The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-23
BY HERBERT vANDERHooF.

| of the country is more progress being
made than in South Dakota, nor is there
any other state in the Union which is
| yearly adding as much wealth to the ma
TONS store, in proportion to it's popula
| ton. .'.-'- --. - ~
In the matter Of size alone, South
! twelfth in the Union. All the New Eng
land states, with Delaware, and New Jer-
sey thrown in. might be comfortably set
down within it's borders, and there would
still be few thousand miles: to spare.
Great Britain, France and Germany, with
! Portugal thrown in for good measure,
would not. quite fill it's confines. If it
had the same density OF population az
| Massachusetts it would contain 25,000000
people, instead of the 100000 that it does.
/" The wealth Of South Dakota does not
consists in it's mines. although the greatest
! gold mine in the world, the Homestake,
lies within it's borders. but in it's wheat
| and corn, its droves of cattle and hogs,
portion of it's vast area under cultivation.
the figures for one years output OF
wealth were over 1929, 100000.
The Discovery Of Gold.
This is a pretty fair record for coun
| try that only a generation or SO ago was
the stamping ground of the Indians and
into which the white man ventured on
| peril of his life But these white men.
when they did escape, came back to
civilized life with glowing stories of the.
wonderful country that they had seen.
which whetted the desire Of the hardy
| and restless frontersmen to enter into
it. Most Of these early adventures were
trappers and fur hunters. who ventured
after the buffalo and other smaller fur
bearing animals which abounded along
CIV Nor,f St,@
| enne river.
gold abounded in the Black Hills, which
was definitely ascertained and given to
| the world by General Custer after his
exploring expedition in 1874. That gold
existed somewhere in the interior had
been known for many years previous
from the tales of rowing Indians who
came to the white settlements. But the
country was then in the possession of the
powerful Sioux tribe. with Sitting Bull
at it's head, and the Blact: Hills, where
| this gold was to be found, was guarded
the home of the Great Spirit. Prospec
| tor after prospector essayed to reach this
treasure house. but were relentIessIy
trailed by the Indians and mastered. :
At last the encounters between the
whites and the Indians became. so fire.
q1ent, in spite of all the efforts of the
government to prevent encroachrnentr on
the Indians land, that the government
bought the redskins out for s4,50o,000
and threw the country open to settle
| ment. This was in 1877. The first rush
to the new country. was, of course, that
of the gold seekers. but they were soon
followed by the cattleman and the farm
err. who saw in the boundless prairies
and rich soil a sure source of wealth.
Great Mineral, District. y g .ss-r
! The gold mining district of the Black
Hills is the third greatest gold producing
district on the continent. and has been
> pronounced to be the richest 100 miles
, square. on the face Of the; globe: Between
gold in this district was $14,000,o00, and
still there is cessation in the dis
= covery Of new and legitimate properties.
AS the result of the mining industry.
cities Of the state have been built in
the Black Hills, Deadwood and Lead
which are only four miles apart, al
though the latter is $50 feet higher than
. Deadwood. -.
At Lead. the chief attraction is the
great Homestake mine discovered ii
1875. The history of the Hon estake is
one of the most spectacular chapters il
the history of gold mining. Capitalized Al
100000, the property has paid 6
monthly dividend ever since October
1873, making a total of over $17.0OO0O(
in dividends to date One hundred dol
lars invested when stock was selling al
81. per share would be worth to- the in
weston today $4,000. ~ - -
T. Real Wealth Is Agriculture. r.
But it is not it's mineral wealth tina
makes South Dakota a rich state-it |:
p its fertile soil. There is no part of tho
state which will not richly repay thu
' has no '"s sup ae and nd this is ndustr,
| brings. in more money than any other
The town of Belle Fourche, twenty eigh
miles north of Deadwood. is one Of tn
most extensive cattle shipping points OF
| Of
I town is only 500, yet it ships yearl!
s4,O00.ooo worth of cattle. The choices
beef is produced without care Or feed
winter or summer. except as nature ha
provided, the cattle grazing all winte
on the famous. buffalo grass, and takel
from this feed and placed on the marke
in competition with the corn fed article
The snowfall in winter is very light, an,
some years there is scarcely. enough t.
make good sleighing.
Land is plentiful in South Dakota an
prices are cheap. When the state wa
organized nearly 100000 acres were Sc
.. portion of this has not yet been sole
Settlers can obtain this land with
small cash payment and fifteen years tim
/ for the balance due. from SO an acr
in Iowa or Illinois would readily brin
500. The influx OF settlers Is steadil
encroaching on the big cattle and shee
ranches. and it is only a matter Of a fe'
q and the small farmer will occupy then
= Early Obstacles to Progress
1t is thirty years since the railroad
s began to come to South Dakota. and tn
+ mining: discoveries in the Black Hill
s. country. with the great traffic that .tl
assured the roads. made their extension
imperative. But there were obstacles I
s.. .l5their advancement. For one, the wester
Ebank Of the Missouri was belted wit
milan reservations and across thes
the steel rails were not allowed to eros
Beyond the reservations were the sem
arid regions of the Bad Lands, = Il an
beyond these the mines 80 zsSt.
AS the railways could not go straigl
across the country to their objective poll
they were obliged to go around. Hent
it followed that eastern South Dakot
was occupied but not filled. while tt
Indians and the cowboys had an unot
structed range between the river and tn
hills
81 These distractions to railway develol
1nent had a retarding effect on South DE-
81 kotas growth. while her sister on tt
north. because free from them, grew fas
rs er. although beginning later. But COZ
- ditions have changed in the past fe
] years. The Indians are now receivir
their lands in severaIfty, and Il
barriers which operated to hold back II
farmers and the railways are fast beir
4 removed.
Time for a Change.
Meanwhile the pioneer work has bee
Edone with soil and climate. The farm,