The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1908-09-25
The COUNT Y
OF MCLEAN
]. F. Wathey Writes About the Re
sorces Of this County to the
Eastern Skeptic.

In Juo 0epIoulDoT lsSuo VI tle
North Dakota Magazine writeup
of our county is given by J. =.
Wathey, We have not room to
publish the whole article this week
but his general remarks about the
county are as follows:
"Just write a business story and
tell the eastern people what we
have in Mclean county, This
was the instruction given me by
the Commissioner of Agriculture
w. G.. Gilbreath that sent me
travelling over some Of the best
farming land it has been my for
tune to see. Some author of an
tiquity, wishing to pay a high
compliment to a new country,
called it ''The Land Of Opportu-
nity.'' That phrase is SO old that
there is no legal danger in stealing
it from its originator. Aud | can
think Of no other way in which to
designate this big county, one of
the largest in the state if not in
the United States. 1t is sure that
there is no part in America in
which application and industry
will give higher reward than
right here. Capital with which to
buy and completely stock a farm
is unnecessary, although it is
always desirable. A young man
can come here with enough money
to pay his railroad fare and leave
him few dollars until he gets
started. He can easily secure
work at a fair salary and still leave
him plenty of time in which to file
on homestead. In the course of
a couple Of years he will have the
land under cultivation, and by the
time he has lived the required
number Of years to prove up on a
homestead, he will have accumu-
lated considerable of bank
account.
No other county in North Da-
kota has experienced a more
phenomenal growth in point Of
population and wealth than has
Mclean county in the past five or
six years. Yesterday a wilderness;
today land overfowing with the
good things Of earth, and there is
no country on earth where little
effort will produce better results.
Here the land is SO rich that it is
but necessary to scratch the sur
face and bounteous crops are
raised. 1t is estimated by the
county auditor Of Mclean county
that there is 945,928 acres Of tax
able land in the county. That is
only an estimate as it is based on
the returns Of the tax assessors
and those returns are in the main
unreliable, but it is about correct
in this case. Of this land pos
sibly one half is good agricultural
land and the rest can be used for
pasture. Last year there were
lO5,OO0 acres under cultivation
which leaves a large amount that
will furnish homes for several
thousand people in the next few
years. u, 4 4. n .s
Statistics are always dry read
ing, but to the man who is in
terested in securing q home for
his family that will il future
generation make his decendents
members OF the land owing class,
and BY that sion, members Of
the nobility Of the country, 9 few
figures showing what has been
omplished viii prove accept
able. The following reports we're
complied ~ the Casey Land
Agency of y Underwood and are
{ presumably correct. These are
ayerags crop reports during y
! period of from fourlt to sixc strnct-
i've years. 4 his Z will not make
near AZ fine \ look king report as ii
would had i been / lected from!