The Dickinson press., 1906-08-25
BLACK BUTTE SET.
ELEMENT,
People Prosperous and
Happy,

In recent issue of the Belle Plaine
Union of Iowa, appeared letter from
the pen of Alex Calvert, extracts of
which read as follows:
Friday morning, as soon as the weather
would permit, we started out, like the
1sraelites, to "spy out the land" and we
found it indeed, "a land flowing with
milk and honey" We took dinner in
sod house, the home of Ernest Strang,
% miles south of Dickinson. MIR.
Strang and his father-in-law, c. w.
Herstein, came here from Iowa in 1901
with practically nothing, and located on
claims. Now the latter has I25 head of
fine cattle, the former is planning to
build himself new home this fall, and
together they have bought fine half
section of land connecting their home
steads. Mr.. Strang intends to build
his new house of brick which he will
make himself from clay on his own
ground and burned with home-mined
coal. In the bottom of a 3o.foot we'll on
his farm is an eight-foot vein of Ignite
coal, and the water is excellent. So
much for the varied resources of North
Dakota, and the grit of the settlers.
After dinner we started out to look
oFSl Aoll0J dllo AloSC OVCl SCSllOA dllCl
section of grassy slopes, gently rolling
could hardly have been improved on.
In three townships which we covered,
every quarter section of government
land has been taken. and nearly every
one has a settler who has broken the
sod and has part of his place in crop.
1t is marvellous, the flax, wheat, oats, etc.
that come from newly-broken sod
ground. Mr.. Strang has brother who
located on claim last Thanksgiving
during a snow storm. He had just IS
cents. With characteristic grit, his
wife told him to dig out any kind of a
place to live in so they could hold the
claim. A "dugout" was the result. He
now has field of 40 acres of fax that is
beautiful to see, besides some other
crops and a vegetable garden, and is
building a new sod house. He estimates
that he will clear himself of the debt
contracted in getting started, and have
$500 clear from this years crop A
church is to be built at his corner this
fall, and school house is between his
home and that of the first mentioned
Strang. Sunday school, attended by
from 50 to 80 is held at the various
houses.
On our trip we passed field after field
of flax, wheat, oats, barley and potatoes
growing fine on this years breaking.
The country will within very few
years be the home of many other fine
people. Stone, brick and frame dwell
ings will replace the sod houses, al.
though a sod house is not as bad as il
would seem to the inexperienced. We
spent the night very comfortably a,
Mr.. Strangs home, and had an ex.
cellent supper of acknowledged
chicken" and the other accessories
usually found on the farm.
Some Iowa people have gone SO fal
as to tell me that trees would not grow
here, but Mr.. Strang and others have
started naples, poplars, box elders and
fruit trees which look decidedly healthy
We saw none of the herds of cattle OF
sheep which formerly occupied the
country. Settlement has driven the
ranchers back, and the small farm has
taken the the place of the ranch in this
immediate locality.
John Tippie, who was with me on this
trip, expressed himself as greatly
pleased, and agreebly surprised, at the
country.
We were accompanied by Byron
| Mabon, manager of the Mabon Land
Co., and the agreeable surprise furnished
us on seeing the land was due largely tc
the fact that Mr.. Mabon had over
stated the poor qualities, and under
stated the good qualities of the country