The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-11-10
A TRUE PEN PICTURE
George Cumming, an Iowa Newspaper
Man, Tells of His Observations
in Mile Laos County.
Contributes an Able and Impartial Ar
ticle to Several of the Leading
Papers of State of Iowa.

George Cumming of Rolfe, Iowa,
who recently visited Princeton at the
invitation of friend, contributes an
article of much interest concerning his
observations to the Role Reveille
and several other papers published in
Iowa. Mr.. Cumming has done justice
to his subject, neither overdrawing or
undertaking 1.-THE write-up is pen
picture of realities. The article fol-
lows:
Going into any new country in the
capacity of investor, homeseeker or
critical observer, we gather i'm
pressions that must color every esti-
mate made, and the last of these can
only be relied on when the bias of
previously formed opinions has been
dissipated by actual proof to the
CONTRARY. Last week I was in the
Mile Laos, MIMI, country, on the in
vitation, and as the guest of a friend
who is neither seeking for nor selling
land, therefore was free to judge from
an impartial standpoint, and although
a vast amount of information relative
to conditions, etc., was easily OBJ
tanned, I prefer to tell of just what I
saw during my visit to that vicinity.
Princeton, fifty miles north of Min
neapolis on the G. N. r. r.. is a
really clean looking town, wide
streets, we'll built brick houses
generally, very large substantial
looking schools and churches, and a
city hall or court house that would
reflect credit on any county seat in a
similarly populated country. Within
the corporate limits we saw a
creamery that was owned and oper-
ated on the cooperative plan by the
farmers, and the size of the building
and number of men delivering cream
there indicated large business.
Across the street from the creamery is
large starch factory. where the
screenings from the potato crop are
utilized, and in years of extra crop
yields they use many thousands of
bushels of even the best. The factory
was not in operation yet on account
of the potato harvest being little
later than usual. On one of the prin-
,cipal residence streets we saw a pri-
waite hospital, owned and conducted
by local surgeon, and which has a
reputation for thoroughness that is
rapidly spreading over the entire
state. The town is built at the
junction of the main branches of
Rum river, and the bridges now being
finished are such as one might expect
to see in prosperous and progressive
countries, concrete and steel the
material
The surrounding country is re-
markably beautiful, both from a
scenic and commercial point of view,
the variation from forest to meadow
being broken by glimpses of water
here and there, and the whole relieved
of monotony by view of farm build
ings at Irregular intervals.
One of the very impressive features
of that vicinity was the stability and
neatness of the rural schools, all of
which are built of either light yellow
brick or maroon tinted cement blocks,
and looked as if they would accommo-
date twice the number of children
found in such localities, although the
number visible gave public notice
shat trace suicide" is not prevalent
there. Socially, both in town and
rural districts, we found the people
to be OF the same stamp as those who
6rst settled our own great state and
made it famous for hospitality by
force of example and education, thus
causing the stranger to feel at home
very soon after arrival. In -connec-
ton with this We would mention the
fact that the hotels do not hold up the
VISITORS. because they furnish good
meals and comfortable rooms at the
moderate charge of a dollar day,
and this in spite of the fact that there
are hundreds of homeseekers coming
and going. Along the side track at
the depot we counted fourteen ware
houses devoted solely to receiving to
potatoes for shipping, in addition
eight or nine that we just glanced at
in the Easements of store buildings,
and apart from those of the starch
factories. Last year 400 cars we're
shipped from Princeton, all grown
and harvested within a radius of
about five miles, but this year they
are estimating the output at not to ex-
coed 1,5O0 cars, which will show the
magnitude of this industry in good
and in poor years. There are
twenty-five buyers in the town, each
one vieing with the other in making
as large consignments as possible to