■%*4''k.-^^-^ ni U rn r^ I RESOURCES, PEOPLE, ■ STATEHOOD. BY FRANK S. CHILD. F - '(o S- 1 fr^^ NEW YORK. THE BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY. ^»^j) Price 25 Cents. p 656 .C53 Copy i SOUTH DAKOTA Resources— People— Statehood, THE GLEANINGS OF A JOURNEY THROUGH THE TERRITORY -BY- FRANK S. CHILD. NEW YORK : THE BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY. MDCCCLXXXVIII. In Eitch» Wis. Hi«t.So«» CONTENTS. I. Country, Page 5 II. Resources, ...,-- 16 III. People, 27 IV. Cities, 42 V. Statehood, S3 VI. Conclusion, 65 Copyrighted 1S88, By Fra^'k S. Child. THE COUNTRY. We were reading with keen interest speeches and narratives that concerned Dakota. The work or the play of Congress seemed a thing of mockery and humiliation. Then it occurred to us that we turn us Dakota- ward and spy out the land. We would measure for ourselves the worth and promise of the Territory. We would set the words of friends over againsc the words of foes, and then pronounce upon them by the aid of such knowledge as we could gle§in through personal investigation. The heralded pros- perity of Dakota interested us. The throwing open to settlers a share of the Sioux Reservation interested us. The earnest, persistent struggle for Statehood interested us. So we hastened to the Dakota land. We found Dakota. It is emphatically a " findable " country. The immensity of its landscape appalled us. The extreme north insists that four hundred and thirty miles shall mark the distance from the extreme south. The east is separated from the west by three hundred and eighty-five miles. The area of Dakota is one hun- dred and fifty thousand nine hundred and thirty-two square miles, or ninety-six million five hundred and ninety-six thousand four hundred and eighty acres. d South Dakota : That means that you can pack all New England, Ohio, New York into Dakota and then take some eight or ten Districts of Columbia and fill in the chinks. When we faced this fact, necessity forced us to restrict our observations to South Dakota. And this task proved too large for us. The Black Hills were not visited and many parts of the land were " done " with un- satisfactory haste. South Dakota alone is text for endless discourse. It is like putting out to sea, this pressing one's way through the billowy vastness of the illimitable prairies- Gentle undulations break the monotony of the land. Luxuriant grasses, glistening grains — they make their swift and graceful responses as the winds touch them with the impulse of summer. The distant smoke which hovers near the horizon for a time and then dis appears in the cloudless sky, seems like the welcome witness to some approaching steamer. Wave upon wave makes tumultuous way towards us. The very song of the winds has the tone of the sea gale. But the delusion vanishes. Occasional farm houses, herds of cattle, conspicnous school buildings, barns and stacks of produce, they remind the traveler that it is a home land through which he makes his I'ourney. When we pierce these great, productive sections, and drive miles upon miles through the gleaming fields, we forget that trees neither give us shade nor adorn the landscape. The splendor and opulence of growing grains fill the mind with such large thoughts of harvests that trees Its Resources and its People. 1 and hills and villages are forgot. They would obstruct the boundlessness of prospect and the vision of riches. Now what kind of soil is it that gives such bounty to the Dakota farmer? The question led the National Department of Agriculture to subject samples of soil to careful analysis. The chemist gives us the result of his study and this result may be popularized in these terms : First characteristic, Dakota soil has remark- able adaptability for imbibing and retaining moisture. Second characteristic, Dakota soil contains large quantities of silica in a soluble state, and is therefore especially favorable to the raising of cereal crops. Third characteristic, the percentage of clay makes the soil the best of wheat soil, since clay supplies potash and absorbs and retains phosphoric acid, ammonia, potash, lime and other plant foods. Fourth charac- teristic, the soil carries an abundance of phosphoric acid. Fifth characteristic, the soil holds a large amount of nitrogen. Sixth characteristic, the soil shows a good percentage of organic matter ; this not only increases the water holding power and enables Dakota to stand long droughts unharmed, but it also furnishes necessary food supply to vegetation. Dakota is surfaced by a rich, dark, alluvial loam with varying depths. Under- neath is a valuable clay subsoil. The supply of soil constituents is inexhaustible. Sand and clay are mingled according to those right proportions that make the soil swift to absorb the rainfall and easy to undergo pulverization. The subsoil is not