The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-01-12
Impressions For
Ten Years Given
Jones Has Been IN the Country Ten
Years and Gives the Following
Summary in the Wave

The year 1912 is about the Sth
or 9Th year since most of us 1T
rived in this portion of Mclean
county and took possession of
homesteads. We have all learned
much in that time The first few
seasons of those eight we're banner
crop years, but the last few we're
not.
Eight or nine years ago this
Turtle Lake country was almost
all prairie land, There wasn't a
steam breaker in the whole coun-
try. It took the settlers all of
that first good crop year to get
settled and have acres of land
broken as the homestead law re-
quired. Those FIVE acres produc-
ed good crop and the season Was
ideal. The next year the settler
worked out for the old timers at
good wages to get money for hors-
es and machinery and hire ten
more acres broken up and seeded.
Fifteen acres of good crop was
harvested in this second bumper
crop year. The next spring the
settler was able to buy fair team
for part cash at the exhorbitant
price of $4OO and in many cases
$500. With these two horses he
broke Is or 20 acres more and had
about 35 acres of grain this third
bumper crop season. Wheat was
q dollar bushel and 20 to 30
bushels per acre. All at once the
country was prosperous and set
tiers could buy anything if they
would promise to pay a big price
for it. They promised. The sod
was turned in earnest the fourth
year. Crops were not so good the
fourth year and prices were not so
high or grain, but still everybody's
credit was good. so the settler
bought more horses and machinery
at big prices on time and sold the
cattle and hogs for cash and cheap
for they were too much bother, it
was easier to raise wheat and flax.
Season No. 5 came around, crops
were poorer than was expected but
still it was paying crop if the
settler had only had about twice
as many acres under cultivation.
So he proves up his claim and
mortgages it for $1,000 and his
wi,ife is wffl4ing (foof1sh' wonian)
and she signed the mortgage, and
the $1,000 paid back debts on ma
chinery. horses etc. The past
three seasons we will not describe
and we are not going to tell what
became of the remainder of the
$1,000. But we will mention right
here that McLean and McHenry
county was settled at the same
time and at exactly the right time
to plaster four-fifths of the farme
with mortgages by the time of the
1910 census. The census report
shows that these two counties are
plastered worse than any other in
the state.
One would naturally think the
]. ! old settler who had his land un.
der cultivation during the good
sbrop years would have prospered
Well. the old settlers did prosper
So did the new settlers who had 9
{. little money, stock and machinery
1Drlve over the county today and
you can tell whore the old settler
lives BY the fine rssidences, barns,
fences and groves. They're rich
They made money. built houses
III u and barns, and bought railroad q
land and adjoining quarters while
the new settler without means was
hustling for money to get himsell b {.
equipped for farming and by the 'e
time he was ready the goose had
Quit laying gold eggs The ole ole
q settler is still making money ant \:
N; prospering. He is past the DANCE lnl1
NJ ueriod. The new settler didlni' didln /