The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-11-05

, farmers in the line of social advan'
tages as many of the older states.
The rural free delivery system is now
extended over all the older settled
portions of the state, and much of the
new. The rural telephone wire is to
be seen extending to practically every
house where it is desired. The mat
ter of education of the people is re-
ceiying more attention than in very
many of the states.
From the standpoint of literacy,
South Dakota probably ranks first.
The last state census report shows on
ly ID per cent of illiteracy among the
white people of the state, with about
per cent more unreported as to their
ability to read and write. The feder-
al census of 1906 shows little better
than 60 per cent of the children of
school age Is to 20 years. attending
school. This per cent is exceeded on
ly by five states, the higest of these
showing 63.1 per cent, and of these
five, two of them, Nebraska and Iowa,
join South Dakota. Illiteracy is al
most unknown in South Dakota. 1t
is peculiar fact that all five of these
leading states are located in the north
west.
According to the federal census Of
1900, we have in South Dakota Ii, 600
people who were born in Iowa; $500 in
Wisconsin; $500 in Illinois; S,4OO in
New York State; 5000 in Ohio; 4,195
in Pennsylvania; 1920 in Indiana; g.
400 in Minnesota; 3, 400 in Michigan;
and SO we might continue the list I'M
til of the 100000 population of the
state at that time, 10000 were born
in the other states of the Union.
| The National Grange is now organ
izing local lodges all over the state.
Lecture courses can now be enjoyed
by the people of almost every COM
munity.
Agricultural fairs and societies have
been organized in large percentage
of the counties.
| Farmers Institutes now reach every
county in the state with from one to
four and five meetings uuder the au-
spices of the state organization. South
Dakota affords exceptionally good OPP
portunities for clean social enjoy
ment of its people.
WATER POWER.
Owing to the rapid decent of the
streams of South Dakota, almost I'M
limited water power can be developed.
At one point in the Missouri river by
simply canaling or tunneling mile
and. three-quarters a 20, 600 horse water
power can be developed. At another
point Is, 900 horse power by tunneling
or canaling less than mile. AtSioux
Falls on the Sioux river 5000 horse
power has already been developed and
is continuous with the exception of a
very short time during the dryest
part of the dryer seasons. With some
contemplated improvements in the
way of storage capacity this power
will be perpetual. Numerous small
powers have been developed on the
other streams of the state for private
use, and the facilities for the develop,
ment of power west of the Missouri
river are almost unlimited.
WHERE TO LOCATE.
The choice of location in this state
would depend very largely upon the
line of work the settler wished tc
follow.
i If he wished to engage pretty large
ly in stock raising, growing his alfalfa
and enough corn and grains for feed
he should go into the more sparsely
| settled sections of the state, where
there is broken land along the streams
or large tracts of state lands that car
| be leased cheaply for pasture and hay
If he wishes to engage in fruitgrow
ing commercially, he should either
locate in the Black Hills or in the
southern counties of the state. There
is quite good district surrounding
Big Stone Lake in the northeast cor
ner of the state that is also admira
bly, located for fruit growing on 8
large scale, and sometime in the neal
future some very successful orchard
ing is going to be done in that vicini
ty.
If he wishes to grow corn, oats ane
clover, with some fruit, he should 10
cate in the south half of the state
! either east or west of the Missouri
river, and east of the higher attitudes
in the Black Hills.
+ If he wishes to grow small grain
with a little less corn and considera
BILE live stock, his location should b,
all means be in the northern portion
, of the state. Clover and feeds fo
dairying are easily grown in any par
. of the state at this time.
We have tried in this estimate O
the state not to make any over state
! ments, or overdraw the picture
/ South Dakota, like all new states ha'
its hard times, and was subjected t
= it's share of abuse in its early history
Like all of the others it has overcom
! all of these. Our rainfall Is now ma
terially larger than it was then. TIL
great increase in production Is OWN