less fertile than the 8 South Dakota : top soil. Winter frost and spring warmth operate to the perpetual fertilization of the upper soil. This deep imprisoned moisture carries a burden of helpful con- stituents when it works its slow way to the surface. " This soil is something wonderful, " says the editor of the United States Medical Investigator. " Nature has pursued a conservative course toward Dakota, enabling her to hoard her wealth. * ^ ^ There is no region that I know of with so generally rich a soil.'' The fertility of the land bases the prosperity of Dakota. That portion of the Territory east of the Missouri, and south of the forty -sixth parallel, is under general culti- vation. The smoothness of the landscape is sometimes broken by ranges of low hills, or the coursings of rivers, or the bright surface of small lakes. The mirage plays many a trick with the traveler. Some far away town seems builded upon the shores of the broad lake. And the water is high, for the very buildings seem floating upon the surface. But one draws nigh the town and the waters vanish in the clouds. When one has familiarized himself with the land, yielded to the quiet fascination of the mighty prairies^ measured the productiveness of these smooth, rich acres, counted the days of sunshine, drunk deep draughts of the invigorating air, then one pardons the treeless aspect of the countr}^ and one regards with leniency the busy play of the winds. At the same time any small discontent that may suggest itself is tempered and assuaged by the conviction that a change in these Its Resourses and its People. p respects already marks the lower part of the Territory and such change will gradually extend through the central portion of the land. The success which marks tree culture in Kansas, Nebraska and the Yankton district of Dakota indicates what time and work may do for other portions of the prairie country. And when the trees are grown, the winds will meet with perpetual resistance and discouragement, while rain will get such gentle wooing that Dakota will receive the unstinted irrigation of the clouds. Well-tilled lands, frequent groves, multiplied settlements, concen- trated enterprises will soon convert Dakota into a mighty empire. The climate itself will prove the ally of prosperity. Portions of this middle west are scourged by hot south winds. We were touched by them as we journeyed some hundreds of miles down the interior. They sweep over the plains with irresistible fury. They wither and scorch the harvests. They plague and discourage the farmer. But these winds have lost their riotous vicious- ness when they skim the Dakota fields. Their long journeys have robbed them of the power to injure. And when the evening comes they rest with the sun and give people, harvests, cattle cool, restful nights. Dakota lies in the same latitude as several of the great rival States of the Union. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, New York, they range with Dakota. The isothermal line is an imaginary line passing through sections that have the same mean annual temperature. 10 South Dakota : This line goes westward from Harrisburg, Cleveland and Chicago, and then diverges northward through St. Paul, passing along the upper part of Dakota- Scientific observers tell us that the entire northwest is tempered by the "Chinook winds " which travel from the Indian ocean through China and Japan across the Pacific into Washington, Montana, Dakota and con- tiguous States. The air is dry and freighted with ozone. Through the winter the thermometer occasionally marks 40 deg. below zero, but such cold is exceptional, and its severity is mitigated by the absence of humidity. Here is a table showing the monthly and annual mean temperature for fifteen years, of Dakota, Minnesota, New Hampshire. The cold average favors Dakota — a fact that is surprising and suggestive: u 05 S d 'u >^ >. M 3 be u 1 a 1 a 1 a Oj c8 ►-5 g < ^ •-3 CO o O o 0) S O O o o o o o o o o 1 o o 1 o Dakota 6.8 12.9 24.2 42.5 56 7 65.8 71.8 69 6 58.8 45.7i27.7 15.6 41.5 Minnesota 3.2 10.2 '20. b 38.5 52.8 68.0 66.2 65 8 56.0 44.1 25.5 11.6 38.1 New Hampshire 6.1 8 8 9.6 20.1 34.2 44.3 46.7 47.2 42.6 30. » 17 2 11.3126.5 We found the people frank and communicative when the winters were discussed. There seemed to be no desire on their part to deceive the traveler or pervert the truth. But Dakotaians believe that facts will right many erroneous and absurd impressions that concern their cold weather. So they insist that the facts be Its Resources a7id its People. ii distributed for the enlightenment of their fellow citi- zens. We copy a table showing the temperature in Dakota for six months each year, (October to March,) through fourteen seasons: 1880-1 18.0° 1881-2 26.8 1882-3 21.1 1883-4 19.6 1884-5 20.6 18«5-6 24.0 1886-7 17.9 1872-3 25.5= 1873-4 22.0 1874-5 15.0 1875-6 19.5 1876-7 20.8 1877-8 32.0 1878-9 23.9 1879-80 23.7 Mean average for fifteen years 21 . 