Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1913-12-12
Go. DEN VALLEY

tract Of rolling tableland, we'll drained
,,ut without waste. Twelve years ago
II was the home of the rancher with
h;s vast herds of cattle sustained by
it's abundance Of nutritious grasses
and was not dreamed of as an agri-
cultural country; today it is the richest
agricultural country in the west and
turns out its 100000 bushels OF
grain annually.
The first settlement of the section
was made in 1902. when Mrs. L. w.
Richards, C. E. Bar ber, ]. w. Nc
Niece, Frank Konzak.. John Anderson
snd=-othersa cane here as the hrst
homesteaders. But little was done in
that year at farming, though MIR.
Barber put in about twenty acres
which produced we'll and was the first
demonstration of what could be done
in that line. The following year
homesteaders began to come in con-
siderable numbers and from that time
to the present has been constant
period of development and improve
ment.. With the whole country land
hungry one thinks there must have
been something wrong with the coun-
try that it had not been settled decades
before, but that condition was un-
doubtedly due to false impressions in
the minds of the homeseekers who
were then as anxious for 100 acres
of Uncle Sans domain as they are to-
day. The most prevailing of these false
impressions was, there's no water in
the country" an impression grounded
on the lack of surface streams, and
proclaimed by the rancher who wanted
the country for his own. The last ten
wears have so disproved the assertion
that the wonder now is that it was
ever believed.
The first land development Of the
Valley aside from the homesteaders'
was promoted by Mr.. H. A. Hunter
of Minneapolis, who in company with
l.. A. Simpson, A. L. Martin and others
organized the Missouri Slope Land Co.,
and purchased one hundred and ten
thousand acres of Golden, Valley
land. Mr.. Hunter had an abiding faith
in the country and spent literally ol
his time and money to impress its ad'
vantage on homeseekers and to him
is due much credit for his untirine
efforts at a time when he had to work
against discouraging conditions. oppo.
sition of local ranch men and false
statements issued even at times by
North Dakota people who instead ol
being knockers" should have beer
boosters" But Mr.. Hunters work
was we'll done and the Valley ha.
much to thank him for. In 1904 hi
holdings were turned over to the Col
den Valley Land & Cattle Co., o
which Mr.. ]. R. Smith was the pro
moter, and was through his efforts pu
into the hands Of the settlers whe
have since made such wonderful sue
cess here.
i The soil is a rich loan, from one te
four feet in depth, and as fertile a.
lays out of doors. Its crops up to tn.
present time have been mostly of small
grain. wheat, fax, oats and barley pre-
dominating. but it is recognized tina
more diversified farming is bound t.
come and that the soil and climatic
conditions are favorable for the raising
of all kinds of farm produce. Cor,
does we'll and there is constantly in
; creasing acreage of that cereal. Po
tatoes do fine and the writer conf
IDENTIFY expects to see the day whe,
Golden Valley will ship its thousand
of bushels of tubers every year. AL