The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-08-29
0PSAHL ADVOCATES
ANOTHER RAILROAD
Cites Reasons Why Bemidji Citizens
Should Get Busy and Boost For
the New Road. -:
BELIEVES THAT IT IS NEEDED
Gives Figures on Business That ID
Now There and Which May
q Be Developed. y

j. J. Opsahl the Northern Mime
sofa booster who is always ready to
start something, and who has started
many a ball a-rolling in this section
is again on the job. This time it is a
new railroad through Bemidji to
Warroad and Baudette. He recites
facts and figures showing why it is
needed. His communication is as fol-
lows:
"A bird in the hand is worth two
in the BUSH" n 80 ae#&.... #-
'If that is true it seems to me that
Bemidji's business men and property
owners interest lies in taking care of
one of their valuable birds that they
have in their hands at present and
make it help to lay golden eggs for
Bemidji's future business prosperity
after the saw mill days are past.
F'This bird is the present Indepen-
dent railroad so called Red Lake line
from here to Redby. ,-@.
''This line should be encouraged to
extend north to the boundary with
one line on the east side of Red Lake
to Tamarac River and then north to
Baudette and Spooner, branching OF
at Nebish. And the west line
branching off at or near Puposky and
going west around the, west end Of
the lake then north to Warroad. !
E'These two lines would open up
and give direct connections with Be-
midi from the rapidly growing set
Elements of During, Battle River.
saum, Foy, shotley, Domaas, and
Washkish, on the east, and on the
west the territory south of the reser-
walton, as well as the rich and fertile
west end of the Diminished Reserva-
lions west of the lake, where thu
Indians are taking out tentative, al
lotments, surrounding the Indian
farm experiment school station, with
it's % to 10000 tons of natural wild
hay going to waste every year tor
want Of transportation and live stock
to consume it; and north of the lake,
the well settled communities in Bel
trami county in the townships of
Northwood, Benville, Spruce Grove.
Minnie, Lee, Hamre and Steenerson.
as we'll as the settlements on the up
per ends of the north and south forks
of the Rapid Rivers. The winter Road
river and the, Moose river, and the
north and south branch Of the Ros-
eau river, as well as the well settled
valley of the Warroad river south of
Warroad. ... ,-..'. ~.
elm these settlements there are at
present over two thousand actual SET
tiers, and others are coming in fast
and taking up the homestead lands
under the present liberal homestead
laws and within Is miles each side Of
these two proposed branches there are
at present still vacant about three
thousand 100 acre homestead claims,
besides places for 1000 extra famil-
les on private vacant lands or a round
total of 5000 families on 160 acre
farms or $4,000 on 80 acre farms.
'STo the business man or banker OF
Bemidji, is the future permanent
trade patronage of $4,000 farmers
worth going after and leading into
Bemidji instead Of to: Thief River or
other trade centers? .s...
~"And from railroad tonnage
standpoint the question comes up is
the resources at present available
along these two routes worth going
after by the owners Of. the Red Lake
line or by some other trunk line that
Bemidji could induce to take over the
Red Lake Line and develop the terri
tory as a farming country while the
timber industry tas1s.
"We have given this matter very
careful and conservative scrutiny as
to available natural product tonnage
in sight, and find it figures up about
as follows:
"Saw timber Seven hundred mill
lion feet logs, of which about four
hundred million feet is pine, and
three hundred million feet, mixed
logs. And of other forest products,
within six miles each way from the
railroad measured in cords three
million cords, or two hundred thou
CONTINUED On last pago).