The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-12-13

|peared here and there. but all within
a narrow strip of only Il few miles
width along the railroad. Outside OF
thise there We're nc farmers, only
ranchmen. In 1900 the population Of
the western half Of the state had
Grown to hte figure Of $4,000. Never
lheless, the average density of popu-
iation was less than one inha hitant
per square mile.
The only railroads then in the
western part of the state were tho
main lines OF the Northern Pacific and
the Great Northern. which run direct
ly West across the state dividing it
INTO three approximately equal strips.
Ten years E there We're many parts
of this state where one could ride
twenty miles without seeing Il house,
nifty miles without passing Il fence.
But that time is over now in Dakota.
In 1908 l made Il continuous 300
niue drive along 4 route nearly the
whole of which 1 have travelled several
and 1912. This was from Mandan
south to h mouth of the Cannon
Ba!l. which is midway between the
Northern Pacific railway and the
South Dakota line. then back to the
railway at Dickinson.
AT the Indian village of Cannon
Sail. there was Il general store. where
IN a considerable variety OF articles
were exposed for sale. But there are
few lingering echoes of the old-time
spirit: nowadays there is very little
spirits in that region. or malt or fer
mented liquors OF n kind. as COM
pared with earlier times before the
hid was on.
From the Porcupine sub-agency to
New England City was about Il hun
miles. In that hundred miles l
visited or passed near three %postottices.
for l was on the m~ain-traveled road,
hence came to all the places Of i'm
offices did not seem to do a large
business. They We're located in the
log ranch houses. and their equip
ment. besides the usual post-marking
stamp and pad. some bundles OF
stamps and a few envelopes. and the
mail sack key on Its chain. vas likely
to include little more than a shelf
upon which to keep said parapher-
MALTA, and n small crackerhox nailed
to the wall in which all the mail was
dumped awaiting the call of patrons.
Before the Farmers Came.
But in h hundred miles before
New England city not a VIII
es closely n%eighboring. and not a store
where could be bought even those
prime necessities of a sheep herder's
or COW puncher's life. plug tobacco
and the markings for cigarettes. 1t
was open range, in which the different
cattle men and sheep men had their
different allotments by n sort Of in
agreement.
That was just at the close of the
range epoch in this state, which
had lasted from the middle Of the
eighties for about twenty years. The
were beginning to come in so
fast that the narrow strips along the
~ t1~@ - 1r Shoa 1.@l @v-~-l No. 49,
tied II farmed were stretching out
from the railroad into the open
country here and there. In the midst
of the pasture lands. homesteaders
were building their claim shanties and
turning the sod: and it was getting too
crowded for the stockmen. who were
to pack up and load up and
drive their herds further on. into new
somewhere where they could
have more elbow room.
In the next three years. 1905, 1906
1907. the stock business as previ-
ously carried on came to its finish
here: it was crowded to the wall. or
to the fence, by the rapid in
liuN of settlers.
Last year l went up the same route
again. Now there is a railroad branch.
with six mixed trains a week. running
up that valley. In townships where
a dozen years g there was not a
single inhabitant there are now VIII
lagos. towns and county seats with
of 200 to 1000. The
homesteaders have proved up. some
OF them have sold out to their neigh
bors so that the farms have become
more than a single quarter section,
the claim shanties have fallen down
or been utilized as hen houses, and
good ~hor1seS-have been built. -
Ranch Trails Arc Gone.
The old ranch trails ran mile
after mile across the country toward
the railroad or trading point: they
went in the general direction desired