The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-03-10
SUNSHINE STATE
MISS CLARA RAAD, OF MADISON,
READS PAPER BEFORE ASH
LAND, o., COLLEGE.

Iver Rad, of the navy, stationed
at the Great Lakes training station,
is in the city for a few days calling
on his sister, Miss Agatha Rad, and
other relatives and friends. Previous
to coming to Madison on f%urlough
he visited his sister, Miss Clara Rad,
student in Ashland college, Ashland,
o. During HIS stay there Miss Clara
Rad read a paper before the college
entitled "The Sunshine State" giving
an extended sketch of the state of
South Dakota. So concise and full of
information was the paper that a
number of business men of Ashland
who heard it read called upon Miss
Raad to learn more of the resources
of the state with a view of possibly
taking up their homes here. In her
paper Miss Raad said. in part:
"Philomatheans, Hesperians and
Friends: Since we are all convinced
that man has conquered the air, |
am quite sure that each of us has
hoped soon to be fortunate enough to
make a journey in this most modern
way. Tonight our dreams shall come
true, for il is my pleasure to invite
YOU to Join me in a flight to South
Dakota, the Sunshine State.
South Dakota is one of the west
ern states. 1t has an ares of 76,620
square miles, an empire in itself, $50
miles from east to west and 225
miles from north to south. The word
Dakota is of Indian origin and means
'leagued' or allied South Dakota
has greater extremes of altitude and
greater variety of topography than
any other state east of the Rocky
mountains. Big Stone lake, in the
northeastern part is the lowest point,
less than 1000 feet above sea level,
while in the southwestern portion,
the Black Hills, elevations rise to
nearly 5000 feet. The Black Hills
has an area of 5000 square miles.
South Dakota is noted climatical-
ly for it's abundance of sunshine.
The mean yearly temperature is 44.S
degrees. Rainfall averages 20 inches
but is much more in the eastern por-
ton of the state where it exceeds 80
inches in some years. The air is dry
in winter and a low temperature is
without discomfort.
1.-THE settlement of the state dates
back to 1881, though Fort Tecumseh
was established, it is claimed, in
|1796, and was in ruins in 1881. That
year a steamboat built by the Amer
lean Fur company found its way to
Fort Pierre and greatly accelerated
the fur trading industry and CONNER
cial relations with the Indians. In
1855 the fur industry had decreased
to the extent that the American Fur
company sold to the government Fort
Pierre, which became a military post
of Importance.
1.-The first permanent industrial
settlement in the state was made at
the present site of Sioux Falls in
1856. Railroad building began in
I1S72-the Dakota Southern from
| Sioux City to Yankton. The aggre-
gate number of miles of railroad now
operated in the state is nearly 5000.
Gold was discovered in the Black
Hills district in 1874. The output of
gold of that region is now nearly
So, 900, 900 a year.
"South Dakota became a state in
1889. The chief occupation of the
people is farming, except in the Black
Hills section, where mining is the
principal industry. Population does
not exceed 650,e00, but the state
produces in a year more than $780,
100000 of wealth. Bank deposits
aggregate over $500, 000. 900. Fully
SIS per cen of this represents the
surplus of farmers and ranchmen.
"South Dakota surpasses any other
state in the union in her provision
for education. There is a school fund
now on hand of over $4,000 ,0OC
drawing interest, besides the state
appropriates large sums to the sew
eral higher institutions of learning
The state has four normal schools
state university, agricultural college
4 SCDOOl vi Dlluco, WCii >
tenn of public schools, both city ant
rural and eleven or more denomina
tional colleges in the state. The PEG
pie of South Dakota have invested
largely in churches as well as schools
and their religious faith and a%ctivit.
is on a par with their other activities
II should like to tell you more o
the schools and the religious life o
the people of South Dakota, but a
we have returned from our flight t
the Sunshine State and are agail
within the walls of Ashland college
I trust you may have caught tn
truth that it is only by gradual prog
ress that the world of life in any stat
advances.
"As a mans country is dear to hin
so too, is his home state, and | an
proud to say that South Dakota,
; state of sunshine, liberty, law, reli
gion and education. is my HON
state"
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