The Dickinson press., 1910-09-17
FERTILITY OF STARK CO..
!. DEVELOPMENT At DICKINSON

#. 49,
Dakota magazine, published by Com
missioner W. C. Gilbreath at Bismarck,
is al especially good number and con-
tains the following on Stark county and
Dickinson:
While Stark county has been a long
time on the map. it is only during the
past few years that il has entered the
agricultural field. For years it has
been known as one of the largest stock
shipping and marketing centers in the
Northwest, and sheep. cattle, horses
and wool raised on it's fertile prairies
have long topped the eastern markets in
numbers and excellence of quality.
Now, however, a s%tupendous change has
been contaminated and The county is
rapidly gaining the same pre-eminence
in the farming which it enjoyed for
merly in the live stock industry.
1t is traversed from east to west by
the main line 81 the Northern Pacific
Railway, which Furnished the very best
of transportation facilities to the whole
county. From present indications it
seems more than probable chat a, branch
line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St.
Paul Railway will pass through Dickin-
son. thus Offering to the people a COM
peting road and another outlet for their
produce.
The soil is a fertile black and brown
loan, with a clay subsoil. forming the
ideal seed bed for all kinds of cereal
grams and fodder crops which al be
grown in temperate zones. Land which
atone time could be bought for 81 per
acre is nov readily bringing $40 to $28
per acre, and the choicest government
land is already homesteaded and occu
pied by an intelligent and progressive
farming community. This has been &C.
complished during the past few years
and was logical sequence of the WON
derful crops raised by the first pioneers
in agriculture. The season of 1909 has
shown, if possible. even more remark
able results, and yields of twenty-five
to thirty-two bushels of wheat and fifty
to seventy-fve bushels of oats. with
other crops in proportion, are being re-
ported daily. No more convincing proof
Of the solid basis upon which farming
now stands q be given than the fact
that q new modern brick roller mill of
800 barrels daily capacity has just been
completed at Dickinson by one Of the
largest milling concerns in the country.
The brick and pottery clay deposits Of
Stark county have already attained a
national fame and are conceded to be
the equal of any in the world. Two
great brick making factories are now
turning out annually more than ten mil
lion bricks of the highest quality, which
are successfully competing in outside
markets with the best products of other
states. These plants are capitalized
for $500. 600, and such is the demand
for their product that their c~apitaliza-
tion and manufacturing facilities will
o o have to be again increased. The
bricks vary in color from white to light
grey, light and dark fash, notified grey,
red. light and dark buff !; and fire brick
ID also made. China ware made from
the pottery clays won the highest honors
at the Worlds Fair at St. Louis in COM
petition with the choicest eastern pro-
ducts.
Ignite coal Of fine quality is very
abundant all through the county and is
shipped from mines along the Northern
Pacific az far east as Fargo.
Dickinson. the county seat. is q beau
rtiful city of over. $. 600 Inhabitants. It
is about thirty years old and has made
q consistent growth from the start. lts
high elevation above sea level-2. 400
feet-insures a bracine and salubrious
atmosphere. The death rate is remark
ably low for a city Of. IT'S size, only rs
per thousand per annum. It contains
many useful institutions. and building 8
81 great architectural beauty, one of the
latest Of the latter to be completed be
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