8° During the winter of 1886 and 1887,taking December, January, February, there was total snowfall in Dakota of 47.8 inches ; New York had a snowfall of 55.7 inches ? Connecticut a snowfall of 60.5 inches ; New Hamp- shire a snowfall of 86. inches. These statistics fairly illustrate the winter conditions cf Dakota. In respect to mean winter temperature, amount of snowfall and bright, clear days, Dakota has precedence among vari- ous competitors. During the year 1886, Dakota had three hundred and two days that were described by observers and statisticians as fair or clear. There were only sixty-three cloudy or stormy days. This state- ment seems incredible. We have been prejudiced against Dakota. The length, severity, gloominess and havoc of its winters have been described with such iteration that it is hard to correct the dismal impression and yield to the force of truth. The U. S. Signal office furnishes the following table: 12 South Dakota Cloudy Days. Clear Days. Fair Days. Total. Dakota Nebraska No. 62.9 67.0 81.8 83.7 97.3 103.4 103.3 109.1 118.0 118.8 128.0 138.1 139.5 130.8 135.3 153.5 163.6 No. 136.7 134.0 132.2 135.0 106.0 115.4 113.3 96.8 93.3 106.2 103.0 94.5 93.3 90.4 83.1 76.1 79.3 No. 175.4 174.0 161.0 146.3 161.8 147.3 148.4 159.1 153.7 140.0 134.0 143.4 143.3 143.8 146.6 135.4 133.3 No. Rhode Island Kansas . Minnesota Illinois Connecticut Wisconsin Iowa. lv'365!6*' Pennsylvania Massachusetts Indiana Maine , . Ohio Michifjan New York New Hampshire It is the universal testimony of the inhabitants of the Territory that the rigors of winter are exaggerated to such a decree that gross injustice is done the country. Investigation proves that storms are more frequent, suffering more severe, snowfall heavier and dark days more numerous in various parts of the north and west and east than they are in Dakota. This is a conclusion to which observation, statistics and personal witness force us. The north-west winds that come down from the country laden with fine particles of snow or ice — these cause the suffering and disaster that occasionally give opportunity for harsh strictures upon the storms of this northern interior. But the people are emphatic and unanimous in their statements that a real blizzard is a rare thing. Numerous residents in the Territory insist Its Resourses ajid its People. jj that the storm of February 12th, 1888, is the only severe storm that has visited the Territory for years. This year has been marked by unprecedented disturbances in great storm centres. The whole country has suffered. And when it occurs that New York city itself is fitormed, isolated, starved, buried, paralyzed, over- whelmed by force of hostile elements, it behooves us to be quite charj^ of censure and criticism concerning blizzards. Not only is the New England snowfall larger, and the New England sky cloudier, and the New England winter colder, but our very blizzard is determined to surpass the trumpeted storm of the great north-west,and claims preeminence in respect to strength, cruelty, havoc. The truth is that atmospheric condi- tions to day are marked by singular transitions. The country is passing through phenomenal changes. New England climate is not the same that it was fifty years ago. And the north-west territory is experiencing changes. The climatic modifications of the north-west) however, are favorable to comfort, health, enjoyment. It is an open question if such statement be true con- cerning the climatic changes in the east. One speedily learns that it is not climate which an- noys the citizens of Dakota. Climate is a part of the Dakotaian's capital. The ozone of the air acts with healing efficacy. Dakota is a kind of illimitable, generous sanitarium. It is physician for many a broken, discouraged man. The climate woos the man into strength, energy, health. It is the monotony of 14 South Dakota : tireless winds that taxes the patience and good cheer of the people. The winds rest during the night, but they are jubilantly active during the day. And yet the people make no complaint. They get accustomed to the winds. It is a part of the Dakota life. The an- noyance is soon forgotten. And when the trees are multiplied as they are through the Yankton district, and the whole country has had breaking the force and persistency of the winds will be lessened. Time will modify their temper and vexatiousness. The winds will be reckoned chiefly as loyal carriers of invigorating oxygen. The water of Dakota deserves special notice. Water is an important factor in the development of any country. Dakota has many lakes and rivers. The water surface of the Territory is reckoned at 1,400 square miles. The rainfall of the country increases annually. The average rainfall for the five months of April, May, June, July and August through a period of seven years has been 14.89 inches. But it is artesian wells that make Dakota's water privileges especially notable. These wells are operated all through South Dakota. Yankton has twelve or fourteen of them. They yield an immense flow. The pressure is so great that the water is carried through the streets and into the houses. The pressure is so great that heavy ma- chinery is successfully operated. A six-inch well in Yankton, recently completed, furnishes power to the machinery of a pressed brick manufactory. The well yields 1,800 gallons per minute — giving a pressure Its Resources and its People. 