Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1907-11-14


County Commissioners at Miles City pc
tition'' was recesved from settlers in the
extreme eastern part OF the county asking
for the organization of civil township,
in order that the settlers might so ahead
With necessary road and other affairs.
1t WAS more or less a surprise to the
members of the board. but it contained
facts as to the number of settlers in the
proposed township. and the evident pro-
sress being made there that entitled it to
consideration. The board, therefore, des-
ignated Commissioner ]. w. Stith Of Terry
to go and investigate the conditions. Dur
ing severalsdays of last week he put in a
trip covering not only the township des-
ignated, but both sides of the state line.
He gathered some facts with regard to the
homestead settlements in that section and
what they mean toward the development
Of the county.
In reply to questions asked by The Tri-
bune MIR. Stith said:
Yes, l have just been making trip
thru..the eastern part of the county--the
agricultural area, so called-not because
soil. climate or other conditions there are
any different from any other sections of the
county, but for the reason that all the lands
in North Dakota having been taken up,
settlers for some time past have been pour.
ing over the state line into Custer and Daw.
son counties. and have proven to the old
settlers and to the stock raisers that our
lands are good for agricultural purposes,
and OF far greater value for that purpose
than for grazing purposes. The return to
the stock grower on land used exclusively
for grazing is less than $3.50 per acre per
annum while The return to the experienced
farmer on the same land is $40. IS per acre
net
Il had talks with large number of in.
telligent settlers and they all say<hey have
given the land fair trial and are satisfied
with results, and they are here to stay. 1t
is now up to the Custer county officials to
give them local government, with roads,
schools, organized townships. etc. At the
September meeting. of the Board of County
Commissioners petition was received
asking for the organization of a township
in the northeastern corner of the county.
OF course the board at first took the matter
as joke l can say. however, there is
one member that is now convinced that
the petition is no joke. but must be granted,
and also that the next two years it will be
followed by many more.
Some Idea of What it Means.
ITO give you some idea of. what has
been done in the last twelve months we
will take the northeast corner-some
eighty sections, all in one block, and ex-
elusive of Northern Pacific and state
school lands. The land extends east and
west an average of ten sections and north
and south twenty-three sections. There
are in this territory four settlers in each
section--one to every quarter of land.
This settlement is now moving westward
rapidly. new filings made daily. These
settlers raised excellent crops as rule
this year. Wheat averaged 20 bushels,
oats So, flax 10 to "a. brrley As per acre.
This was first year farming. too. do not
give figures on corn, rye, potatoes. and
other Vegetables, because it is an acknow-
lodged fact that our lands produce extra
good crops of all these, and further, if l
should give your readers half the truth of
what saw of the enormous yields of the
last named products they would say had
microscope along
Some Big Yields
1 will however, mention few details
Sixty-hve acres, miles west of the state
line in old Custer, yielded 81 bushels o
oats to the acre; and 8 acres on the SO
called bad lands" yielded 400 bushels
This was an experimental crop put in by al
experienced farmer. He said he could a
we'll have put in So acres of these lands
but he really had no faith himself in tn
experiment. When he harvested 50 bushel
to the acre he was very much surprised
1t must be remembered that these yield
were on unirrigated lands; the only waite
they get is the ordinary seasonal rainfall
the settlers using wells. surface water an
an occasional artesian we'll.
About Beach, N. D.
Beach, N. d., located only two mil,
east of the Dawson county line and eig
miles northeast of the Custer county lin
shows pretty we'll what the influx of settle
means in the way of developing the count TT
1t is the market and base of supplies f
some $50 Custer county settlers, and it W
. therefore interest your readers. The a
ricultural lands surrounding it are abo
the same as those of our county. 1t is