The Dickinson press., 1906-02-03

VA AoAOA Ny Oil OOCdS1Oudk duu
extends from cast to west fifty-four
miles and from north to south twen-
ty-four. The county was created in
1879 by territorial assembly and
was organized May 25, 1888. It's
first commissioners were H. L. Dick
inson, James Collister and James
G. Campbell, the first and last
named still prominent residents of
Dickinson, the county seat. N. G..
Lawrence, just entering upon his
first term as postmaster of Dickin-
son, was the county's first register of
deeds, and William Cuskelly it's first
sheriff. The county seat was named
for the Dickinsons, prominent in it's
settlement.
The population of Stark county in
1000 was 1921, and by the state CEN
sus of 1905, 1885, gain of 40 per
cent in five years. This gives Stark
sixteenth place among the forty
counties of the state in point of popu-
lation.
Stark county is favored in the
number, extent and value of it's nat~
ural resources. First in it's soil,
which, as the settler finds it.,
produces the nutritious grasses
which fatten the cattle and
sheep for market and give strength,
endurance and beauty of form
to the horses reared upon the
open prairies. The annual rainfall in
the west Missouri country is fifteen
inches, or one and one-half times the
amount necessary to produce crop.
More and more wheat and flax are
being raised and shipped out, as will
be seen from the tabulated statement
given elsewhere; oats, alfalfa and
corn are being raised for feed; pota-
toes and other farm than
which none better are produced any,
where-are being raised for home
consumption.
Coal underlies the entire county
as well as Hettinger and Billings.
Numberless small mines supply their
owners with fuel while the immense
deposit at Lehigh is sufficient to sup
ply the entire state for several gen.
erations. Statement of the output
and work of the Lehigh mines ap-
pears elsewhere.
Not least of Stark county's wealth
is its clays. The white clay found at
Dickinson is already manufactured
into fire brick of most beautiful
shades in great variety of combina-
tions and is extensively used in build
ing in the thriving city of Dickinson,
while a large per cent of the manu-
factured product is shipped out. This
clay makes fine earthenware and pot
terry, samples of which attracted
great attention at the St. Louis and
Portland fairs.
Stark county has good system of
schools, and educational development
is rapid. BY making the proper
showing to the county superintend-
ent, whenever ten children of school
age are more than two and one-half
miles from public school, such a
school must be opened. The law in
creasing the pay of teachers and
raising the standard of qualifications
is fast gaining for the schools the
best teachers to be found anywhere.
Beside the public schools Stark has
a boys and a girls school at Rich
ardton under Catholic management,
and a Sisters school at Dickinson.
Churches have been established in
the several towns, and country
churches are being built as the coun-
try becomes more thickly settled.
The county has within its limits
the city Of Dickinson and the towns
of Gladstone, Taylor, Richardton
Antelope, Lehigh, Belfleld and South
Heart, all enjoying period of pros
perity and corresponding growth.
Billings County.
Billings is a large county on the
western border of the state. 1t in
cludes a large portion of the famous
Bad Lands, where subterraneaE
burning coal, Joined to the action o1
air and water, has worn the clay
into fantastic shapes and the heat
has given the iron in the soil mos
brilliant colorings. Burning Goa
veins may still be seen as one jour
neys among the picturesque clay for
nations. The Bad Lands valleys arr
covered with grasses and thousand
of cattle and horses Craze there IL