River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-02-10

people, and some westerners, too,
to know that large portion of Uncle
Sans domain may still be had for
the asking. There Still remains in
the Lennon land district alone,
many hundreds of quarter sections
that are not filed upon. Some of
these of course are not as desirable
as the land that has been entered
two or three years. but considering
the demand for land. any fairly good
quarter is worth proving up on.
Many people think that because
piece of land is long way from a
railroad il is undesirable. When /
filed on my land was forty miles
from railroad one way and twenty.
five another. Now l am only three
miles from the railroad and boom
ing town. Railroads are being
planned and built all over this new
western country. Little towns are
springing up every day, and people
who, few years ago, had nerve to
go a long way from the railroad
to build their homes, now find that
they are right in town.
have heard so many people say
during the past few weeks, II don't
believe I'll register; what would |
do with farm if l drew one?"
Like the oldfashioned receipt for
rabbit soup, which began, first
catch your rabbit | say, get your
farm" then you can make plans in
regard to what to do with it. The
only thing you would do, of course,
is to file upon it, build yourself
house and live there.
To me it is a God-given privilege
to be able to spend a few years of
my life, maybe the rest of it, on
the great open prairies of the West.
1t was the grandest experience
ever had in my life. wish l could
do it all over again. l wish l had
another right TO exercise. wish
could go again, way off from the
railroad, and have my experience
over again. To ride over these
plains, get your lungs full of the
pure air, come back home at night
hungry and tired, have a nice sup
per of boiled potatoes with the
skins on) and fried bacon; and
then lie down to sleep in your
little old sod shanty on the claim"
the experience is glorious, it is in
MIGRATING, and the best tonic in
in the world. But, my friends, if
you are daunted by the blowing of
the wind, by being obliged at first
to live in a one-room sod house, by
being long distance from a rail
road, or even by Dakota blizzard,
stay at your desk, and forego the
pleasure of seeing the sun rise at
1880 and all through a glorious day
shine on your home, your farm, and
ripen your grain.
1t is the grandest feeling in the
world to be able to stand on a fine
quarter section of land and say,
this is my farm, my home-a farm
and home that earned myself"
Of course we can't all be farmers,
and there are not farms for every
body, but there are still free home
steads for the people who do want
farms, and now is the time to get
them. True, il takes money to live
on a homestead, and to get a title
to the land, but most of us, from
the magnificent salaries we have
been drawing have managed to lay
by few dollars; maybe it's draw
ing four per cent interest, maybe it
is just resting serenely under the
mattress, but wherever it is, it could
be more than doubled in a short
time, by putting it into a home
stead The expense isn't very heavy
the first year, and after that, if you
have managed we'll, the claim will
be helping.
No matter what your occupation
is, wheather teaching school, pound
ing typewriter or selling coats,
the amount of money you would
actually save in twenty years would
not begin to compare with what you
would have at the end of two years
on a homestead. | know from ex-
perience how one cannot save money
on a salary. They don't do much
more than make a good living and
take a few little trips. Why not
stop this way of living for while
and get to be independent.
Many people have an entirely
wrong idea in regard to the way we
live on these claims 1t is not
hardship, but pleasure. We are
not lonely, in fact the days aren't
long enough for us. | was never
lonely nor unhappy dayfduring