The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1906-04-07
MISSOURI SLOPE.
Section Is Adapted to Di-
versified Agriculture and
They Grow Big Crops
There.-It Is Also an Ex.
ceIIent Cattle, Sheep
and Horse Country.
BY HERBERT vANDERHOoF.

BY HERBERT vANDERHooF.
An unusually large proportion of the
stream of new settlers that is now invad-
ing North Dakota in quest of lands and
homes is bound for that section of the
state which is known as the missouri
SLOPE" This is about the western third
OF the state, and comprises the land west
of the Missouri river and a small strip on
the east side of the river. Here lies,
roughly speaking, something like 12,ooo,-
600 acres of as rich and productive soil as
is in any state of the Union. While the
eastern part of the state has been filling
up, this western part has been compara-
lively neglected, but with the extension
of railway facilities the merits of this
section have become apparent, and now
the "rush" is on in earnest
There are several reasons to account
for this. One, and with many newcomers
the most important, is that land is cheap
on the Missouri slope. Another: is its
great fertility and the apparent mex
haustibility of the soil. 1t is deep,
black loam, suited for wheat growing OF
for diversified farming, and ..the crops
that are grown upon it are tremendous.
visited one farm about IL miles from
Bismarck, the state capital, where for IS
years in succession the owner has had
800 acres in wheat, and he told me that
his crop during those years had never
failed to give an average of % bushels to
the acre, while some years this rate had
been exceeded. And this was on land
that had never known fertilizer.
This whole section of North Dakota is
booming. Its natural shipping :=-point is
the city of Dickinson, which is situated
100 miles west of the Missouri river II
is one of the busiest towns of its size in
the country and does business that is
out of all proportion to its size. The
cattle, horses and sheep of a vast region
are brought to Dickinson for shipment
East, and the wheat and other crops also
seek the same outlet. Everybody is busy
and on the jump, and in all parts of the
city can be seen new buildings going up,
which are generally rented or sold before
the roof is on.
"Where are all the people coming
from that are taking up lands here?" |
asked one of the farmers whom l met.
"Mostly from the middle Western
states" was the reply, although we have
quite few from the East and South, and
even from Canada.
CASE OF ONE FAMILY.
"Take my neighbor, for instance. He
came from Lovington, ILL.,, where he had
lived for years, and where he was doing
we'll. He has a large family, nine chill
dren, and he saw the opportunity here to
provide for them all nicely. First, he
sent his oldest boy here, and the lad
bought 800 acres. He did so we'll that
the next year the old man came up and
bought the 800 acres adjoining Now the
whole family is here, and they wouldn't
60 back to Illinois for any consideration"
had an opportunity to meet this
Illinois man little later, and talk with
him. l put the same question to him:
"Why did you come up here?"
"Well," Mr.. Woll replied, 81 have
nothing against Illinois, but cannot af-
ford to buy land at s125 and s15o an acre,
and | could see no other way of doing
anything for my family except by NOV
ing to new country where the land is
cheaper. The soil in this section of
North Dakota is every bit as good as the
best dirt in our Illinois corn belt.
talked with good many farmers, and
they all liked the country and are doing
well. One of them came from Assump-
ton, Ill.
$50 here am, and I'm glad of it.
Why shouldn't l be? Any man that
knows anything about farming can come
up here and clear the price of his land