The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1910-04-29
A Trip out West.

|
r A Trip out West.
For the past two weeks the writer
in company with Sidney L Wardwel
} made tour of the principal points O
, eastern Washington and parts OF Idaho
with view of sight seeing and looking
after personal matters.
We took advantage of the Great
Northern land seekers rates which arc
issued twice month, at s53 from the
twin cities to any point east of the
Cascades, good for return, and stop
over at any point going and coming
during the twenty-five days the ticket
is valid. A ticket of this kind throws
one in touch with multitudes in search
of land and our train was run in two
sections until we reached Havre, Mon
tana where most of the passengers
scattered to different branch lines.
The magnitude of the flow of immi-
grafton to the Montana plains cannot
be comprehended unless the throngs
tiocking westward, are seen and we
doubt if the Great Northern expected
such rush. All along from Mondak
in the eastern part of the state to
Chinook, at the foot of the Rockies, the
land has been taken up for distance
of from forty to sixty miles on each
side of the railroad, and the same along
all branch lines,
New towns have sprung up some of
them with hundred or more buildings
Ok every description and style of archi-
lecture, but most of the places have
less than dozen houses and the major
ity of these are adorned with signs like
these Land Office, Land Locator.
''Saloon', Hotel, Lumber Yard.
Livery Barn" etc.
That there will necessarily be much
privation and many hardsLips and
disappointments among the thousands
that are thronging to Montana goes
without saying as large percentage of
them are people without experience in
frontier life on claims and with limited
means.
The lack of rainfall and moisture
and the lightness of the soil makes drv
farming, or crop every other year,
necessary throughout this whole region.
At Chinook we had conversation with
rancher who had been there for
twelve yesrs and in the course of his
remarks in this connection, he said,
The old timers here had tried all
imaginable ways of producing crops
prohtably and had failed but that. they
are always ready and willing..to receive
lessons from the new comers.''
A similar stream of settlers, though
not so extensive, is also coming in from
the west and even across the line from
the north. and it Is thought by some
that altogether the numbers coming in
this year will be sufficient to double
the population of the state.
We landed at Spokane at noon on
Thursday, four hours late, having beer
delayed at the summit of the Rockies
by land slide. Here We parted com
pany for few days, Mr.. Wardwell go
ing on the Seattle while the writer tool
the train for Lewiston, Idaho. On the
train all the afternoon we were passing
through the famous Palouse valley O
eastern Washington seeing nothing
but wheat land in the highest state o
cultivation.
| Lewiston Is city OF about 500
people and is one of the most substan
TALLY built cities OF the west. tn,
business houses arc Of brick three ant
four stories high and the principa
streets are paved. It is the count,
seat Of Nez Perces county which j.
forty miles wide and ninety miles lont
clear across the state. II i on til,
Snake river whore the historic Lswi
and Clarke expedition crossed into
4 Washington, and Is therefore .qnile -
historic locality. The prohibition wave
has struck the west and Leuistot
1 against it's own win ~ viffus d
''connty option' lAvs dry. A nnsye
melt hass been started - diiiviids II
county = OVERDOSE ttthis hut u y
. stsug iittiioa deyeio1 d
4 this tsc,a1 - g I the plpa I'LL
iacss g taxatiisa o,wlt11e ~ a. III
e - q q 5 8 III,
u 80