The Dickinson press., 1916-02-26
THE HUSTlING LITTLE
TOWN Of GLADSTONE
Written by Town Development Editor
of Fargo Forum.

P4VoPOAAIy VII SVS4y AA0AA oAAO CIV AAS
evident growth of the town. Seven
Gladstone during the summer just
passed and as many more are under
contract for this year. Some Of
these new homes cost as high a s
$4,000, an unusual thing in a town Of
this size and a sure evidence that the
people are certain Of the future of
their town.
The business and public buildings
erected last year and under contract
for the coming seaso kept pace with
the residence growth and a fine lodge
hall with a seating capacity of 500
was completed and gives the people
an excellent gathering place to en-
joy entertainments and other public
functions. The N. P. is planning to
erect a new freight house this year
and a new lumber yard, a new gar
age, and a new pool hall are contract
ed for. The people are enterprising
| and are now talking about a new
$4,000 flour mill.
Financial assistance is ready for
some experienced electric light man
who would put in a first class plant,
as the need of this great convenience
is felt by the community and they
are ready to boost along a PROPOSE
! ton which is promoted on the square
! and for the benefit of the town.
Another thing that is needed in the
town is a good doctor and n who
locates here can be assured of a good
| practice which is at present given to
| physicians from Dickinson and Tay-
lor.
The thing that makes the future of
the town practically certain is the
excellent quality of sand for all pur-
poses found at the bank belonging to
the N. P. railroad and it is said to
be the finest bank on the entire sys-
TEN and last season the road shipped
out over 500 car loads of this sand.
| Many persons have pronounced it ex-
| cellent for glass waring and the near
! ness of the best coal makes it sure
! that in the course of a few years it
| will soon be utilized for this purpose.
There are several grades of sand in
the same bank and some of it is ex-
cellent for masonry and concrete
| work.
The population of Gladstone is $50
people and three general stores, hard
ware stores, four elevators, three
lumber yards, a pool hall, a barber
shop, hotel, restaurant, blacksmith
shop, garage and other smaller bust
ness interests are represented. The
land is all under cultivation south of
Gladstone and the farmers are pros
porous and growing wealthy. The
average for the year was % bushels
to the acre and II automobiles are
owned in the town itself and many
more in the country. Gladstone is
one of the oldest towns west of the
Missouri and was originally settled by
people from Fon du lac, Wis.
The educational facilities of the
town are excellent and a large con-
solidated school under the able direc-
ton of Prof. G. Holem, assisted by
four competent teachers, gives the
children a correct educational start.
The people are thrifty and happy and
are united for anything that is for
the advancement Of the community in
terest. The farmers are all we'll to
do and assist in every move for the
benefit of the town.
Stark county, where Gladstone is
situated, is "the golden circle" of the
wheat and fax growing area of
North Dakota. The county is rich in
cereal crops, in vast beds of Ignite
coal and clay deposits, and the rain
fall is so evenly distributed as to pro-
vide for every contingency of matur-
ing plant life. The soil is fertile black
and brown loan, with a clay sub
soil rich in phosphorus, adapting it
for producing all varieties of wheat,
oats, barley, flax, rye, corn, millet,
alfalfa, speltz, small fruits and root
crops and vegetables. Dairyfng and
stockraising are now beginning to
take rank with the same industry in
the older states. This section of
basket" of Uncle Sans domain,
where the finest of wheat is grown,
handled by it's own elevators.
Returns from threshing for 1915
show wheat yielding from twenty to
twenty-five and ven as high as
thirty-fve bushels, and oats from
fifty to one hundred bushels to the
acre.
Within the borders of Stark county
and a few miles from Gladstone, sew
eral billion tons of coal could be
mined with the aid of inexpensive
machinery or the sinking of inexpen-
sive shafts. One section alone, be-
tween Gladstone and Dickinson, con-
tains between thirty and forty million
tons of coal. Experiments with the
gas producing qualities of this coal
show it superior to the bituminous
coal of the east. Then, too, b%rfquettes
of this coal are the latest product of
science and give, ton for ton, as
much heat as the hard coal. .
It is a rare thing for a farmer to
buy fuel. The average land holder in
the vicinity Of Gladstone can go out
to his own mine, dig a few feet, or
uncover some bank by the side of his
pasture land, and secure all the coal
he needs, and, further, this coal is
preferred by the users because of the