The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-02-14

and a few shots at antelope, we pro-
ceeded without any thing OF special
interest occurring until when within
a few miles of the Little Missouri we
crossed what our scouts said was the
trail OF about a dozen hostiles. After
a short consultation ii was decided
that. with our escort, there was noth-
ing to fear; so we continued on to the
river, where we found an ~effectual
barrier to further progress.
The water was extremely high and
there was not Way of crossing, so we
had to return without seeing any more
OF that part of u grand domain.
In fact we did not care much about
seeing more, for we had seen enough
of a very undressing country. There
was nothing along the entire drive of
$50 miles. that looked as If any part OF
it could ever be profitably cultivated;
nothing TO give any hope that the great
barren plain would ever be habitated.
SO far as we could judge it might do
for ranchmen, but it was not first class
for them.
Mr.. Dilworth expressed u opinion
of 1T all by saying: Uncle Sam made
a good deal when exchanging such a
worthless territory for a trans-conti-
mental railway My orders from the
vice president were mot to spend a
dollar in land examinations west of
Bismarck, for it win be throwing good
money way. Confine your work to
what we have east OF the river
How little we knew in those days.
Our first land sale. part of which
is now the town of Detroit, was $3.50
acres in Becker county, Mimi, on June
Is, 1872, to what was then known as
the Boston colony. This was consider
ed quite a large sale and was the sub
ject of a congratulatory letter from the
New York Office.
From that date, however, to the time
of Cookies failure In September, 1873,
there was but little demand for the
company's lands. The total sales in
the fourteen months being only some
$4,000 r All of this land was in
Minnesota, about one-third in the Red
river valley, neal G~lyndon. The other
two-thirds was sold mostly to settlers
who were on lands thar had been
granted to the company, and these
sales were mostly time sales.
During these months we were max
ing a strenuous effort to sell some OF
our Dakota lands, but without sue
cess. The name, Dakota, had had a
far away sound; it was an untried
country, and buyers were shy, settlers
timid. With the exception of a few
pioneers who took homesteads along
the Red and Sheyenne rivers, new set
tiers were few and far between. The
season was passing and but little had
been accomplished in attracting buyers
west of the river.
We began to have that tired feeling
that always comes to one who thinks
his work Is a failure, when, on the
well remembered evening of Sept. 30
we got what seemed the last knock
out blow-the news of Jay Cookies
failure. The company depended upon
him for money to carry on it's work,
There was no further sale OF securi-
ties and it had no other The
road as far as built was not paying
running expenses, little cash was COM
ing in from sale of lands, not enough
to pay land examiners or Office sal
aries.
Before this as we needed money, al
we had to do was to draw on the
L " Cd1AISI Al INCW 1OIh VIII WOu1u AC4AO
us a draft on Jay Cooke; now we could
no longer draw on dad. The depart
ment was in debt.
In reply to my statement of condi-
tions to the New York Office came re-
ply by wire: Expect no further help
from this end. Take care of yourself as
best you cam With me it was a case
of root hog or die.
/ Immediately called in all our land
examining parties, moved my Office to
the company's Office building in Brain
erd, reduced my Office force to three
clerks, and kept busy.
From the sale of some town lots in
Fargo, a forced sale at low figures OF
some stumpage, / raised money enough
in about thirty days to pay all my
bills and had a little surplus to work
on. / then awaited the outcome.
Most of the small holders of the
stocks and bonds, and a few with large
blocks, became panic stricken and sold
for anything they could get. AT one
time common stock was down to az
and the land grant bonds to 10. II
purchases of bonds at that time had
taken lands in exchange, they could
have made their choice from the best
in the Red river valley at a cash cost
of SO to so cents an acre, which are
now selling at $50 and $50.
The public press RAJ filled with ar
ticles about Jay Cookies and the North
ern Pacific failure, viz: 1t was a bank
rupt enterprise, dead without hope OF
resurrection. The country through
which it was to be built, with the ex-
ception OF the Red river valley in Da-
kota, was worthless. There was moth
ing to support a road, it was q mad
scheme from the beginning.
1t seemed a collapse from which
there could be no recovery. But in the
midst Of all this encouragement help
came from where we least expected it,
out of Red river valley soil.
ITO be c%ontinued.)
- -- -