Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-02-20

TWENTY YEARS AGO
Description Of Some Slope Counties THAT aazed the
WaY for the 500 Railroad


Twenty years :ago, when Bismarck
was moving heaven, and earth to.
secure the building of the 500, or any.
old road, on the grade built from the
southeast to this city. the following
description of Mcintosh, Logan, Kid
der and Burleigh counties was writ
ten by John A. Rea, then register of
the Bismarck land office, to A. G.
Morrill,, president of the paper rail-
road known as the Aberdeen, Bis
marck & Northwestern railroad Con-
sidering the breeziness of the times,
the letter is remarkably truthful, and
would serve as an honest description
of the counties today. save in the
matter of population The letter fol-
| lows: .' = :.
United States Land Office, Bis
marck, D. T., March IA, 1887. =
Ashley C. Morrill,, Esq, Prest. A., B.
& N. w. r. R., New York City: ~ u
Sir:-In reply to your recent in
quiry as to the general character of
the country and the area of govern
ment land vacant, in the counties of
Mcintosh, Emmons, Logan, Kidder
and Burleigh, south of the Northern
Pacific Railroad line, L will briefly
answer; as to 49, ~ -:
| Mcintosh county-The land of this
county is rolling prairie; deep, rich
soil; numerous small lakes and an
abundance of springs; the wells are
from ten to twenty feet deep; it is
the best watered county in the Bis
marck land district; there is plenty
Iof wild hay, making the county at
traetiye to farmers partial to stock.
There are twenty-eight townships,
six miles square or an area $4,000
acres, or four thousand farms of 100
acres each, or eight thousand farms
of 80 acres each, nearly the average
size of farms in the United States per
census of 1880, capable in its infancy
of taking care of four or eight thous.
8 and farmers, or a population of TWEEN.
lily to forty thousand, wholly supported
iby agriculture; the amount of waste
being so small as to cut no figure
The population at present is about
two thousand, with the prospect Of a
I"mile-a-minute' growth this year
The approach of your; railroad from
the south is directing more attention
to Mcintosh county than to any other
in our land district. It's central loca
ton as to the rest OF. the territory
makes the future particularly bright
Civilization crowding it on every side
will. make it very populous and prod
uctive. A glance at our territorial
map will convince you that this con
clusion is sound, as we'll as plausible
] Logan county-This county lies
Immediately north of Mcintosh and is
in point of locality almost as enviably
situated as its. sister; it's soil is a
dark loan with a clay sub-soil, and as
productive tas the --LATEST man could
wish. The surface is rolling prairie
as rule, but along Beaver Creek, its
principal stream, there are what we
call hills in Dakota, but in Pennsyl-
4 vanilla or New York; they would be
4 gentle rises.ss
. = 2 =,
Il There are some very fine lakes in
Logan, covering from 20 to $40 acres.
II There is an abundance of grass at
| fording excellent pasturage and pre-
sent supply of hay. Farmers who are
devotees of mixed farming, wslI find
Logan g faVorite field. Logan lis the
same size as Mcintosh % townships
and will divide up almost as well.
Its population is less, but with the
advance of railroads. from the south.
feast, We expectta rapid appropriation
of the government land. In d single
season counties correctly anticipating
Ia I new railroad have All been taken up
A BY settlers. The rapidity of settle.
ment upon government land since
4 1880, has been as phenomenal ais the
growth of the western cities you hear
50 much about. Bishop Hare, Of the
Episcopal church; in a recent address
to New York audience. speaking
:Iof the growth in Dakota, said:
4 Lame uage cannot eyaggerate the
rapidity with which these communi
ties are built up. You may stand
ankle deep. In the short burnt grass
OF an uninhabited wilderness. nexi
month a mixed train will glide over
he waste and stop at some place
where the railway has decided to
locate a town, Men, women and chill
sdren viii jump OF the cars and fheia
Echattels VIII be tumbled out afte,
them From that moment the build
ring begins. ! have ridden into d Da