The Dickinson press., 1910-11-26

vi 1ue80dy WHEN tuc CEcWU 1dAO AAS
two last miles OF steel 800 people from
the town and country lined up on the
grade from the bridge across the Cannon
Ball and watched every move made by
the crew Of 100 men until the main
track was laid p asst the elevators al the
western boundary of the village.
The weather was too cold for any for
NAL demonstration and no regular pro-
gram was carried out, but every member
of the crew was made to feel that bis
welcome to our city was the genuine
article. Postmaster W. c. Mckenzie,
who is always boosting for North Dakota
and New England, was right on hand
to welcome the railroad builders and be
presented every workman in the crew
with a good cigar.
It was surely grand sight to watch
the workmen and note the great system
with which the Chicago. Milwaukee &
Puget Sound Railway does the work Of
track laying. Every man has his part
to do and does it in the time for it. Not
q minute is lost and every second is
made to count.
One part of the work which is very
important and which was carried on so
quietly as to attrack no attention was
putting up the poles and strineing the
wire for telegraph line. and crew of 27
men had the work completed and instru-
ments installed al New England about
five hours ahead of the first train. !.
.ssf;;.a A.BT OF HISTORY 8
History tells us that the pioneers
advance guard came out from Dickinson
on April 81. 1887, with Capt. ]. G.
Saunders pinto ponies. in lumber
wagon. The party consisted Of Capt. H.
N. Bruce of Vermont, M. L. Ayers Of
Vermont City, S. D.. (then Dakota ter
ritory) and Fred Spaulding Of the same
place, and H. j. Sutton of Dickinson.
It was late sprine but there was con-
siderable snow on the ground in places.
especially along the banks of the Can
non Ball river.
After hard days drive the party
arrived at the George Muzzy camp about
four miles up the river. Muzzy was an
old hunter, confirmed old bachelor, but
afterwards married one of the colonist
girls, Miss Amelia Kirby, and they now
reside in Washington, near Seattle. At
the time the party were being enter
tained at the Muzzy camp. their host
had but one neighbor in the great
county Of Hettinger. man by the
name Of Shepard, then residing near
the present site of Mott.
Muzzy called his guests ''tenderfeet"
and laughed at them in great shape.
He told them the country would not
raise white beans, in fact wouldn't t
even sustain cattle. He had only
two horses and made his living by
picking buffalo bones since the last of
the buffalo hunt in 1883.
On April 2S, 1887, the party left the
Muzzy camp and came down to New
England, pitched their tent and surveyed
the townsite. The colonists came in
May and building commenced. The
Rainy Buttes Sentinel Office was COM
pleted early in June and on the 18th Of
this month the first issue of that histori-
cal paper, published by Mead & Ayers,
appeared. During the summer Of 1887,
there were rumors of Black Hills Cannon
Ball railway. but it later developed that
land boomers from Aberdeen put in
81, 500 for survey from Mandan out
through New England, thence south with
la view to selling land, but the scheme
failed.
TOO FAR TO MARKET
Most Of our readers know how the
early settlers came ont. Those who
started farming were fairly successful
in raising crops but there was practi-
lcally no market for their produce and
they were forced to give up farming.
Many Of them went back east, but those
who remained and engaged in stock
raisins were sreatly plospe g. 4 was
d stock country until about seven years
I.aeo5 when the homesteaders rushed in
\ and nut the siranchefs ont Of. business.
4 All Of The farmers have been successful
land the lona hauls to the railroad has
lbeen the Only real drawback for the past
4 five years 5:i .s.S
#lf George Mnzzy had remained rin Het-