The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-05-27


staff correspondent OF the Minneapolis
Journal and was published recently
in that paper. Mr.. Cheneys story of
the advance Of western North Dakota
is most interesting. 1t is published
in full below:
Bismarck, N. u, May 27.--The Mis-
souri, slope is steadily coming into
its own. The armies OF settlers that
have been pouring into the western
counties for five years have begun to
make their impress on the land, and it
Is no longer vast sea OF short
grass" Fields of wheat and flax. oats
and even corn are replacing the range.
farm buildings show on the landscape
everywhere, and thriving, towns are
springing UP where used to be way
stations. a.
The heaviest OF the land rush is
over. There is no longer the excite
ment of the homeseekers excursions.
BY contrast things seem quiet, espe-
cially around the landoffices, but the
slope country is Just fairly entered on
its era OF substantial growth as an
agricultural section. Settlers are still
coming, and in large numbers. Rela-
lively the movement this year Is
small, but actually it is large, and the
men now coming to. western North
Dakota are coming to buy; most of
them to settle permanently. In the ex-
cursion days men often came time
after time without buying, or else to
pick up a quarter or half section on
speculation. Now landseekers mean
business. The example sof the thou
sands who are coming dollars out of
the prairie land is infectious. and
everybody is farming with feverish
energy.
Rush to Turn the Sod.
Never was such a scratching of the
prairie. Now that the wheat is in,
blowing is still going on for late fax
and fodder crops. and in all the new
sections breaking is in full blast,
mostly with. steam plows Stories
have gone out this spring about steam
plows running nights in a breakneck
race to turn over as many square
miles as possible. They are not myths.
Several blows in this section have
been, kept going practically twenty
four. hours in the day working after
dark by the aid Of head lights. Y
Now that the rush Is subsiding, the
movementsof ihomeseekers is more de-
liberate and intelligent. Two and
three years ago settlers flocked like
sheep into favored locations. creating
some tremendous local booms The
later coners find Just as good land
available for settlement as the early
birds did, and good land at low prices,
though prices are rapidly advancing.
Judging by the price levels now reach
ed q little farther east, this price ad-
vance wilf continue w. c. Gilbreath. /
state connmissioner of agriculture
and labor. VINO has long and persist
entity sung the praises of the slope. is
calling attention to IA school, land sale
held at i Fessenden, in, April One
piece OF raw prairie land sold for
.$45.2s an acre, or $7.240 for the quar- /
ter another $50 acres went for $4,000,
and other Wells county tracts un-
touched BY the plow brought $S5 to
$40 an acre.
Filling Vacant Spaces.
Settlement now is general in these
counties of western North Dakota.
The southwestern section has had the
best of It since the Milwaukee opened
It's extension, Much admiration is ex-
pressed here for the campaign that
company made for settlers and for
business men to start the new towns.
The, .Milwaul<ees advertising was tre-
mendous and was justified by the re !
suits, which are still coming. Now. |
however, the principal rush is for land
along the Missouri being made de-
sirablet by the new Northern Pacific
branches. There is nnucn settlement
east OF the river. also. Burleigh
county, Q great part Of it long ne |
elected. is ffIling up.
One OF the best evidences that the
slope /, country has arrived is to be
found in the. activity of the railroads
which are rapidly gridironing western |
North Dakota. The amount of con
struction work under way and planned
Is so large that 1t is hard to realize,
The. Northern Pacific is taking the
lead iust now, with two important |
branches being built from Mandan. /
1here..is one branch leading north. M |
the Missouri for nifty miles, with its
present terminus at stanton. Rail- |
road officials say that right of way :
being acquired all the way up the
river 10 connect with the Great North |
ern near Williston. The other Man /
dan braacii goes south also. along |
the river through Fsorr Yates seventy |
tw D miles. nearly to tlie Sou !, ioak.aa |
line. This branch has another branch
starting at Cannon Ball, and. partly /
skirfing the Cannon Ball river west to
Mott, county seat OF. Hettinger county.
which, up to date. has reen without d |
railroad. This is cutting into Mjlwau-
kee territory, and the Mlwaukee is
taking. active measures C,ne branch
of the Milwaukee Is ANNOUNCED to be
built from Marmarth, "a ear the west
ern boundary northeast ii Mott An
other Is to 60 from Mclaughlin in
South Dakota, north thr ,tgh Morton,
Hettinger and Billings counties North
Ds.xota. and the contract Scr this w,irk
il %arI to be let air 'atiy This wiIil
invade the same territ ,ry as tile
Northern Paciffc's nAw southern
branch.
s cridiron East Of River.
East OF the river things are doing,
also. The Northern Paciics purchase
Of land at Wilton, a point on the 500,
about twenty five niles north Of Ris-
rnarck, shows that the recent. surs eys
leading to that poinr. havs been IN eur
nest There Is q line surveyed from
Pingree, on the Jim rlv I, branch. west
through stutsman, Eidder and Bur-
leigh counties to WItn 1t is par, II
.allei to the main Tins Then the 4
branch from LaMours to sstreeter lis
surveyed for al exteryioa iiorth, inter-
secting the main line at Dawson ansl e
~~x.~sxA /