15 equal to thirty-three horse power. The well at Huron gives a pressure equivalent to a hundred horse power. The cost of sinking these wells is not so great that their use is impracticable. Their rapid multiplication evi- dences their worth, utility, profit. Twenty-nine coun- ties in the Territory have already used artesian wells. The system is destined to take important part in the his- tory of the country. At the session of the Territorial Legislature in 1887 a law was enacted which provides for the construction and support of artesian wells in town- ships and cities by an assessment upon the property holders and residents. The character of the water used for drinking and cooking purposes varies in different parts of the country. Some residents prefer cistern water. Various mineral substances give tone to the great share of the well water. Dr. Duncan, of Chicago, notes especially the restorative properties of the Dakota waters. For many weak- nesses and diseases he writes that they rival the famous springs of the east. The water problem has been satisfactorily solved for Dakota. We remember that not only has the soil marvellous powers of moisture re- tention, but the rains themselves are graciously en- larging their precious ministry. And this is the Dakota land— level, stoneless, afflu- ent, profitable— making good response to the court- ship of the farmer, witnessing to the benefits of large cultivation and industrious conquest— a land that shall prove the matchless farm land of the fair great west. DAKOTA RESOURCES. The products of the soil are numerous. Wheat makes first claim upon us. In respect to quantity of wheat, Dakota leads the States. One-thirtieth part of the Territory was sown to grain in 1887. An acreage of 3,818,752 yielded an average of 16|- bushels of wheat to the acre. The crop amounted to 62,553,499 bushels. This was a gain of some 70 or 100 per cent, over the yield of the preceding year. The soil itself is especially adapted to the raising of wheat. It abounds in those constituents that are com- pacted into the bread grain. Dakota climate favors the prosperity of this valuable cereal. The heat of summer and the cold of winter — the moisture of earth and the invigoralion of air — contribute their help and impulse. The very seasons seem arranged with a view to the superlative merit and prodigal har- vest of the grain. But it is not only quantity of wheat that is note-wor- thy ; quality of wheat is an important factor. The Da- kota grain reveals a dryness and richness of albuminoids that give it the first rank in the market. The Bureau of Chemistry of the United States Department of Ag- Its Resources and its People. 17 riculture has analyzed the various wheat products of the country. " Dakota wheat," says the report " makes a flavor richer than any other." Experiment proves that a bushel of Dakota wheat will make more bread than a bushel of wheat from any other section of the country and that this bread contains a larger percentage of the materials which nourish the human body, than the bread made from any other wheat. The Dakota wheat is all of the spring varieties. The farmer there- fore evades certain perils to the crop that are mcident to the raising of winter wheat. This Dakota wheat also brings a larger price than any of its competitors. It is worth from five to ten cents more per bushel than any other wheat. It rules the market. The drift of conversation in Minneapolis and Duluth is in the direction of Dakota wheat. It seems to bear the closest relation to all trade and enter- prise. And this same grain that commands the high- est market price is raised at such low price of produc- tion as to discredit all wheat culture in the eastern States. The average land investment of the Dakota farmer is the small sum of $5.90 per acre. The New York man reckons his land at $46 an acre ; the Ohio man at $44 an acre. Here is striking disparity. Then the work of cultivating the eastern farm is a larger and more expensive thing. Taxes and interest put the Dakota man at another advantage. The com- parative results are easily stated. The Dakota farmer distances his New York competitor and drives him out i8 South