Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-02-08

"a completion in the counties I have
named and with the exception of a
few undesirable tracts, all of the
land has been sold. The sale in Cav.
alier county last week terminated
the list of large and important sales
III the eastern part Of the state. The
last of the area Of land covered
by the state land grant will now be-
come cultivated land and when that
has been done there will no longer
remain any wild land in the district
l am describing. The state of North
Dakota mas realized more than $5,-
O00,000.00 which is invested as a
state school fund. The income from
this large fund is distributed annual
ly among the school districts of the
state. This wise and judicious meth.
cd of disposing Of the state lands is
in strong contrast with the action
OF the general government in it's
foolish and wasteful methods of dis
posing of land under the homestead
acts. One-half of the valuable pub
lie lands in both North Dakota and
from the government under home
stead acts by persons whose resi-
dence on the land was only for few
days each year, and which was ut
terly void of any value, so far as it
assisted in the development of the
country.
At the sale in Cavalier county last
week there were sold about $4,000
acres of land. These lands were scat
tered throughout the county and
were mostly sold to actual settlers
who occupied the adjoining land.
Prices were very high compared with
prices of similar land at the sales a
year ago in adjoining counties. The
choice tracts sold at an average of
$25 per acre, with some sales as high
as $33. Lands suitable only for hay
and pasture sold at from So to $50
per acre. These lands are sold by the
state under contract. requiring that
only one-fifth Of the purchase money
be paid in cash. The sale was held
at Langdon, which is the county seat
of Cavalier county. Langdon is a
we'll built town of about 1900 popu-
lation. 1t has two good hotels, the
largest having about so rooms, all
steam heated, and commodious and
comfortable. The town has three
banks, two Of which have elegant
buildings of their own, equal in their
equipment to the banks in Dixon.
The population of Langdon and the
country is largely Amer
lean, there being many from Illinois.
/ was informed that not less than
20 families from Ogle county expect
to move to Cavalier county next
spring, most Of them being from the
vicinity of Stillman Valley. At Lang
don met Fred E. Smith, who is a
prominent practicing attorney in
that place. He is a son of Harvey
Smith, who once lived in the house
just east of the Truman residence in
Dixon. Fred was nine years Of age
when he left Dixon, and was muco
interested in hearing news from his
old home There is a considerable set
Element of Scotch people in Cavalier
county. They make excellent citizens
and are valuable addition to the
population of that county.
The soil in Cavalier county is most
ly of high grade, especially in the
western part Of the county. The pop
ulation is increasing every year and
1 think it can safely be predicted
that in time lands will sell at double
the present price The doubling of
prices the last eight years has made
many men rich all over North Da.
kota and to those in Illinois who still
imagine their western sister to be
yet an infant, it will be surprising
to know the following facts:
1st. There are more men in any
one of the counties I have named
in North Dakota who have accumu-
lated $4,000 in the last fifteen
years than there are in Lee county,
Illinois.
I'd. There have been more farm
houses erected, costing more than
$4,000 each, in several of the above
counties, during the last five years.
than have been erected in our own
Sd. There are more automobiles
owned, and more expensive ones, in
several of these counties in North
Dakota than are owned in Lee coun-
ty.
The above conditions are partly
due to the fact that the immense rise
in value of SO large an area Of land
has made many men wealthy with