Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-02-01
WRITES CHEERFULLY OF NEW HOME
Ole HelsesOn Cherishes Fond Memories
but is Loyal to the New Love

often thought a letter to all nv friends
and neighbors through the CENsoR'S
columns might seem of sufficient in
terest to escape the waste basket; so
here goes for the attempt, and for the
next week or two | am going to con-
sole myself with the thought that if /
fail no one bat the editor will know.
Belmont is, so to speak, in the heart
of quite settlement of former Virodua
and Vernon county Reopls. including L.
A. Brennan, VIM. H. Banks. Ludwig
Lowrie, Thos. A Tolrud, Henry, James,
and Julia Helgeson, t. p. Hill, C. N.
REESE, Rose Drew and mother, Victor
Berg, 0. L. Stromland, Anton Forum,
ana great many others. The town
was plated abSac Is months ago, and
has already two lumber yards, Creed
Hunt, formerly Of Viroqua being sales
man for one Of them) store and post
office run by myself and son Henry, the
latter being postmaster, a hotel with
L. Sandsmark as landlord, restaurant,
a saloon, a livery, real estate Office
with I. A. Tolru6 at the helm, black
smith shop, Hans Hum formerly of
West Prairie owner and chief anvil
ringer, but assisted occasionally by
VIM. H. Banks. and meat market.
A bank building has been erected and
will open for business early in The
spring. We also have house and school
equipped with all the modern improve
ments, including free text books, well
stocked library, furnace heat, single
cesks. organ. etc. / might add that
this district was organized about two
years ago, and that we bonded the dis
trict for $500 in order to build and
equip the school house, and that after
paying for 81 months of school last
year, together with attendant expenses,
and keeping up all current expenses for
the present school year, including teach
er's salary at SIS per month TO date,
we had $4,000 on the first on January,
1911, being enough to pay off our whole
bonded debt with interest and still leave
balance of some 81, 300in the treas
ury. Not so bad is it?
The crops were not as good the past
season as we might have wished, but
inasmuch as conditions were rather UNI
favorable generally throughput the CEN
trial and western states it would seem
that we were rather fortunate after all.
Winter wheat averaged about 10 bush
els per acre, and as all or practically all
of il was sod, 1t must not be considered
failure. The grain was of very good
. 4oohhJs AhC bnAAtAo3 anu CnHCIAdii1
rect crops, did very we'll where given
proper attention, and | feel safe in
saying that none of the old Vernonites
here are candidates for the poor house
at present.
just read a letter In this weeks
: CENSOR purporting to be from one S.
5. kiie, formerly of La Fargo, and
written from Miles City, to which |
ask permission TO reply briefly. What
have to say is not meant to in
. any way reflect upon Vernon county,
as still cherish the fondest feelings
for the old home, and were togo back
to Wisconsin to live, Vernon County
. would be the Mecca. IL Is possible tsa
as Mr.. Kile was sick and suffering Vhes.'
. he wrote, that even he would revise
his letter were he to write when IN
good health, and that il is not just to
criticise his statements under the cir
cumstances. But, if left unchallenged,
his structures may mislead someone to
his detriment.
First, as to climate: What he says
Of Miles City may be true, but Il Ia Just
as true that here at Belmont we have
not had over four days Of below zero
, weather thus far this winter. We have
had several dabs of snow but they have
melted away and left the ground in the
best kind of condition for next seasons
crop. At the present time the ground
Is bare. and the thermometer stands at
, Do above. Being in the mercantile bust
ness myself know what | am talking
about when | quote the following prices
for goods. They are for sale at these
9 figures at my store here at Belmont,
Yellowstone county, Montana. Flour
$40 per hundred, best quality; pork
Is cents per pound, potatoes $1.05 per
y bushel or $l.75 per 100 pounds; baIed
alfalfa hay, best quality, and green as
grass, SD. so per ton, oats SITS per
100 pounds, wheat $1.05 per bushel,
sugar $6.25 per 100 pounds sack, etc.
q We sell most of our groceries here at
! the same figures as your own grocers
! do at Viroqua, practically the only diff
, ference being in the case of bulky,
,, heavy goods, where the difference in
freight rates neceseitate a slightly
higher price.
| We have coal mine in operation
about four miles from Belmont, where
/, those who wish to buy coal land are
too lazy to dig it out themselves) can
, buy very good quality of soft coal,
i not Ignite, 50. 90 per ton. We have all
! kinds Of good western pine timber with
in five to seven miles from Belmont,
where Mr.. Homesteader can help him
self TO what he wants for fuel. fences
or buildings, so the axe has not fallen
into disuse with us.
OF course Montana, like Wisconsin,
q is not all good 1t 10 possible that the
lands near Miles City that Mr.. Kile had
! in mind when he wrote his letter, are
no more to be compared with what we
/ have here at Belmont than some of the
sand dunes near Sparta are to be COM
: pared with the fertile soils of Coon
Prairie. Montana is about 750 miles
long and some 400 miles wide, and |
feel safe in saying that Mr.. Kile has
, not, as yet, seen it all. At any rate he
/ missed Belmont.
But must close for fear that have
taxed the editors's patience to the
: limit, and that you may think | have
turned land agent. Ibeg to assure you,
however, that | am not in the land bust
ness. Neither do expect to be. In
this case, at least, it is from the iull
ness Of the heart that the mouth speak
ct. Neither have | written with view
TO entice people from good old Vernon
county That is matter for each man
to settle for himself But. speaking
, for myself alone. | will say that | am
pleased with MontsEa, this part of
, Montana, at lest; pleased with my
: new old neighbOrs, and new home, well
and in good health, and well content
Wishing the CENSOR and its large
family of readers a harry and pros