Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1907-08-08
DELANEY RANCH
II, 900 Acres Located in Eastern
Logan Co. How Site Of
Buildings was Found.

A couple OF vie VS. of the Delaney
ranch in Logan county are given in
a NaDolean paper. The ranch lies in
ranges 6s and 69-l34-l35, Logan coun-
ty, and comprises II, 900 acres. The
Delaney brothers, Henry c. and j.
J.are owners. The site for the ranch
was selected by ]. j. Delaney in
April 1895, when he CHANGED to be
driving through the county with D.
e. Murphy, the..present ranch fore
man, on section 11-135-69. A fine
stream of water was discovered run
ming through ravine into a mea-
dow.
Mr.. D. followed the stream to it's
source and found several fine springs
rising in the big hills just south of
the buildings afterwards erected.
Mr.. Delaney at once remarked to
Mr.. Murphy "What fine place to
put bunch of cattle!'' After which
he Immediately went to Kuhn and
bought some lumber and erected an
Sx1O shack on section 11-l35-69, at
that time owned by the Northern
Pacific railroad company. Mr.. De-
Laney says that at that time he had
no idea that he had permanently
settled, but that as he got better ac-
quainted. with the country, learned
the value of its grasses and found
numerous springs of.pure water, he
decided that it would be good place
to settle for few years. Another
shanty IA feet square was built and
occupied for four years, and which
on different occasions Accommodated as
many twenty-five people.
The only settlements for miles
around were Rlchville fats to the
west. John..Miller and..Philip Schafer
to the northwest and the King set
tlement to the southwest. Any of
these settlements were five miles or
more distant. Although there was a
little farming carried on in the
settlements above mentioned, Mr..
} Delaney did not then think that
the county would eventually be set
tied by; prosperous and well to do
farmers. he now finds that the peo-
pie that were..settled there when he
came are still there, and although
very poor at that time are now in
very affiuent circumstances as they
own their farms, which are well
stocked, and have money in the
banks as well. Although at .that
time this country was vast wilder
ness yet our keen observer could FORE
see a prosperous future for Logan
county, so he took advantage OF the
opportunity and in company with.his
brother bought several Thousand
acres of the land which was so cheap.
Many of their friends extended SYM
pathy to the DeLaneys for the ap-
parently unfortunate site they had
taken IN making such an invest
ment. Those. same friends ask now
why they didn't buy more of that
cheap land. No one regrets that fact
more than Messrs. Delaney, as the
thousands OF acres. of land they could
have purchased ten or twelve years
ago for 81 per acre or less are today
selling for s20 to $50 per acre in the
vicinity of their ranch. That same
land yields from Is to 25 bushels of
fax per acre ana it sells for 81 per
bushel.
| Five years ago there wasn't sett-
ler within miles of where the little
town of Streeter, Stutsman county,
stands today, says Mr.. ]. j. De-
Laney. but last fall .over 10000
bushels of grain were marketed at
that place, which is only eight miles
from the big ranch. He is we'll &C.
quainted with the conditions in this
part of the country and feels safe in
saying there isn't vacant quarter
section of government land left
there.
The topography Of the country sur
rounding the ranch is quite varied,
being in some places level, while in
others it is rolling or broken. The
soil is rich black loan from one to
four feet deep with clay subsoil.
Water is of the finest quality and
easily obtained by digging or drill
ing.
! The nutritious buffalo grass is all
that is necessary to fatten the cat
tie, which are shipped directly from
the range to the markets. S
Wild Raspberries Among the
wild fruits that seem to be specially
abundant In the state this summer,
the Devils Lake Journal notes the
picking Of wild raspberries at Pelican
4 Point. by resident.o the vicinity.