The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-03-16

year has been slight. But the season
has only opened, and in few weeks
more the food of homeseekers will
have swelled into thousands, and N1c
railways running into the state Will
be taxed to their capacities to fake
care OF the men and women with their
household goods and live stock, who
are going to start new homes OH the
virgin prairies of the state.
There was time when the gres I
flood of immigration to North Dakota
consisted of the hardy Scandinavians,
principally, with a smatterins of other
European races and few Americans
from the older settled states. To-day
these conditions are reversed. In the
last eleven years over 10000 immi-
grants have been taken into North
Dakota from the states of the central
West and the East. There must be
some strong irducement to lead men
and women to break away from the
Old surroundings and to venture into
new country with which they are
unfamiliar. They are all Americans
and with the natural American pride
in the sections of the country where
they were born and brought up. What
sure has been sufficient to draw them
to the boundless West?
Land! Land. and the desire for
homes of their own and homes for
their children. Land with the album
dant crops that are raised with the
slightest effort OH the prolific soil, of
North Dakota and which will. soon
raise men from comparative povera~
to wealth and Independence. The
men who wore pioneers in this move
| ment have son, pack word OF the
success On have visited their ola
homes in person and given visible
evidence OF it. and tho lcavcn Gus
placed in thousands OF western and
eastern communities is now work..n--;;.
In travelling through North Dakota
, / have been impressed with the a.
nCsphere OF hope and fuith that is:
everywhere met With. Tho air is s:r-
charged with liz. Every man with the
disposition and the energy to work
knows that ii is only few years IN.
til he shall have achieved irglepenl-
ence. If he has money to start with
SO much the better, because fortunes
multiply here with a rapidity that
would be satisfactory to even Rookie
Teller or Carnegie. But even if {:
man has nothing. the same opportu-
mites are there waiting for him tc
garner them.
Land Plentiful and Cheap.
Land is plentiful in North Dakota
and it is cheap. There are vast qtlan-
titles that can yet be obtained undo
the homestead laws. and it is to these
lands that the great movement OF thu
past few years have gravitated. The
new settlers have taken up their
habiiations miles away from any rail
way line, and as they have prospcre'
have bought adjoining section after
section of land until their farms have
numbered thousands of acres. But
even where lands have to be bought
the prices they bring are so insignifi
cant compared with the prices Of
be insignificant.
| was talking with one husky Young
farmer whom I met up there and who
IS the owner of over LOO acres of
land. all under cultivation. and whose
yearly income runs up into the thou
sands of dollars. He has built him.
self fine house. has every modern
comfort and convenience in it, has fine
blooded stock. owns one of the latest
makes of automobiles, and is an en-
thusiast about his state. which he de-
clares is destined to become the
greatest Northwest.
Cali that l possess" he said, as we
sat one day. and smoked our cigars,
els the result of ten years work. My
home was in Iowa and father had
good farm there and was counted a
prosperous man. But there was a big
family of us, and when l was iwen-
ty-cne l figured it out that there was
no chance for me at home. ! could not
buy land there, for land was worth
800 an acre and more, and I had no
money and no means Of acquiring it.
knew how to farm, and that was all.
"a man came to our section one day
end circulars were distributed. all
abound the community telling that he
was going to give an address at TIE
schoolhouse about North Dakota and
the opportunities it offered farmers
I went to that meeting and found that
could get a. homestead for nothing.
Father Said the chance was worth
taking. and gave me 500 to start out
with.
II came here, filed on my claim. and
then went to work for the man who
owned the adjoining one After work.
ing for two years l went to work for
myself on my own land and lived in
a sodhouse I had put up. My frs.
years crop of wheat put me on easy
street ] bought the adjoining quarter
section of land that year, and have
added to my holdings every year
~.~~~~~~~~~ee.~~
PINE LUMBER is PASSING.
White pine lumber is to-day selling