Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-10-22
DAWES is EMPIRE IN ITSELF
Formerly a Great Cattle Range, it is
Now Garden Spot of Nebraska.
rn1ARLE AREA is IMMENSE
ChadroB, COu1ty seat, Has Normal
School, Catholic Academy, Five
ward schools and is Thriv-
ing Little City.

ward schools and is Thriv-
ing Little City.
Situated out N the northwestern corner
Of Nebraska, so miles from Omaha, close
to the state lines OF South Dakota and
Wyoming. is Dawes. one Of the best and
most prolific counties in the Antelope
state. II Is almost an empire In Itself,
being thIrty-slx miles square and Is said
10 contain more tillahie land than any
other area Of the same size In the state.
Generally speaking, Dawes county Is an
agricultural section, but some years ago
Il was one OF the greatest cattle ranges
known. Since then the big ranches have
been broken Up to great degree, though
some Of them are stlll Intact. The county
lis the best watered of any in the state,
the White river flowing across the north
and the Niobrara across the south end.
There are numerous tributaries. all FED
by springs and furnishing an abundance
Of water, On the high lands, away from
the numerous streams, good well water
is obtained at depth Of from thirty to
eighty feet. The soil is a black. sandy
loan. under which there is a clay, ex-
tending to a great depth. Generally
speaking. the surface of the county is
slightly rolling, though on either sides
OF the two rivers is rugged and covered
with heavy timber, much OF which Is
pine.
Dawes Has Slx Mills.
In Dawes county there are six saw
mills and the annual cut is sufficient 10
supply the home demand for lumber, and
{ the present method of conserving the
dine Is continued, Il will furnish enough
lumber to meet the demand of the entire
county for the next twenty years. Be
sides the pine there are large areas along
the rivers and creeks that are covered
with maple, elm, blackberry and cotton
wood, all Of which, when converted into
lumber, is unexcelled for inside work and
finishing.
Chadron Is the county seat Of Dawes.
II is a modern little city Of $500 in
hhhltants, on the Northwestern, which
railroad company here maintains machine
shopss which give employment to about
200 men the year through. II is also
division station on the same road. The
city is tho site OF one of the state nor
rsal schools, which has an enrolment of
liz Here tho state owns eighty acres
OF land and has buildings that have cost
sl0e.6oO In addition to the normal. there
s q Catholic academy that cost $4,000
and has . large attendance. The city
| Sigh achool cost $4,000 and the ward
school. 10000. Thus II will be seen that
as Chsdron educational facilities are
ne equal OF those OF any city In the
| country.
The business streets ara broad and well
s-n ha.li N
are Of brick and stone, and filled with
,opks that would be credit TO towns
,Ar,s aud four times It's size.
Residences pistrict Gem,
So far as the residence district IL con-
oerned, Il Is a gem. The houses are ell o.
good style Of architecture, neat and kept
painted. They sit In large yards with
broad lawns, while rows Of shade trees
line the strets. The city has electric
lights, sewerage and a water system
that cost $4,000, and is owned by the
public.
The court house il a fire-proof brick
and stone building, nearly new, and cost
$4,000. A 5000 library has Just been COM
peted and IL supplied with more than
5000 voiunins Of books,
The other principal towns in Dawes
county are Crawford. with 1850 popnia-
ton. and whitnay, WRyside, Burdo anc
| HsnminEfqrd. smaller, but all coed trad
ING points. owing 20 the way In whieN
the railroads cross the county there u no
point that Is to exceed eighteen miles
from market town. All through the
county land IL cheap, uplmproyea rams
ing from SIS to SO Per acre, the price de"
pending upon the quality and the near
ness To market Improved farms sen totn
a. 10 500 per acre. the price being eov-
efnsd TO a degree by the improvements.
There are two Touring mile. one Ct
chadrou and the ether ct Crawford hay
inR capacities Of ise barrels per day eaeh'
ana they run every day in the year, thslF
output coming 70 eastern Nebraska where
on the Omaha market the Dawes county
product IL always IN good demand
Owing to the soil and climate conditions
there has never been q crop failure 10
Dawes county. wheat avsraging twenty
bushels to the acre, oats, tofTl eSr'sE'
forty, ana corn, thlrty'tive
Alfalfa Is one Of The Leading crops
affording three cuttings per year Of trpm
one 20 three tens per eustins ena sslhns
ct from q to SO per ton. In sdSitienn,,
sttsr the las. eultiag, tire aisslts wiz
falks a seed crop OF toar 10 i've pushr'S
per acre ana sells ct from $40 10 Sil per
bushsl. the product golns s'l over the
world.
Potatoes IL smother greet crop. The
acreage is large and the yield enormous
often running as high as SN bushels per
acre.
These crops are al raised I'm Dawes
county without irrigation, the rainfall
which runs from twenty-four to twenty
six inches annually. being sufficient to
keep tho ground In the best Of condition
durlng the entire year The ellmats Is
Ideal. being neither cold In winter nor
hot IN summer,
Dawes county vas first settled twenty
sx years ago. Prior 90 that It was the
home Of the Sioux Indians, who later
gave way 70 the stOckmen and their Inn
mense herds who held undlsputed sway
until about SIX years ago, when the real
invasion Of the farmsfs started Since