Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-08-15
LOOKS GOOD TO TRAVELLER.


VIM. Walpole made a trip last week
from Yankton into the western part.
of the state and writes the Y Yankton
Press and Dakotan as follows, which
is 9 splendid pen picture of his route of
travel:
The crop prospects from Centerville
to Huron are not very bright on ac-
count of the heavy rains making it
almost impossible to cultivate the corn.
From Rec Heights to Miller ali crops
look good. The country from there to
Pierre Is mostly given to stock raising.
Big herds of cattle and horses can be
seen in all directions. The city Of
Pierre is still the same hustling, pro-
gresaive tcwn. Business houses and
beautiful residences are being built,
cemeat sidewalks are put down on all.
the principal streets, the capitol build
ing Is progressing and everyone seems
to have more business than they can
attend to. All the piers for the rail-
road bridge are completed, and three
spans on the east side are almost ready
for the rails
After taking in all the sights at the
capital the traveller looks across the
Big Muddy and sees the city of Fort
Pierre and in the back ground the
great gumbo bluffs. He will see mum.
erous gasoline launches plying back
and fourth. He steps on board of one
of these, and in few minutes finds
himself in Fort Pierre, and as he passes
the mammouth hardware store of T. s. s.
Rowe & Co., the big general store of
Fischer Bros, the new creamery, the
large lumber yard of j ohm Hayes, and,
other places of business, he comes to
the conclusion that this country is a
paradise for business man, We
make mention Of the big gumbo bluffs
that look so inviting to the new conner
but this much despised gumbo through
a recent test made by experts in the
east Is pronounced the best material
for making hard brick in the United
States.
The Northwestern railroad runs
through the picturesque valley Of the
Bad river, with small but thrifty towns
at intervals of twenty miles. This
road crosses 40 bridges in Is miles
and is IS smooth track as any road in
the state. As you approach the pres
ent terminus, Philip, the bluffs disap-
pear sanG. beautiful and fetile plains
greet the eye. The country north of
town and in the vicinity of Grindstone
Buttes cannot be surpassed as an agri
cultural country. The soil is a black
loan, four feet deep, with subsoil of
yellow clay, which formation is we'll
adapted to retain moisture, and this
advantage, coupled with a fertile soil
and modest rainfall will insure
bountiful crop. Good, pure, spring
water can be had at from Is to 3Ofeet.
There is no rock or shoestring grass to
contend with in breaking the prairie
and there is an abundance Of hay on
almost every quarter section. We
have lumber from the pine forests of
the Black Hills; we saw few cars of
this lumber and found it free from
knots and full inch thick. We also
suspected some of the Wyoming coal
and pronounce it better than any coal
in Iowa and almost as good as the
Hooking Valley product. The time is
fast approaching when tho,country be-
tween the Missouri river and the Black
Hills will be located on by the honest
homesteader, who is now taking time
by the forelock and is procuring a
home for himself and family
This article is no decoy letter; its
writer is an old timer and farmer
who came to this state over forty years
ago and freighted on the Fort Pierre
trail for three years during the Black
Hills excitement; we know whereof we
speak and defy contradiction.
al E