Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-08-18
THE EDITORS TRIP
TO SOUTH DAKOTA
Where He Found The Farmers Very
Busy Taking Care OF A Fine
Harvest OF Splendid Grain.

Harvest OF Splendid Grain.
Two weeks ago the editor of the RE-
PUBLICAN quietly stole away from the
comforts of home and the work and
vexations of the printing Office for a
day at the farm near Dell Rapids, South
Dakota, and a business trip to Minnesota.
Having heard about town that much of
South Dakota was dried up or burned
out and that the best of it could have
but moderate harvest, we were hap
PLY surprised and greatly pleased to
find most of that section blessed with an
abundant harvest. When we got be-
yond Sioux City the green pastures soon
made it evident they had more recent
showers then we have had in Iowa. All
up through the Big Sioux Valley the
farmers were busy taking care of a
large crop of finest grain and rejoicing
in the prospect of the best crop of corn
that the state has ever grown. While
it is true that in some sections crops
have suffered more or less from lack of
sufficient rain the eastern and southern
parts are reaping bountiful harvest.
DELL RAPIDS A GOOD TOWN
The town of Dell Rapids has q popula-
ton somewhat less than Audubon, but
it has good streets, fine business blocks,
waterworks, gas plant and sewerage;
and it has adopted the Des Moines plan
of city government, which goes to show
the people are ambitious to have the
best things even if they may sometimes
err in Judgment as to their value. The
grand lodge of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows selected this place for
the Orphans Home, the town furnishing
q beautiful and commanding site of
seventy acres without any cost to the
order. The main building is now being
erected, the walls being built of the
beautiful and lasting red granite found
in the quarries near by. The Catholic
Church is just completing Il large school
building at an expense of $4,000 and
the school will open i'm September with
six sisters in charge as teachers. Dell
Rapids is delightful. place TO live and
many Catholics are paying high prices
for farms near by so as to take advan-
tage of the school facilities furnished by
the town and the Church. We haven't
any land for sale in that part of the
state, but we consider the country
round about there about one of the finest
sections both as to looks and fertility to
be found in the west.
JUST THE SAME OLD STORY
The same old excuse of Il didn't
know it was loaded was given again as
the reason for a serious tragedy which
occurred on the main street of Dell
Rapids while we We're there week ago
last Sunday. A number of boys stood
ON the street corner. Two others came
along with gun. A boy who asked to
see it was assured that it wasn't loaded.
So he commenced a military drill and
when he took aim and snapped the trig
ger the gun went off and another boy
dropped dead We mention this to
urge upon boys the great danger there
is in fooling with gun. AS the old
saying had it "A gun is a dangerous
thing even without lock, stock or
barrel"
OVER IN WESTERN MINNESOTA
Instead of returning by the same route
we made a trip over into the great state
of Minnesota. Stopping at Pipestone
between trains friend remarked that
G. III. Earhart of Des Moines who used
to live in Audubon was up there looking
after his fifteen hundred acres of land
in that neighborhood; and that two of
his sons are living in that county. An
old friend at whose home we were en-
tertained in Montevideo, wanted to
know if we had an attorney down here
by the name of j. M. Graham who had
State College twenty years ago. We
assured him that we had, that he was
a successful lawyer and a smooth politi
clan; and that instead of having one
handsome boy like our host, he has a
bevy of pretty girls, enough to occupy
all the seats at an ordinary dining room
table. In this and other parts Of West
ern Minnesota we investigated we
found well settled and well improved
section of country whose farms bring
returns equal to those of Iowa, but
whose values on the market are not
more than half as much. We spent a
few hours in the Twin Cities which to-
gether have a population of about half
million people. Their Capitol building
is massive structure costing four mil
lion dollars, but not so attractive as our
own in Des Moines. st. Paul and
Minneapolis form the gateway to the
great northwest and large crowds of
people are passing through at all times
of the year. Minnesota is great state
and there are still fine opportunities to
secure good farms at reasonable prices.