Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1908-02-13
STANLEY COUNTY AGAIN
Gus Johnson on the Beauties and Bust
ness of Philip. A Nine Months
Wonder. The Black Hills Trail.
The Elk Point Colony and
Their Doings. Prairie
Fires and Prairie
Experiences.
Phi ip, Stanley County, S D.,
February :, 1908.

February :, 1905
Mr. G. r. Bruce,
Elk Poiat, 5. ID.
Dear Sir:-As you have not hsd let
ter fl om me since some time in 1907,
will write you just short letter to le
you know am alive and kicking.
| Winter, we don't know what winter is
| We have had little snow at times ant
i that only lasts a few days, Feb | wa
the coolest day of this winter, Il be
low Zero We also had little snow
ON Jan. 81 Today is Sunday and it il
nice and warm and snow nearly gone
| Philip, yes. This is the town that il
known all over as the best town between
Fort Pierre and Rapid City. 1t is onl,
about nine months old and | viii tel
! you what we have to make the town o
Philip at that age Banks, Butcher
shop, Grocery stores or general store S
10 Restaurants, 2 Hotels, Room ms
house, Real Est4te offices, U. s. Com
missioner S Land Office, 2 Drug stores
IL Saloons, = Lumber yards, Black
smith shops, 3 Livery barns, 2 Ba bel
shops, Tailor shop, Millinery sto e.
School house, 70 children attending,
| Church, Presbyterian and | Catholic
church that will be ready in less than 2
months, Confectionery store, Hard
ware stores, Large Opera house, Post
Card Depot, 2 Feed stores, Furn ture
store, | Bakery, 2 Ice horses, 2 Weekly
News papers THE Bad River News has
just put in new and up-to-date pre-
and gasoline engine) | Depot, | large
Freight ware house, Pumping sta ion,
| over head coal shute, | Rail Road
stock yards that held 1000 head of cat
tie at one time last fall, 2 Automobiles
2 Lawyers, 3 Dray lines, Harness shop,
3 Farm implement shops, | Steam laun-
dry, l Telephone exchange with over
80 phones in town, 3 Doctors, Dentists
make regular trips here, | Jewelry
Ha&oi almost ready and another double
store building, As by 60, that will be
ready in less than two months, one room
for furniture the other for a general
store up stairs for Opera house and of
fees. This is the largest building in town
and would be a credit to any town Of
its size or larger, and another building 40
by 60, the lower floor for warehouse and
the up stairs for Masonic Lodge room,
Paint shop, Postoff1ce, | Pool hall, 5
Coal sheds
Land sold near here at 800 90 per acre
and some at $4,000 per acre. Now
have given you a short wrie-up the
town, and next time | may be able to
give the names of the different business
men, where they are from andwhat bus
mess they are in and also how many are
homesteaders, if wanted. Read this and
compare your town with it and see if
we can't show you as large and good a
town as you have, but remember PHILLIP
is only nine months old. Two years ago
We only had schools ia Stanley county,
to-day we have over ~ and several
churches.
The Black Hills Trail, One of the
Pierre papers and nearly all the Stanley
county papers took this subject up and
they all thought something ought to be
done to preserve this historic old trail.
they even went as far as to have Doane
Robinson write 10 the War Department
at Washington to see if it was not a
legally established trail laid out by
Col. Fred Grant in 1876. No record of
it was found. think no one OF them
has claim or at least not where the
trail runs angling across their farms.
If they did you would hear them sing
another song. The next oGe that wants
the ira ! preserved is come of the ranch
ers along the trail. If the ira | is
laid out on section lines they would
have to move their buildings or quit
business, which means lots of expense
to them, so they kick. 1t seems TO me
count by the hundreds nr thcusa DIS
from Fort Pierre to Rapid City along
the trail ought TO have something to say
about the trail. Not one Of them wants
the trail preserved. A II wish the trail
to be pit open, bat from COW on alpt g
township and section lines where it
ought to be and will be-
If the parties who are 20 interes ed in
having the trail preserved would take a
drive with me over it would prove 10
them that the old trail has not been
travelled fer years and could not be trav-
eled now on account of washouts large
enough for a horse to get lost in. Ii IL
has t. be moved then let us move il
where it belongs.
There is no more freight ng done on
the Black Hills trail. 1t is done now
from the new towns aong the rail road