Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-10-24
THE GREAT MISSOURI
VALLEY AND RIVER
synopsis ofGovernor Cravvford's Talk
at Deep Waterways Convention iii
Memphis, Tennessee,

at Deep Waterways Convention i'll
Memphis, Tennessee
"Gentlemen of the Convention and
fellow citizens:
"A few years ago dealer in wool
living at Pierre, South Dakota, wished
to ship 100000 pounds of wool from
there to New York City. Upon inquiry
he learned that the freight rate was
over $500 per hundred from Pierre to
New York, while from Sioux City, Ia,
about 200 miles down the .Aissouri be-
low Pierre, the rate to New York was
so cents per hundred Steam boat traf
tic upon the river between Sioux City
and Pierre was very light and irregular
only one or two boats making the trip
in an entire season. This wool dealer
however, rather than pay the exorDitant
railroad rate. succeeded in hiring a boat
to take his wool from Pierre to Sioux
City for 40 cents per hundred. including
placing it on board cars for New " ork.
BY this means he shipped it from
Pierre to New York for S 20 instead of
$500. The next year the railroad com
pany was forced by the threat OF river
competition to reduce its rate from
Pierre to New York to $l15 per hun
dred, which has since been the rate.
This is all instance of how a waterway
capable OF floating commerce may be a
constant check upon railway company,
even though it actually carry little or
no traffic. ! represent one of the new
states through which the Missouri pours
its swift and muddy current on the way
to join the Mississippi. For many years
this great river interposed barrier to
the railroads which entered the state
from the east side and stopped building
when they came to its eastern bank. AT
Pierre, the capital situated upon its
eastern bank near the geographical cen.
ter of the state, and at Chamberlain,
aboutninety miles below, the Chicago
and Northwestern and the Chicago,
Milwaukee 81 st. Paul railway com
panies Cor twenty years halted in the
extension of their lines to the
west. About one half of the state lies
on the west side of the river and that
portion was without railroad except
in the ext IRENE west , where two lines
built north into the Black Hills from
~ Nleebbssta.skk Within that portion of the
state was country embracing about
$4,000 square miles used for Indian re-
Hseryations and grazing lands. withoutta
railroad.
"The chief output from that great
section of the country cattle, horses
sheep and wool was brought across
the river by ferry and shipped by rail
from Pierre and Chamberlain. During
the past five years, the conditions there
have undergone great change. The
lands have been surveyed, the Indian
lands allotted, the balance taken by the
homesteader, and the rich pasture lands
are being converted into farms.
Three lines of railroad have crossed
the river and extended to the western
border Of the state The distance from
Pierre to Rapid Cits, in the Black
Hills, by rail, has been reduced from
/ 1000 to 1873 miles.
The prairies are filled with settlers;
towns have sprung up like magic; nat.
ural gas has been discovered; com
mercial revolution has come and the
traffic in ard out Of the country has
enormously increased. With this new
order Of things upon US, our people are
awakened to the important part the
Missouri mar play in the future Of oul
state. slss
IN the old times before the railroad
came, the PIPER Missouri was the route
BIZ which the Indian trader and govern
lInelIt soldier reached the far OF north