The Dickinson press., 1908-02-15
Dairy Herd From RANGE
Cattle

Cattle
At the recent meeting of the Tri-Statc
Grain and Stock Growers convention
the following address by John Christian
son of New Salem, n. Oak, was listened
TO with great interest. Every reader of
the PRESS will be pleased to have the
opportunity of reading Nj. Christianson's
good advice.
In the spring of 1883, the first week in
April, the advance guard Of a colony of
German settlers from Wisconsin. Indi-
ana and Illinois, mostly from around
Chicago, landed in Morton county, west
of the Missouri river, and located ON the
prairie on the main line of the Northern
Pacific railroad, at that time incomplete,
at what is now the village of New Salem.
Che writer being II of the very first
mes and has been here eve since.)
After taking homcstcads and erecting
shelter of the most humble kind for the
people and some kinds of sheds, mostly
dugouts and sod barns, for what little
stock and horses the settlers brought
along, the question, what shall we do
now to make a living in this new and
untried country, became serious. From
the experience of others we could not
learn anything, for there was nobody
here trying to make a living from farm
ing when we arrived. The prospect
looked blue, sure, although we we're
shown a few ears of corn at Mandan,
said to be raised zeal there. but hardly
any broken prairie was visible. We
were told in the cast Of the fortunes
made in Dakota territory by raising
wheat and that WI could get rich quick
by raising wheat and then we could 20
back east and live in fine style. So, ac-
cordingly, we went to work and broke
up the prairie, very slowly of course for
want of power to pull the pillow, but some
breaking was done, grain put in, mostly
wheat and oats, and as the work was
naturally poorly done and the seasons of
the late eighties we're dry, very little har-
vests were gathered for years. These
conditions took the courage out of a
great many of the settlers and some
even went away after borrowing all they
could on their land (s3oo to $500 was all
anyone could get N a quarter section),
and left their farms for other fields. A
number of us stayed and as fast as we
could got hold of some COWS that could
be MIXED, and made butter from milk
at home and traded it in the New Salem
stores for the most needed things for the
house and family. Cash was never paid
in those days for butter and the trade
was very unsatisfactory to both parties.
Chickens were also kept a good deal and
eggs traded in the same way.
Thus the first year of the settlement
passed, not always in plenty, and some
thing had to. be done, or tried. for
a more certain income, and as feed,
that is natural pasture and prairie hay,
was generally plenty and of good quail
ity, live stock, cattle horses and sheep,
had to come to the salvation. The es-
Establishment of a creamery was thought
by some of the farmers, who came from
the neighborhood of Elgin, ILL.,, to be the
only thing that was certain of success if
milk enough could be produced. Before
any action was taken, however, w. H.
Mann, one Of New Salem's old settlers
and business men, with a view of i'm
proving the grade of butter, started a
one-horse power creamery in the base
ment of his dwelling and sent a team
out into the country every day to gather
cream that was mostly raised in long
narrow IN kept in water. This was
some improvement to making butter at
home, but too expensive to run as not
enough cream could be had. Results
for the farmer were not very satisfactory,
either: as no test of any kind was used.
The good cream was not better paid for
than the poorest and the first creamer
did not run very long, but had done
enough to show that cash could be got
ten out of the butter. Then a movement
was made to get a model creamery
started in New Salem in 1894. The
business men agreed to put up the build
ing, put in the machinery, make the
butter, ship the same, furnishing every
thing for four cents per pound for butter
made, providing a number of farmers
would agree to bring all the rock needed
gratis and bring all the milk they had.
This was agreed to and work was begun
at once and the now famous New Salem