The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1906-07-28
RAPID GROWTH
OF GLADSTONE.
Settlers Tributary Happy and Prosperous. Good
Crops and Large Influx Of People Have Stim-
ulated Business
ulated Business.

The following write-up of Gladstone
recently appeared in the Forum:
Probably no town in the western part
OF the state, on the line of the Northern
Pacific, has been stimulated CONNER
cially, and to some extent, growth in pop
ulation, by the new immigration, more
than Gladstone, twelve miles east of
Dickinson. The founders of the town Is
years ago declared that people of the
Middle West would some day be at
tracted by the great fertility of the land
and its cheapness, and that Gladstone
would logically become the commanding
point for new settlers. They now realize
the fulfllment of their early hopes.
Farming about Gladstone has always
paid when the weather conditions have
been anything like what they should be,
especially in the country lying south as
far as the Cannon Ball river, the fertility
of which cannot be excelled.
By judicious advertising, honest pre-
sentation of the facts and tempting
prices for the lands and the making
known of the homestead possibilities,
new homeseekers we're attracted to this
part of the state. The immigration move
ment began two or three years ago,
stimulated by the want of lands, by the
the younger farmers in the west. The
seekers after new wealth came and saw
and became convinced that possibilities
were here within reach if only cultivated.
There is vast territory of fertile land
tributary to Gladstone.
A variety of facts have contributed to
only in the creation of natural want in
va hit %l,o
men who have learned through the me-
dunn of state agricultural colleges and
experiment stations where the soil fer
tility exists and that it can be made a
paying investment with the exercise oi
intellectual and best class of farming
methods, which so many have become
acquainted with in the class rooms and
experiment plots and assisting in the
practical demonstrations in farm and
animal husbandry. Among the new
comers are liberal sprinklings of expert
enced Germans and Morse farmers and
fair numbers of English speaking fami-
lies, all enterprising and showing the
best spirit towards the making of COM
munities pleasant and attractive. Today,
Gladstone boasts of being the trading
center Of what will ultimately become
the largest farming community in the
state. Mrs. R. ]. Turner, postmistress,
states that her office has recently been
made the distributing office for two new
postofices, Hungary, sixteen miles, and
Horswill, twenty-four miles south, and
these mails are now much larger than
the whole Of what the town mail was for
years.
GOOD ROADS.
Just how good roads may, in fact will
be, strong stimulant to trade is illus
trated here. South to the Cannon Ball
river is an air line road, easily kept in
the pink of condition and is practically
available at all seasons of the year and
over which enormous loads may be
hauled from Black Butte to Gladstone,
about thirty miles. So wide is it for
some distance that wagons two abreast
can pass each other without difficulty
and it forms a remarkable avenue of
trade the whole of the distance. All of
the streams are bridged with steele
structures instead of wood and all are of
the most substantial character.
PRECIPITATION.
This year there has been from seven
to ten inches of rain fall since April 1
and it has been we'll distributed-inter-
mittent showers which prove so valuable
to early growing crops. The distribu-
ton this year was even better than last.
SAND AND CLAY.
Near Gladstone are valuable sand and
clay deposits. To the sand deposit, an
area of about 64o acres, the Northern
Pacific runs spur track, for the COM
pany uses hundreds of cars year for
construction work and for its engines
The product is sold east as far as Man
dan and west to the state line. The
company owns part and private parties
part. About nine miles north is clay
4es ol hR hs Esat sIe}on
underlaid to depth of about fifty feet
with the finest quality of snow-white fire
clay and it is known to extend to ada
cent lands. The clay is perfectly free
from grit.
POPULATION.
1t is estimated that during the last two
years over 900 families have settled in
the country tributary to Gladstone and
these, added to the first settlers whose
sons have grown and are now engaged
in cultivating holdings acquired years
ago at remarkably low figures by men
whose faith in the fertility of the region
was never shaken, have transformed this
part of the country from sparsely settled
communities to populous ones. Fifteen
years ago when the precipitation was
not as favorable as it is now, good prices
for cattle and horses stimulated the stock
industry in place of so much raising OF
grain. Diversified agriculture was paid
attention to, and with profit, and mum.
Der of farmers made considerable addi.
tions to their acreage at the then pre-.
vailing low prices, believing the day
would come when the investment would
prove wise one. OF the forty-mile
strip, south of the Northern Pacific main
line, sold the last two years, possibly q
per cent of the land has passed into the
actual possession of farmers.
PROSPECTIVE ENTERPRISE.
The northside addition to Gladstone is
owned by Miss M. F.. Wolfe, M. D., oi
Norristown. Pa, in charge Of the female
department of the insane asylum at tina,