The Dickinson press., 1915-11-20
John Little
Tells of Success

Dickinson, N. D., Nov. Is, 1915.
Editor of Press,
Dear Sir:
Having sold out our farm, I have
been asked to write some of my ex-
periences, successes and failures in
Stark county, North Dakota.
l came to Gladstone April 9, 1883,
and there was practically NO farming
being done there. I worked for the
N. P. on the section, getting $1.75
per day and paying $3.50 per week
for room and board, which left me
$1.00 a day clear. The fall Of that
year all of the men were laid off *
cept two, who had worked the long
est, Fred Madison, now living north
of Taylor, and myself. I gave my
place to a man with a family and
soon got other work. I helped lay
pipe for the first hydrant to furnish
water for passenger trains at Dick
inson and also helped put in the
first stationary boiler in the Dickin-
son round house and with the piping
of water from springs north of Rich
ardton to the N. P. tank at that
point.
Part of the summer of 1884 I was
employed in a Gladstone brick yard
and l helped Robert Lee harvest 16O
acres, getting for this $3.50 per day.
Later on for pitching to the thresh-
ing machine I received $1.25 a day.
That fall I filed on a homestead and
purchased from Robert Lee for
$4,000 a team of gray horses, con-
sidered one of the best teams in the
county at that time. That winter I
hauled coal for $1.25 a ton and some
of the time worked for $1.50 and keep
for myself and team.
I mention the above wages just to
show the contrast between then and
now.
The summer of 1885 I did my first
farming for myself, farming Is acres
We had a good crop and l broke up
80 acres more for myself and II for
other people and did some ploughing
on the fall at $500 per acre: l
built a small house on my homestead.
During the winter I hauled goal.
Crops were not very good in 1886.
I farmed 40 acres. l paodghed for
John Smith in tradeff6r my first cow
During that Summer and fall hauling
buffalo bones was quite a business.
They were hauled from Cedar creek,
go or 70 miles south of Dickinson,
where there was a good market for
them at $1,000, to $1,000 per ton
while fresh horns brought rs cents a
pair. W. saw plenty of buffalo heads
with the hair still on. It took a
week to make a trip to the Cedar and
we made $1,000 to $500 per trip.
The winter of '86-'87 was one of the
severest ever known in the state.
The season Of 1887 crops were
rather light and we had in 60 acres.
I bought two COWS that year and
hauled 70 tons of coal to Gladstone,
getting $1.75 cash or $500 in trade.
In 1888 crops were good and we
paid all our debts, which were not
large. I always tried to keep out
of debt and to pay bills when due or
before. .
A fair crop from 70 acres was ours
in 1889, and that fall I bought a
small bunch of heifers from Beisigl
Bros. for $40 each, making my count
up to 20 head.
I farmed 70 acres in 1890, and
crops were fair. This was the year
of the big prairie fire which did con-
siderable damage, burning all my
fathers feed. The fire jumped Ante
lope creek and Heart river but we
managed to save. enough range fol
our stock. I always used the straw
for feed.
Bumper crops were grown in 1891,
many fields making a. bushels pei
acre. We did some building on oul
place that year. The following year
was also a good crop year and we
bought a small bunch of cattle, max
ing our herd number so. We also
bought some young horses. The
crops were not so good in 1893, bu'
we had some cattle to sell.
Fine crops we're harvested in 1894
95-96-97 and '98. We increased oul
farming during these years to 2O(
acres. In 1898 we purchased 48C
acres. Our cattle had increased to sc
head and we had nearly a carload to
ship. We built a new 10-room house
in a horseshoe bend of Antelop'
creek.
A dry year came in 19OO-practi-
cally a crop failure. We threshed
only 100 bushels of wheat. Crops
were fair in 1901 and '02 and we
were running about $50 head Of cat
tie and using the straw with hay fol
feed. Another light crop year fol-
|lowed-1903. We built a new barn
32x4O, with hay loft and hay track
Seven good crop years followed-7
1904, 'O5, 'O6, 'O7, '08, '09, 10. II
1904 we bought 100 acres of land
and 800 more in 1905 and 1906. In
1907 we took ten shares in the Glad
stone State bank and later bought
more of this stock. A 32x44 addition
to the barn was erected.
Crops were poor in 1911 and we
saved 70 loads for feed and ploughed
the ground under for next year.
The remaining four years, 1912, '13
IA and Is, crops have been fine. II
1912 we bought 800 acres Of i'm
proved farm land for $4,000. I have
always kept books and could tel
any time just what my resources and
Liabilities were.
The past summer we sold GU
place, including machinery. cattle anC