The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-11-20

aMIAlY invaded the great north
NcMWxN west. not seeking passage
|IWQW2l to the Pacific coast but
Y CIV ! rather anticipating the de-
vclopment OF an agriCul-
tural empire which must
have arteries of steel, they were
quickly followed by the same class
Of hardy settlers that had moved
westward since the early days.
Through the generations that move
ment has proceeded. slowly at first
but ever increasing in speed and
volume Over the Alleghenies, among
the woodland and meadow stretches
OF Ohio and Indiana, across the
piairieS OF Illinois and Iowa,
through the Wisconsin aud Min
nesota forests to the valleys of Da
kota and on to Puget sound. The de-
scendants of New Englanders have al
ways been noticeable in the advancing
tide of home makers and fortune-build-
ers along those parallels Of latitude.
Thanksgiving day as an annual No
vember celebration marked by family
reunions and feasting is one Of the
good things that have persisted among
transplanted New England customs 1t
is now national event, most gener-
ally honored. And the distinguishing
feature of this feaSt-day is the trag
edy of that royal fowl, the turkey. a
Thanksgiving day without turkey is
church service without lesson. music.
or benediction. There are makeshift
collations, of course, that pass for din
neIs with those not to the manner
born. but the sons of the sons of New
England realize their holOwness. Not
one of these but would rather go
through trials by fire and water rath
| or than endure the absence of that
glorious head-piece from the Thanks
giving board.
In the first years of the sos two
great rival railroad companies were
Fastening 10 secure for themselves in
eastern Dakota the rich fields of
traffic yet to come into being. Both
had entered the wonderfully fertile
James river valley from the east. and
as one turned its line northward from
! Huron the other turned southwark
from Aberdeen, and the near approach
| of winter and the close of active Oper-
atiOns found the two competing con-
| struction camps only few miles
anart. With the advance OF the rail
roads or a little preceding them had
| come settlers upon the government do.
! main, and though farmers and wheat
raisers were in the van. such nomad-
| ic and adventurous spirits as land
| agents and TOWNSHIP boomers, traders
! and newspaper men could be discovered
! even more easily. Early in Noyem-
Der work upon the railroad lines halt
| ed. and the builders retired to await
! the opening of spring. At the termi-
nus of each road little settlement
| had sprung up, less than a half-dozen
structures marking the site of what
was hoped to be and already was her
aided as the metropolis of the valley,
Upon such a situation steadily but
surely crept the Thursday which the
president of the United States had
chosen as the annual day of thanks
giving. and at the distance of only one
short week the fact suddenly dawned
upon the clustered intelligence of
these two Dakota towns that there was
nor a turkey in the great Jim val
lev north of Sioux Falls. and that 50
miles of wind-swept prairie lay be-
tween more hopeful field OF possible
| supply at WATERFOWL. near the Mime
| sofa boundary. There is material for
| volume of adventure in the account
| of the two rival expeditions dispatched
simultaneously yet with all secrecy on
tourney of a hundred and sixty miles
for fowls to furnish forth a Thanks.
giving dinner, but this story must omit
| the details. One party returned hilarl.
ously successful with the three tur
KEYS that eIoquence. strategy and moH
ey combined We're able to procure IN,
Watertown; the other. d0wncast. de-
iected. and pessiinistic, came back
empty,handed.
To emphasize their victory the sue
cessful town announced a prize turkey
shoot lat which all but Redtield marks
men were barred, a turkey dinner at
the hotel, and grand ball in Inc rail-