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

$1,000 EHsa&t#
To me it was a most delightful trip,
the remembrance of the pleasant CONF
partnership with as entertaining a body
of men AS ever were brought together
for n purpose, will be a life long
pleasure. They too enjoyed it all, good
weather, easy coaches, short rides,
lunch boxes always open, liquid re-
freshments always on tap, the little
discomforts were forgotten and as we
separated in st. Paul, all declared that
it had been one of the most enjoyable
trips Of their lives.
1t was a grand junketing outing, but
as an advertising scheme it did prove
a great success. They had not found
much to write about OF the granted
lands and the country directly tribu-
tary to the road. They had been over
but a few square miles of the Red
river valley, they had seen the best,
but in all only a small fraction OF the
lands that the company had to offer
as security for its bonds; they had
been owe many miles OF level, mo
cupied prairie with its rich black soil
covered with luxuriant grasses, but
only at the homes of some half a dozen
settlers along the banks Of the river,
had they found any signs of cultiva-
tion. There were small gardens with
fine growing vegetables, but no fields,
nothing in the way of exportable crops
nothing to suggest promise of enough
shipments to furnish traffic to the road
for years to come.
They had been told stories OF short
summers, or long, terribly cold win
ters, a climate in which only the most
hardy coul work out a modest liv-
ing of an unsettled country and west
Of it clear to the Rockies, also an un-
settled Indian peopled country, an
area SO vas that even if habitable
could not be pAopled for a century.
Such conditions did not seem to war
rant any glowing prophecies for the
success of the enterprise.
This was about the conclusion of
the party as they talked it over on
their homeward journey. They said
they would do their best to show APP
~precation of the good time given them,
by publishing pleasant. readable ar
ticles about the pleasures of the trip,
the natural beauties of the landscape,
n so on, but they doubted the adj
visibility of making any representa-.
tions that would encourage settlers to
occupy the lands, or capital to invest
in the company's securities.
The land grant to aid in the con-
struction of the road Injured to the
company from time to time as it filed
its maps of definite location in the
U. S. landofices, attaching in Mime
sofa in 1871 n in Dakota to the
Missouri river in 1872.
The land department was organized
early in 1871, with Col. John S.
LOOMS as commissioner, with an Of
fee in New York, George B. Wright
of Minneapolis Us general agent for
the Minnesota and Dakota division,
and myself chief clerk, our Offices in
st. Paul.
Some half a dozen surveying par
ties were organized and sent out to
examine the company's lands in Otter
Tail, Becker and Clay counties in
Minnesota and in 1872 they went across
the Rec river in the counties of Rich
land, Cass, Trail and Barnes. These
examinations were carefully made,
topography, lay of surface, character
and depth of surface soil. its sub-soiI.
what best adapted for, ]. e., eultiva-
ton, hay or grazing were rated and
each section was rated as to it's value
for agricultural purposes. From these
reports the land department determ-
ined its prices.
Late that fall the land commission.
er, Mr.. Wright and myself, accompa-
MED by n self styled Lord Gordon.
afterwards notorious as one Of the
biggest frauds ever in this country
made q trip to the Sheyenne river,
where now is Valley City.
1t had been a dry summer, the whole
country between the Red and Shey-
enne had been burned over, a black
ened surface covered with bleached
bones on every side as far as the eye
could reach there was no water, the
ground was dry and hard, its every
appearance that OF a barren desert.
1t did not look good to us as a field
to which investors or settlers could be
attracted. but whatever our impress
sions we could not voice them, it was
u business ito keep still and saw
wood to find buyers and settlers il
we could, but this seemed a hopeless
task.
Early in the year 1872 both Colonel
Loomis and Mr.. Wright resigned. /
vas appointed general agent and soon
after, w, "A. Howard, afterwards our
territorial governor for one term).
succeeded Colonel LOOMS; MI. How
ard retained the ONCE for only about
q year, and a few months after his
retirement ! was appointed land COM
missioner.
West of the Missouri was an UNI
known country to US, preliminary lines
only having been run by the engi-
neering party, and in June, 1875, (the
year before the Custer massacTe), a
party consisting Of George stark, vice
president, Joseph Dilworth and Mr..
Dennison, directors, General RAISER.
chief engineer. and myself started for
an overland drive to the Yellowstone.
General Custer was Their in COM
mand of the Seventh cavalry
at Fort Lincoln and about that
time hearing some disquieting
rumors Of what the Indians were