The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-04-16
'D||AK0TA SUBJECT Of.
An EXCE[LEN1
GRAFTON
Delivered By Don 8. Ford Of
Wesley College in State
oratorical Contest.

Inc subject OF Don 8. FOrd'S ora
ton in the state oratorical contest is
Dakota" Mr.. Ford won second place
and his Grafton was as follows:
Go with me back nifty years. hardly
q lifetime, and Journey acres the
plains Of Dakota from Penbina to the
Missouri river. It is spring. Travel
the first day over the level floor of the
valley, covered with its luxuries car
pet Of fresh-grown grass. See from
early morning until the dusk Of even:
ing not one sign OF human habitation.
Travel theosecond day from sunrise
until sunset past mighty herd OF
buffalo covering the whole prairie far
as man can see with its myriads.
Hear, at night the howl of the wolf,
which hovers about It's flank waiting
to scrape clean the bones of the weak
who fall behind. Pass on over the
rolling prairie to the west. See the
lakes covered with enormous focks of
ducks and gray geese. See the ante
lope grazing on the hillside. Wander
for days and weeks thru fertile val
leys. past running streams. over
Handicapped hills covered with the
blue-tinted flowers of May; and dur
ing the whole time see no human be-
ings but Hudson Bay fur trader and
a tribe of wandering Sioux.
Such was North Dakota only fifty
years ago, its broad plains hardly
knowing the footprint OF civilized
man. Into this wilderness have come
to make homes the best stock of the
land. There have come the indomita-
BILE descendants Of the pilgrim fathers
from the unfertile hills of Massachu-
sets and New Hampshire, the shrewd
Yankee from Connecticut. and the
restless and progressive Scotch-Irish
from the Alleghenies., There has
come from Illinois and. Minnesota the
already veteran pioneer, the son of
generations Of fighters and conquer
ors Of the wilderness. From over the
seas there has come the sturdy de-
scendant of the old Morse Vikings, and
the thrifty German from the freedom
loving states Of the Fatherland.
Teuton, Anglo Saxon. and hardy nor
thern Kelt. the best blood of the world
Is the blood in the veins Of our fathers.
Some came across from st. Paul to
Grand Forks Id the awkward. lurch-
ing Red river cart drawn by slow
moving oxen;' some came overland
from southern Minnesota in the lum-
bering covered wagon, the schooner Of
the prairies; some came up the broad
Missouri in the adventurous steamer
of the early days. Forty, thirty. TWEEN
ty years ago they came, seeking homes
in the great, pregnant valley Of the
Red river.
The younger son of southern Min
nocNfo rooohoc manhood That dociro
which is as old as man. the desire
sweetheart bid farewell to the friends
and scenes of their childhood, and,
as man and wife. in a strong wagon
with cover of new canvas under which
are stored few necessities, bare
furniture for the little house upon the
prairie. journey westward to Dakota,
the land of promise. In the wilder
ness, on the banks of little stream,
they choose spot which seems good
to them for home There, with no
neighbours house in sight and forty
miles from the post where they must
buy their provisions. they begin their
struggle with the soil And that
struggle, the winning of bread from
earth. is mans first, his last, his
greatest occupation. 1t is taking
straight from Gods own hand. Man
and woman. God and nature, alone on
the prairies, were the founders of
Dakota.
The little home built. rude shelter
for the oxen. the horse and the COW
erected, the toll of the first summer
over, and there was the long winter
when the shanty rocked in the wind
sweeping cold from the north, I'M
broken by tree or hill. when the biz
card roared, and the water froze in
the pail at the very oven door. Then
there was the flood of spring and the
drought of summer and the thousand
other difficulties with which the
pioneer farmer had to struggle. And
a struggle it was. not only to win the
earth from the grasp of the golden
rod, and the buffalo grass, but to hold
1t from the mighty nations of the
Sioux, the strongest and most warlike
Indians Of America. Many an anxious
day did the little home know when
rumors of Indian uprisings were
aboard; and many fearful, night did
our mothers pass when father was
away at the post for provisions or
to market. For it was not uncommon
in those early days to hear of homes
left pile of ashes and husband and
wife and little children, mangled
corpses. But our fathers were men
who fought to win. And they did
win. Neither the blizzard Of winter
nor the drought of summer nor the
cruelty of the Indians daunted them
In spite.o of. savage, cold and drought
they won from the willing earth bread
to feed the world.
They were brave men, were our
fathers. ready to spill the last drop
of their hearth's blood for the home
upon the prairies. They were patient,
patient to wait for the fulfillment of
their dreams. for the little one room
shanty to grow into large and COM
Portable house. for the low sod stable
into a great and roomy barn, patient
as all are patient who wait. for
Mother Earth to give them her fruits.
They were perseverent. Year after
year when the flood or the drought or
the hailstOrm came and the pioneer
farmer saw the toll and hopes of a
year gone in week. he set his face
to the coming season and, praying God
for better fortune, began new fight.
Our fathers were wise men, wise in
the institutions and governments they
have founded. wise to build schools
for the education Of their children
and colleges for the training of their
young men and young women. Our
fathers were home lovers; they were
possessed of that passion which makes
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