The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-08-02


Along the Willow and Hill rivers, near
/ Hill City, is a stretch of wild blue Joint
and red top meadows twenty miles in
length, which yield two to three tons
lof luXuriant grass per acre annually,
and which, by the way, is another of
the big resources of the district.
Bought Large Tract.
f. l.. Buck bought some 10000 acres
six years ago from the estate of the
late Dorillius Morrison, pine lumber
man of the seventies. Mr.. Buck found
the district uninhabited, but by dint of
hard work and liberal advertising he has
established a settlement there. and i'm
the midst of it is the promising vii
lage of Hill City. The people are a
mixed nationality, and are fully up to
the average American village in intel
ligence and otherwise. The place boasts
of a good graded school which is well
attended. In these days when timber
and timber products are going up by
leaps and bounds, by reason of the in
creasing scarcity, man who has a
quarter section of good timber of any
kind is mighty near Independent.
The freight on thousand feet of tim
Der from the Pacific coast to Minneapo-
lis is now SIS, so the man who has thu
timber right here at the door of big
markets like the twin cities and Duluth
and many smaller places has SD per
Thousand the best of the man on the
coast, to start with.
Toilers Must Be Fed.
Another great advantage possessed
by these farmers of the Hill Lake and
Grand Rapids district is the fact that
right at their threshold is the greatest
iron ore development going on in the
whole world. Thousands of men work
ing in these mines must be fed, and the
produce can all be raised right here on
these rich lands which are so well adapt
ed to gardening or truck farming.
Then at Duluth the steel company is
to put in a ten million dollar steel plant
which will give employment to thous-
ands more wOrkmen, so that the farmer
of northern Minnesota is assured
ready market at good prices for the
next fifty years to come, for all the
farm and dairy products he can raise.
The work of clearing the land, it is
true, is a task, but at that not alto
gether the hardest. Those with stout
hearts and willing hands are subduing
it, and most of them get enough land
under cultivation the first year to make
themselves self sustaining. And if a
man wants to work for others, or neigh
bors, he can get all the work he wants
to do at good prices. Men who are not
willing to work had better stay away.
Good men are wanted now
No Longer Speculation.
The future of northern Minnesota is |
no longer a speculation. 1t is only a.
matter of time. It's agricultural posi-
oilities are past the experimental stage.
There are various reasons why it is !
not receiving it's share of immigration,
put more particularly, due to the fact
hat in the past its disadvantages were
peter known than its advantages. While
northern Minnesota has land which is
unfit at the present time fon agriculture,
t also has millions of acres that. are
we'll adapted to profitable farming, and
he time is now come when this land
should be farmed. Already northeastern
Minnesota has the greatest iron mining
industry of the world. At the head of
AXE Superior preparations are being
made for manufacture that will rival
he eastern cities. During the year 1905
EN- thousand car loads of vegetables
'ther than potatoes were shipped into
duluth and Superior. Practically all of
his was grown outside of northern
The same may be said of
he''butter, meat and eggs consumed in
duluth and tributary cities. All these
God articles should be produced on
arms titled in northern Minnesota.
Should Leave the Cities.
There are hundreds of men toiling
ard in the cities, who, were they to
rave the forests of northern Mime
ota, would in a few years become in
ependently rich off the lands that can
e had at reasonable prices. The land
nen make it an advantage to the act
al settler. 1t is for the land mems
eneft to have every settler satisfied
With his holdings and the lot he has
mapped out for himself. The man with
few hundred dollars can 90 into north
TN Minnesota and become an important
actor in the development of that coun-
nv. | feel safe in saying that north
TN Minnesota will in, a few short years
ecome the Mecca for the younger gen.
ration of farmers. They will reap the
enefits that must grow out of land
hat is filled with such fiattering prom
SEES and which is crowned with magni-
cent possibilities. !,
Duluth the Gateway.
The story of my trip into northern
would not be complete with
ut reference to Duluth. This city is
he gateway to that vast empire which
tretches its way from the head of the
axes to the great Red River valley on
he west and the Canadian line on the
orth. 1t is the open door for the COM
nerce of this wide expanss of territory.
t is city whose future growth bids
air to outstrip that of the twin cities
nd it will Some day become the SUI
feme ruler commercially and indus J.
rally of Minnesota. It's location prom
ses sas much. Duluth's future is not
uided upon false hopes, nor is the city
ubMerged in deluge of false modesty
t lays claim to that which is her own
nd. fights vigorously to protect her
lights. There is a good deal of hustle
n Duluth. The people are not asleep.
here is ever an activity which means
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