River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-10-24
A Journey Across Lots

New York, New Haven and Hartford
and the Central New England to
Goshen, N. Y, thence to Chicago
by the Erie and Chicago, to St.
Paul by the Burlington, from st
Paul by the Northern Pacific to Cor
Wallis, Oregon, is pretty long
journey, $3.50 miles. A continuous
trip exhausts nearly five days and
nights by the fastest trains. The
Erie from New York City to Chicago,
a distance of 999 miles, has an ex-
cellent track and the passenger &C
commodations are all that could be
desired. The Burlington from
Chicago to ST. Paul has most sat
isfactory service. These two roads,
between the cities mentioned are
among the best in the land, the
travel between these great cities be-
ing enormous. AS the Northern
Pacific stretches out from the cities
across the great plains and over the
mountains it's service in comfort to
passengers is compared with that
of the roads between the big cities
to its disadvantage.
One who has travelled from New
England to the West in previous
nh
states now, will notice how little
change has been made in the gen.
eral appearance in the older com
munities and how great has been
the change in the territory west of
St. Paul. In rural New England
and New York no advancement has
been made in the cultivation of the
soil or the Improvement of build
ings. Rather has the landscape re-
verified to wilderness aspect.
Through Ohio and Indiana the
country is we'll developed by cult
walton but the buildings do not
compare favorably with those in
the newer west. Northern Indiana
is level and the soil is excellent.
Here are vast fields of corn, corn of
the finest growth. The greatest
changes in recent years are notice
able in North Dakota and Montana.
From Fargo to the eastern limit of
Montana with the exception of
narrow strip through the Bad Lands,
North Dakota is a vast wheat field
Even west of the Bad Lands, where
it was thought few years ago,
field culture would not pay because
of the absence of sufficient moisture,
is now seen vast fields of the finest
grain raised in the state. AS we
passed Though this state the sixth
day of October the grain was stand
ing in shock in the fields. But very
little had been thrashed. 1t had
rained all through September so
that nothing could be done. AS we
passed through eastern North Da-
kota the north sides of the grain
shocks were covered with snow.
West of the Bad Lands was no
snow seen until near Livingston in
Montana. Here on the route for
nearly one hundred miles snow
covered the ground. West of the
eastern range of the Rockies there
was no snow. The most remarkable
development is seen in Montana.
Along the line of the railroad the
country is fully occupied while the
valleys are highly cultivated with
excellent results. The Gallatin
Valley, level tract of many square
miles in area, is the finest piece of
land one sees anywhere and this
vast tract is thickly dotted with
shocks of wheat, the straw being
long and bright. From appearance
from the train the land is irrigated:
if moi generally, it is in many places
The mountain country through
which the Northern Pacific passes
not so rugged as that through
which the Great Northern and the
Canadian Pacific pass. Montana is