The Oskaloosa herald., 1906-04-26
TENDER FOOT ABROAD.
"Zeb Lanen Tells Of His Unique
and Trying Positions.

Turtle Lake, North Dakota, April
15.-By chance have Just gotten hold
Of a Chamberlain cholera almanac,
and with the information therein con-
tained concerning said cholera, and
other celectial phenomenon, together
with some data of reliable nature
which / have been carrying around in
my grip for the last year, have fig
ured out that this is the Holy Sab
bath-up here.
Amid the din Of prosperity, the
rattle of emigrants' wagons, the ham
mer of the carpenter and the sizzling
sulphorous enphasizers of exclama-
ton marks that it takes to construct
a new country, one has very few leis-
ure moments to keep record Of the
onward march of time, and is, there
fore, apt to lose track of the seventh
day, to some extent. Especially so
when the track is cold, and back
track at that
1t would take a comparatively relig-
ious preacher to do it, in one OF the
new towns of the great Northwest,
and he'd need gait on him like a
greyhound, too; and he couldn't use
1t in pursuit of any other jack rabbit
business that happened to jump up
along the way week days, either.
Years ago I used to know when
Sunday come every week. 1t was on
that day that one of my smaller broth
ers would go fishing, contrary to or
ders, instead of going to Sunday
school, and to keep him from falling
in the river, / would go along and
watch over him and save him, and
bring him back to his parents with
good appetite. In that way we both
managed pretty we'll to keep track of
the Sabbath, especially during the
fishing season. But time goes on, and
up here where the seasons are brief
on the warm end, and the pillow, the
seeder, the reaper, the harvester, the
elevator and the blind pig run right
along seven days week--not count
ing overtime-one is apt to lose inter
est in religious matters, backslide and
quit "goin' fishing at all
In many of the new towns there
are no churches yet. A sanctuary
not being considered one of the fun
damental necessities of the commun-
ity, is generally left out until the
town has it's growth or until some one
can stir up enough religious senti-
ment to manufacture bankable note
at ~ per cent and procure the neces-
sary building material for the edifice.,
The first business enterprise for
new Dakota town is townsite, which
Is always sold a damsite higher than
ought to be. However, it being an
absolute necessity. business specula-
tors pay the price, mark it up into
lots, set a day for sale. and auction
them off, always protecting them
selves with minimum mark about
$4,000 above the actual value of the
lot.
But we have got to build town, SO
some fellow bids in lot, and erects
a bunk shack" the same afternoon.
Then a 1900 bushel elevator goes up
into the sky as If by magic-then
a blind-pig comes in and we have the
three essentials elements Of prosper
ity for the place. Business men
no longer hesitate and are now ready
to risk their money on the future OF
the village.
Five more elevators go up-then a
blacksmith moves in and rapid and
bewildering succession follow a hotel,
more blind pigs, lumber yards, restau-
rants, newspapers, doctors, lawyers
real estate men, butchers, BARRIERS and
all other necessary adjuncts Of a
town. Then every fellow who can
drive a nail gets hammer, charges
81 per day, and drives it.
In the course of a few weeks a
fiourishing village, with every line
of business well represented, is on
the map.
Turtle Lake, Garrison, Underwood,
McClusky, and many other towns of
from 200 to 400 population were only
planted in September, 1905, and the
lots offered for sale the 18th of the
same month. All are now prosperous
little villages, doing big mercantile
business in all lines. 1t is certainly
a strange sight to step from train
and see a town of 300 population, all
new, without drop of paint in the
whole place on business block or res
idence. But such is life in the new
northwest.
The rush of immigration to the
northwest is something beyond COM
III All Aldiho dAC poNhCN "
their capacity with about three stand
ing up in the aisles for each seat
more than their capacity.
Cheap lands and a good place to
make money is the attraction. Now
just here want to say word in re-
gard to this immigration business.
pick up a city paper and read
great headlines of the throng of
American people focking In to North
Dakota, and one would readily get the
impression that the Yankees from
way down east were taking the plains
by storm-but they are not.
Those reports are either written by
some railroad employee who was new
er any farther west that Nicholett
Avenue, or else by some newspaper
man who was never out Of the office
long enough to see the sun go down
behind his hen house, much less to
see 1t sink to rest behind the rolling
prairies of western North Dakota.
Now have lived in North Dakota
for two years-traveled on all her
roads, been in all her towns, and most
OF her farm houses, and all the Amer
lean immigration have seen In that
time could stack up in the band
stand On fba yniddIa - 4bo ra-t, ~