Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1912-08-29
VISITING GREAT STATE
Special Correspondent to Republican Sees
Many Interesting Sights and Writes. n
Entertaininsly About Thss.

Lakefield, Mimi, August 81, 1912
Editor Audubon Republican:
Dear Sir:-Some time ago / sent a
letter to this paper from Nebraska,
and having little leisure time will now
send similar one from Jackson county,
Minnesota, land of grain. The
county is located in the southern tier of
counties, and contains 722 square miles
being bounded on the south by Osceola,
Dickinson and Emmett counties in
Iowa and is about so miles east of the
South Dakota boundary and about 125
miles from the Twin Cities, st. Paul
and Minneapolis, and has direct connec,
tions Herewith by three trunk lines.
The surface is great undulating plain
being dotted with fine groves, streams
and lakes, the latter being quite numer-
GUS as the county is in the southern
part of the great lake region. The soil
is deep dark loan with clay subsoil
the kind that can be titled for years
without exhausting its fertility. The
Des Moines and Sioux rivers with their
tributaries, constitute the natural drain
age system of this region and as was
mentioned above the surface is quite
level which makes it necessary to use
some artificial devices in order to re-
claim large areas.
In the early days Jackson county was
considered as large tract of waste
swampy land being fit lily for the I'M
disturbed home of the muskrat and
mink, being unfit Tor agricultural pur.
poses. At last the settlers began COM
ing although quite slowly at first,
either homesteaded or purchased the
land from the governmen at the uniform
price of S1.25 per acre.
The horrible Spirit Lake massacre by
the Sioux Indians III 1852 somewhat
checked the inning ltion and 1t was
not until along in the SO's that the
county took on civilized appearance,
as the railroads began coming about
that time which brought in settlers by
the hundreds. In the early days before
many groves were planted to check the
winds, the winters were long and cold
and dreaded by mostpeople, which made
it necessary to build the houses and barns
together under one roof, So as to avoid
going out of doors during blizzard to
do chores; but now it is different the
whole country is dotted with large
groves which check the winds and to-
day the dread of winter is thing OF
the past.
The past ten years has brought about
remarkable changes and land which
was considered burden Is years ago
is now hailed as a treasure. The gov
erment has placed several dredge ma
chimes in the county and the reclama.
ton work has been most remarkable;
large bitches have been constructed
through swampy places extending to
some river or lake for an outlet. Elk.
tending underground and tributary to
these bitches are huge tile mains as
large as 80 inches in diameter being
used to carry away the water; tributary
to these are smaller ones dwindling to a
smaller size until the source of this
great artificial drainage system is usually
made up of inch thing.
Although this work is yet in its in
fancy the country at large has learly
all been touched and the parts which
are yet undrained will be in a very few
wears. In fact have seen little totally
waste land in the parts of the county l
have traversed with the exception of
the few big lakes. For example will
mention one piece of reclamation which
/ have observed, which will give the
reader slight idea of this great work.
AS late as the years 1909 and 10 if one
would have gone about four miles
northwest of the town of Lakefield, a
large shallow lake known as Quiblys
swamp would have been observed con-
tanning probably 1900 or 1000 acres.
Last year was somewhat dry here as in
Iowa and this huge swamp became so
low that it was possible to get dredge
machine at work and ditch probably
10 to 20 feet deep by 20 feet wide was
placed through the heart of it and
numerous underground mains were ex-
tended out from it to bring away all
surplus water. The rainfall this year
has been quite heavy but Quiblys'
swamp is no more, science and engineer
ing skill have erased it from the map,
and in its place is now found rich
pasture lands and waving fields of corn
and grain.
Therefore land which but three short
years ago was valued at practically
nothing is today appraised at from $50
to $40 per acre.
The above is but q mere example of
much similar work now going on
throughout southern Minnesota and
which is revolutionizing the state.
This is a great small grain country
and probably more than half of the
land area is sown to grain, AT this time
Of year one can gaze for miles in IAN
directions and See thousands of acres Of