Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-01-06
From ActiveLife

T ACllVeLlt
!, cold as Medicine Hat one d'y, then slee'
and then .lush. AS q moter OF lact.
5 didn't want to leave Dakoa. hut saw ne
!, prospects otherwise.
During the winter ny WIG became
acquainted In Bismarck with W ladies
| (Mrs. Haltead and Mss Taipe). whose
families were to %settlein Emmons county
when spring came, old the three TAXED
over the starting of paper III m
county. As aresult Mrs. Streeter went
to see Messr. Mckenzie and Coffin, VINO
were interested with three others in the
Villa msport tow,site and who were also
agents for the pwnsite. They agreed
with her TO tale certain advertising in
definitely, and also to put up a fran"
building II by24 feet. the same to be-
come our property if we staid in Will
Transport ami published a paper six
months. THIN she sold the two cottages
for part cash, sent the money to me, ANA
suggested that l go to q type foundry
and pick .out a list of material to be
purchase sci so that, in case, after return
ing to Bismarck and going down into
Emmors county to look over the field. ]
thought there was a possibility Of sue.
cess, ] could send for it. She said she
distilled greatly to lave me take up per-
marently tho old morning newspaper
grind.
= 7 .
Well. l took her advice and returned
. Bismarck in April. 1884. With the ex-
,ception Of NJ. Fl. Jewell, every one of
my printer friends in Chicago and Bis
marck had no faith in the undertaking,
because OF the country being so new
and having so few people. On the other
hand, Mr.. Jewell said: "Streeter, l think
it's a good move. Population or no popu-
lation. therel be the usual amount OF
county printing; and, besides, the pre-
e~mption-proof publications will begin in
a few months" In those days there were
three classes of claims, and each quail
flied settler could take a presumption and
prove it up at the end of six months,
filing on e timber claim when he filed on
his pre-emption, or at any other time
and then, after making proof on his pre-
emption. he could file on a. homestead.
Unfortunately a great many of the pio-
neers lost their pre-emptions for the rea-
son that they could not raise the money
ment in proving up, which was $3.50 an
acre inside of the forty mile limit of the
Northern Pacific Railway and $1.25 out
side of that limit. The cities of the state
had numerous land sharks who loaned
the money with which to make pre-emp.
ton proof. The settler generally got
or thought he would get-a hundred dol.
lars or so more than the price of the
land to the government; but in many
instances he had to pay a bonus. COM
mission, or something or other too COM
plicated for the victim to understand,
and he found there was nothing left af.
ter he made payment for the land
Many Of the claims were taken under the
mortgage, and not ~infrequently the set
tier found himself called into court to
fight a suit for the difference in amount
between what he had borrowed and the
amount at which the Ind had been bid
in by the mortgage. The writer knows
Of several instances in this county where
settlers. in more recent years, have paid
q good sum per acre to buy back land
out Of which they were ""honswoggled"
by some loan-shark in the early and
less financially favorable days. =
AS above stated, there was in April.
1884. no stage line between Williams.
port and Bismarck. No one in Bismarck
that I talked with knew just where Will
Transport was situated. About all they
knew regarding it was that it was in
THE Syndicate Township" as 1876
was termed, in which the townsite peo-
pie owned considerable land that they
had purchased it'll Northern Pacific pre-.
ferred stock, h selling at a very low
figure. | was advised to take the Fort
Yates stage and 60 down to some point
about east Of The Syndicate Township
and then walk across. l took the advice.
At Glencoe the stage stopped at the res
ldence OF the late Charles Robinson,
where the postoffice was located. He
told me it would be the part of wisdom
for me to stop there, as the twcnty.mile
trip to Williamsport wa over better trails
The kind old man also walked with me
In the rain q considerable distance tn
show me the Bismarck Williamsport
trail. at a point not far from where Tom
Sanders used to live. AS it was raining
and the snow was not yet all melted, the
roads were very bad, and l was glad
when l reached the hospitable IMAM
ion' of Bob Buchanan, of which Bob
was owner n Jack G%oughnour "chief
cook n bottle-washer." There was
given two big feeds and a nights rodg-
ing, and next morning saddled up Shank's
mare and departed. AS the writer has be-
fore stated in pioneer "reminiscences in
the Record, there was a little shoemaker
with me. He weighed about lis pounds,
was a bachelor, crankier than Old Nick,
and from h tight little isle" only
a month or 80. He wanted a claim and
a location for q cobbler shop. But, as
Mr.. G%oughnour told him-after he had
grumbled at the country and the sew
eral claims that Mr.. G.. had described
to him that were we'll located-he want
ed "a claim with a peach orchard on
It, BY the time we reached a distance
that we thought out to be in the Will.
Transport vicinity, we we're mud clear
up to the half.soles of our trousers.
Reaching the top of a hill about a mile
distant from a cluster Of -four Of five un-
painted frame buildings, said THAT
must be Williamsport." "Wiliamsport?"
said he; but where the 'elr's the bloody
town." He was disguised and went