The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1921-06-30


of time, being member of the Bos-
ton Store for years. Messrs. Bader
and Feldman will undoubtedly make
success of their undertaking.
Youngman Writes About Northern
Minnesota
The writer attended the United
Commercial Travellers convention at
Virginia, Minnesota, about ten days
ago and while in the Northern woods
carefully observed the difference in
the customs, and conditions compared
with North Dakota.
Northern Minnesota has we'll been
named the Park region of America,
but after all has been carefully OBJ
served we prefer North Dakota, al
though that country has wonderful
resources, and just two things lum-
Der and iron, and the lumber is about
exhausted.
Outside of speaking the English
language, you might as well be ten
thousand miles aWa1 from Minot, as
far as difference in conditions exist.
The Commercial Travellers Conven-
ton was called to order and all the
delegates promptly responded to their
names and the city of Virginia, where
the Convention was called, gave US a
splendid entertainment, for what we
call our Baby Council, as it is only
about year or two old.
That country up there is all tim
Der, iron, lakes and fish. The farm
ing industry is absolutely nothing. A
five acre farm is considered big one.
The soil looks like red gravel, but
they say with their heavy rainfall it
is very productive for all kinds of
fruit and grasses.
AS stated before, the convention was
called to order and the business of
the convention rushed through and
finished at the appointed time. Very
little legislation was enacted by the
United Commercial Travellers, as
their organization is about as perfect
as can be and good fellowship pre-
vailed. After the convention, a thirty
mile ride by boat on Lake Vermillion,
and among the Thousand Isles, to the
big clubhouse for an all fish dinner,
five hundred people participating.
But with all the splendid lakes and
enjoying the Park regions one cannot
help but wonder what will become of
that country in years to come. 1t is
very rocky and the merchantable tim
Der is nearly all exhausted, and the
iron mines are in full bloom. These
mines are so vast that you can hardly
realize it. Imagine, take off twenty
or thirty feet of red clay and then 60
in with the steam shovel and scoop
up this almost pure iron ore, and then
60 into the earth two hundred or three
hundred feet and find hundreds of feet
Of iron ore still to be had. When the
iron is exhausted, which will take a
great many years, what a>desolate
country this will be at that time.
Some of the wonderful things to be
seen are the dense jungles for miles
with an automobile road like paving
running through and if you stepped
off thirty feet from the paving you
would be forever lost, and imagine
going miles without seeing any kind
habitation and then suddenly coming
to city that reminds you of Chicago,
electric lines, fine pavement and live
towns of $4,000 to 10000, with de-
pressions 800 or 400 feet right beside
the town running for miles, where the
iron ore is taken from. As you roll
along on the railroads you will find
spur railroads running out every mile
or two it seems. You see no farms
whatever, and believe me, when you
come back to North Dakota it looks
like the Garden of Eden with our
farms with all kinds of grains, all
| kinds Of stock and fine homes, COM
pared with wilderness, with good auto
roads and then running into large
cities with mines and mines, and run
ming over and around lakes fringed
with dense forests and where the
| fisherman has his paradise. It's a
beautiful place to visit but give US
North Dakota.
| Northern Minnesota is practically
inhabited by Greeks, Serbians, Ital-
ians, Hungarians and Jews, but they
seem to be good fellows and seem to
\ be very contented. To stay up in this
country, the Park region, for a week
is beautiful, but it makes me appre-
ciate North Dakota. One cannot help
but wonder if the state Of Minnesota
gets reasonable compensation for it's
natural resources. / refer to the iron
and timber. Minnesota, with all these
resources, should have money in every
treasury to overlooking, and not a
cent of bonded indebtedness. This
iron is valuable enough to pave the
streets with gold from coast to coast.
Does the commonwealth of Mime
sofa receive any benefits Of these
great iron deposits? ! presume they
do.
But one man remarked that Hib-
bling, city Of about $4,000 was over
four million dollars in debt. It makes
our North Dakota State indebtedness
look like a penny's worth, compared
with Minnesota. Again I say ! ap-
preciate North Dakota more than
ever.