The Minneapolis journal., 1906-06-08
GIANT STRIDES OF
SOUTH DAKOTA
ITS WHEAT FIELDS ARE KNOWN
THE WORLD OVER.
For All Cereal Crops the State Is, Re-
nowned, and It's Cheap Lands Are
Being Rapidly Taken Up by Settlers.
BY HERBERT vANDERHooF.

BY HERBERT VANDERHooF.
Forty years ago tribe of Indians as
sembled at the foot Of the Black Hills,
which they thought was the home Of the
Great Spirit and swore that they would
not permit the, paleface to tread upon Il
such holy ground. The white man had +
begun his march westward years before 1
but his progress into South Dakota had |
been slow, more so than it had been to
it's sister state, North Dakota, for the
white man had to fight none other than
that grand old fighter but cunning Indian
chief, Sitting Bull. For years the whites
did try to cultivate the soil Of South Da-
kota, to develop its mineral resources, +
only to succumb to the attacks OF the
Indians, and many man, woman and
child was sacrificed upon the altar of
colonization in an attempt to populate
that state. .fs.r 5...-4s.er /. ~
Shortly after the finding of gold in the
Black Hills by General Custer there was
O. rush to the new mineral fields but the
opposition Of the lndanE for tine
that it was not until we'll In the eighties +
that immigrants began. to make their
homes in any numbers in South Dakota, T
the Black Hills, Deadwood and Lead be- |
ing the result of the congregating of such |
settlers ...n ., T.. -
Today we see South Dakota, state for |
sixteen years, springing to the front with |
giant strides. The people of, the east, the |
Atlantic coast, the south and the great |
portance % Of south ' Daleota agriculturalIy, rio m lily
| commercially and from mineral stand
point. SO that with plenty of farm land
struck the state that astonishes every
one. 90. -ss<I. .. .....s.
And some there are who will ask why it
Is that South Dakota Is so favored. Once
upon time, when the state was in it's
infancy, when the stories Of wild Indians
were afloat and the timid people of the
Of those dreadful days, G % the land Ian IN ith south
Dakota went begging. Today the people
Of the United States realize that in this
wheat, corn and cattle lands in the
world.
Famous for Its Wheat.
pursuits. The wheat fields of South Da-
kota are known not only to the average
Dnt rne and eyen ne
tralia know that the wheat grown. on
South South Pakota o5o.di l. soil viii make the best
botanists and agricultural and physiolog-
ical chemists have experimental with
the wheats grown in different states. and
each and all have come to the conclusion,
after a careful examination, that from q
barred Of wheat flour, the wheat of which
has been grown on the fertile lands of
South Dakota. there can be made bread
of the highest quality in gluten and pro-
teids, those products Of vegetable life
vitality:
With this fact before us let us consid-
er the soil and climatic conditions of
! South Dakota. Sometimes you will hear
of the great windstorms Of South Dako-
ia, but one who has experienced gust
building, New York; on Jackson boule-
yard or some other street running. from
chicago, and one of TT the windstormss rms Of Of
the South Dakota prairies, will never
complain Of South Dakota braezes by
omparison. The soil of South, Dakota
an abundance Of. food to plant life. The
enormous crops of wheat and corn that
are produced :, yearly show to the world
. Although South Dakota is not supposed
to be corn center or a part of the corn
belt, 1t stands seventh in the list of corn
average Of 36.6 bushels to the acre, while
South Dakota is there with an average
Of PSI bushels to the acre. What finer
example would one desire than this?
Made Rich by Land.
the wealthiest men in South Dakota.
Years ago, when land was dirt cheap,
men went west to South Dakota and pur-
Oh chased the land for a song: Today these
!, est meAl in the state because they could
see far into the future. Today there are
others who are purchasing lands in the
same manner, but not at the same price,
! and these mea, too, see far into the fu-
J. ture. \
! One of those things which go a great
Way-in fact, almost all the way-toward
making farming a success in any state is
the rainfall and other CLIMATIC conditions.
, A study of the weather conditions in the
past ten years in South Dakota shows
ho tha info hoe
> been 1888. Mighty. few states in the
union can show. a rainfall like this. Fur
) thermore, South Dakota is well watered
naturally by the artesian basin lying be-
tween the Missouri and James rivers
and the Big Sioux valley. east Of the
James, which comprises the best land ir
the world for agricultural purposes, and
watersheds from the hills
+ When the raising Of wheat, corn. barley
: oats, rye, m1llet and potatoes is sattsfac-
, tory then it must necessarily follow thai
may be- must be Of good stock also. 1r
= this particular instance the. buffalo grass
: Of South Dakota feeds thousands OF hsat e
j. big cattleman who raises stock only fo
+ the market has the great ranches tina
are fast being cut up, into farm lands
and the man who would cultivate dair!
o business has his herds Of healthy cows
k Hog cholera is unknown, this condition
|, alone being due to the good forage ant
r pay an enormous profit to their owners
(. and with good market adjacent to tn
j, state, together with plenty of forage, tn
a cattle industry of South Dakota has be
- come most important and prof1tabl
IL one. .a.G. =. "...
q All Conditions Favor Man.
- Now let. us look in a careful manne
!. at the situation in South Dakota as
st stands today. Climate and other cond1
y tions are most excellent for the man VIII
n fain would BEGIN life anew in South tDa
kota The lands are within a reaSOnabl
price, we'll drained, very fertile and cas-
( Of cultivation. For every man.. woma
10 or child in the state there Is about 10
= acres of land. This being SO. then tn
- wealth Of South Dakota from an agricui
? tural standpoint, can easily be asced
tanned. d. II
, In minerals she is wealthy, too, wit
4 her rich mines in the Black Hills; he
railroad facilities are excellent; she pos
sesses educational advantages second t
none, and, in a word. South Dakota
the state for the young man to begin lii
in today, and not wait until tomorrow
e when needed, fails to be held over fc
q any man.
- The rush Of homeseekers this year int
). South Dakota has been the greatest
/. the history of the state, and its popula
= ton Is being added to at a most SUI
e prising rate. Every train that goes int
the state from the east is crowded wit
II prospective settlers, and the cheap lanC
: Of the state are being taken up by tt
ss finest type Of American citizens. In tt
" eastern part Of the state the homestea
IS lands have been practically taken up, b.
r. there are hundreds Of thousands Of acre