Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-05-15


through stages which are easily seeU
as one goes farther east. For IN
stance, at Cando five carloads o9
horses were shipped this year foF
Montana points. Every year before
they have shipped horses into TowneE
county. Now the tide has turned
They are not only raising enoug6
horses to work the land, but a sur
plus for shipment. Soon the countjc9
farther west will be sellers rather
than buyers of horsese and o4heY
stock.
The towns rival each other In en-
terprise. Without going foolishly in
to luxuries, they are making Ing
provements early Electric lights
water works and even sewer systems
come into towns by the time they
have thousand inhabitants. Brick
hotels and bank buildings, modern
houses, handsome stone court houses
and high schools are to be seen i'm
towns like Rugby, Towner and Fes~
sender, among others visited on this
short trip. All have commercial clubs
live ones. improvements of the most
extensive character are carried ON.
For instance, in Bottineau county
there are about $4,000 acres of land
In private hands along the Mouse
river, which are almost unfit for Gull
tivation because of the annual spring.
overflow. The Mouse river turns.
north at Velva, and apparently in an
other area it flowed south and east
joining the James river. The fall is
slight as it goes north, and for long
stretch in Bottineau county the chan
mel is narrow, crooked and sluggish
Plans are all made to straighten and
deepen the channel which will make
the adjoining land as good as any in
North Dakota, at cost to the owners
Of about S. an acre.
Renewing Town.
Darlington is good example of the
coming North Dakota city with push
enough to overcome handicaps. Marcia
20 large share of the business dis
trict was destroyed by fire, and loss
OF $150,000 was sustained. The ruins
have been cleared away, rebuilding is
going ahead as fast as possible, and
on finer scale. so that by next falls
Darlington will be more substantial
and better looking town than it was
before the fire. Contracts have beeIE
let now for buildings to cover all thes'
burned area but two store fronts, and.
those will soon be utilized. The dis
aster seemed like hard luck. The
town had just put up water tank
for fire protection the day before and
it had been pumped partly full OF
water. The fire was being got under
control when the water gave out. tt.
got good start again before sonle~
one discovered seven feet of water III
the cellar of the Northern Pacific sta
ton, which furnished enough to check
the fire. finally, and save the rest of
| the town. There were some heavy
losses, but there is money in the
| town, and it is backing the community
in fine shape.
The "Russian" Settlers.
Credit for discovering WesterD
North Dakota as wheat raising Sec
ton is generally given to the Russian
settlers. For the most part these peo~
pie are not really Russians at all, but
German. Their ancestors went from
Germany to Russia as far back as a
hundred years ago, lured by good land
offers and promise from the czar ST
special privileges. One was exenp-
| ton from military service. The emf
grafton to America began to withhold
the privileges, compel the Germans to-.
serve in the army, and in effect R1is<
sianize them. This movement was
small at first, but has been heavy In
the past few years. These people arg
sturdy and prolific, and it is said they
are as numerous as ever in Russia
They have taken a firm root in Nortla
Dakota, and will be big factor in
the future life of the state. The So
called Russian settlement in Hutchin-
son county, South Dakota, is composed
of the same people.
The first emigrants among them
had money. Some lost it by failure to
catch on the American methods, trying
to be landed proprietors and live with
out work. Others were successful
business men and big farmers.
Fessenden and vicinity are largely
settled by these German-Russianaf
Fred Schlechter, one of the leading
business men of the town, was bosD
in Russia, and came to Fessendew
fifteen years ago.
Mostly Native immigrants.
Most of the immigration into this