
of twenty-one inches, and Of this
amount about sixteen or seventeen
inches falls during the five growing
months of the year. The summers
are warm, but not oppressive, and
though many have believed that the
winters of South Dakota are severe,
they are not even as cold as those of
Illinois, as the records of the weather
bureau show. The average tempera-
ture for 1905 was 423, and In winter
With good soil, proper temperature
and abundant water, there must neces-
sarily follow an abundance Of vegeta-
ton. The native grasses of South Da-
kota surpass those of many states.
There are somewhere around 125 or $50
of grass. which grow from
eight inches to eight feet in height.
This furnishes abundant grazing for
cattle, and 1t was here on these prai-
ries that the buffalo fattened and en-
|oyed his winter forage in the historic
lays of colonization With practically
no corn or wheat, the cattle of South
Dakota can fatten on these grasses.
South Dakota does not claim to be
n the corn belt, does not lay any claim
20 being a great corn state, either, yet
glance at the reports Of the United
states department of agriculture will
show that she ranks well up with the
BEST corn states in the country and
hat the quality and nutriment of this
'orn are second to none. Last year
here were SIG 0.923 bushels of corn
in South Dakota, this crop
,eing valued at $16,O00,000. This is an
enormous crop, and shows the richness
md fertility of the soil Of South Da-
lota, and the crop is increasing an
lual1y.
A Comparison Of Crops.
In glancing over the crop reports OF
he United. States department OF agri-
ulture l sat down one afternoon and
lgured how the crops of other states
ompared with those of South Dakota.
% my surprise, found that South Da-
.ota had produced more corn than
Eighteen other states combined, tnclud-
ng all of the New England states, and
ven those on the Pacific coast and
ONE Immediately west OF South Da-
ota. Corn can be grown much more
heaply in South Dakota than any 9TH
r state, and it is a safe crop, for
outh Dakota stands fourth on the list,
nth Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas lead
ng. AS good corn can be grown on
outh Dakota land selling for $40 and
1 z -, !, $40 ~ oop ho GROWN on lands