The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1906-07-14
:. COOK | J, j /. !. COUNTY u \ |
An IOWA EDITORS. ~ OPTIMISTIC e
r. =, ,<' -. VIEW! r. x:

,-.. -. ~ t-~: VIE V.A2E - 81.
THE North Shore, With all Its Scenic
Grandeur, but Curtain Behind
Which Lies This County's Wealth. :"
Her Resources and Industries. !.
Geo. H. Blackwell, editor of the Sum-
nit, published at Forest City, Iowa,
spent a couple of weeks in Cook county
this spring. On his return home he had
so many inquiries concerning this north
country that he undertook to answer
them through the columnseof his paper.
In the course of this talk to the readers
of the Summit Mr.. Blackwell pays eo-
quent tribute to Cook county, as fol-
lows:
'The north shore of Lake Superior Is
supposed by many to be vast and
vacant field of rocks and forests unfit
for the habitation of man, and one might
we'll form such an opinion. by travelling
by boat along the rugged cliff bound
coast until Cook county is reached, it
beng the county bordering on Canada.
I'm Cook county many villages and
some farms are to be seen, but the shore
itself with all it's scenic grandeur is but
a curtain behind which lies this countys
wealth. Long before the great cities
which dot the margin of the wonderful
Lake Superior we're dreamed of and be-
fore the great railroads had bound with
bars of iron the West with East, trad
ing posts we're established in Cook
county, and thousands ct dollars worth
of furs were shipped to the East each
year. Slowly ever since the wealth of
this county has been taken advantage
of, and now that many farmers have
proven by their success in the agricul-
tural line that the lands are the best
the country affords, actual settlers are
coming in thick and fast and the cheap
but valuable lands are being converted
into great gardens of luxuriant crops.
Vast forests of timber cover a great part
of the county. This timber is very
valuable. Many farmers who secure
timbered lands derive enough profit from
the sale of the timber to improve the
land and erect spacious buildings there.
on. A new era is just beginning in the
history of this county; the get-rich-quick
men who invade every new country lin
search of fortunes''hav been there and
are gone; the timber sharks who came to
rob the place of it's wei th have been
either satisfied or driven away by the
laws of the State; stealing timber and
the getting of it by unlawful means has
stopped. The County and State spare
no measure to protect the settler, and
the advantages OF this new and valuable
territory are open for the actual settler
who wants to make a home and honest
living and accumulate property that
must always be valuable, in the form of
we'll cultivated fields.
Cook county has about 80 miles of
lake front and at the widest part extends
about q miles back. 1t is wedge.shapod,
as may be seen from the map. There
can be no estimate put upon the amount
of timber it contains; it is simply vast
and wonderful.
"There are thousands of acres of the
best farming land, without name to
CLAIM it Or hand to cultivate it, and the
wonder is how so many people can crowd
the cities, living from hand to mouth,
with nothing to call their own, spending
their best energy and years for the mere
sake of living, when they could with the
same energy become absolutely indepen-
pent in short time by accepting
natures gifts.
1.-THE county seat is located at Grand
Marais. This beautiful village has a
wonderful natural harbor--the best for
many miles-which gives fine shipping
facilities. At Grand Marais there is a
fine church which will seat 500 people.
two-roomed school house, and high
school will soon be constructed, a saw
mill with capacity of from 80 to SO
thousand feet Of lumber per day, larga
general store which handles nearly every.
thing person can ask for, three first
class hotels, drug store, livery stable
blacksmith shop, ETC., hospital, one
physician and two lawyers.
"Back of Grand Marais there is large
settlement of farmers. They have
proven the worth OF the county, as thei,
fine farms, school houses, churches, etc
bear evidence. The town of Hovland
has also fine settlement Of farmers, and
any amount of vacant land. Tomsonite
boasts of many settlers who are clear.
ing and breaking land very rapidly. Lut
sen and Tofte have many fine farms and
raise thousands Of bushels of potatoes
each year. Hay >ist an: important crop
as it is great Weld and always finds a
good market. :, OF course numbering il