Dakota : of the market. It is the inevitable issue. The east cannot compete with the west when it comes to the question of profitable farming. But this same Dakota wheat is now transported to the centres of trade at small cost. This is another im- portant factor. Duluth will speedily become the great wheat market of the world. Some eight or ten railroads already centre in the " Zenith City." Some ten other roads are under process of construction. Some ten other roads are projected and will doubtless emerge into vis- ibility within five years. And this great network of railroads reaches through Dakota and brings the Terri- tory into close communication with the water-ways of the east. Duluth is from 200 to 350 miles nearer Da- kota than Chicago. Wheat is shipped from Duluth at a great saving. The whole cost of wheat transpor- tation from Dakota to Buffalo will soon be reduced to 15 cents per bushel, says a prominent dealer. Here we note a tremendous saving to the Dakota farmer and a mighty impulse to the wheat culture of the Terri- tory. Railroad transportation of wheat to the east costs nearly three times as much as water transporta- tion. The wheat crop of Dakota brings a magnificent and substantial income to the farmers. And yet wheat cul- ture is simply making its small beginnings in the Territory. When the land is all put under cultivation — all put under thorough, scientific cultivation, the yield will become enormous. Dakota will feed the nation Its Resources and its People. ig with bread and grow opulent while gladly meeting the necessities of man. But such emphasis is put upon wheat that one well nigh forgets how the Dakota lands yield diversi- fied crops. Sioux City, Iowa, built her Corn Palace in the autumn of 1887. It was an ingenious, beautiful, suggestive structure. As an artistic triumph in corn it proved memorable. And it served the purpose of directing attention to this important centre of agricul- tural traffic. But Sioux City borders upon Dakota and its immense supplies of farm produce are partly gleaned from the Dakota fields. Corn itself is becom- ing a characteristic crop of the Territory. The Sioux Oity Corn Palace was in part a matter of homage to the Dakota prairies. Three years have witnessed a marked change in respect to the work methods of the Territorial farmers. When Dakota was first advertised by its re- markable wheat harvests, men gave no thought to other crops. It was all wheat. The opinion prevailed that it was a one crop country. The risks incident to a one crop country were boldly faced and the development of the Territory was rapid. But the American farmer •carries his wits with him. He is born to make shrewd experiment, and when corn was planted and the corn acres were multiplied, it was discovered that if corn was not king, corn stood near the throne. The har- vest of 1887 yielded some 25,000,000 of bushels. This is a larger corn crop than that of New York or Min- 20 South Dakota : nesota, or South Carolina, or twenty-two other of the States and Territories. The quality of the corn is excellent. Analysis shows that it is especially rich in albuminoids and nitrogen. The soil and the climate are both agreeable to the cereal. The average yield is forty bushels to the acre. Flax is another crop that promises well in Dakota. The yield for 1886 was 3,844,788 bushels. The seed is the only part that is utilized to-day, but the time will speedily come when shops and factories will work the fibre into marketable form. Paper, cordage, lin- seed oil, paints, cloth, twine are consumed in large quantities by the people of Dakota. These articles all come from the east. When Dakota learns to manu- facture them herself the flax crop will become a very profitable investment. Eye, oats, barley and buckwheat are also the pro- ducts of the Territory, although their cultivation is a mat. ter of recent trial. The rye crop of 1887 was 316,586 bushels; the barley crop 6,400,568 bushels; the buckwheat crop 97,230 bushels, and the oat crop 43,- 267,478 bushels. Oats yield a harvest varying from sixty to ninety bushels per acre. Rye averages from thirty-five to fifty bushels per acre. Dakota comes near to taking the lead in respect to oats. One farmer related to the writer, how in 1882 he sowed a ten acre patch with oats, and reaped 730 bushels for his harvest. As the Its Resources and its People. 21 oats sold for 33 cents per bushel he got a return of $24.09 per acre for his work. The vegetables of Dakota deserve notice. The size, quality and abundance of the garden products astonish the stranger. Potatoes grow to an enor- mous size. They yield from 150 to 300 bushels per acre. People show potatoes that weigh six pounds. This year the farmers of Dakota have supplied many of their neighbors with this season's vegetables. Indiana itself has used Dakota potatoes. The crop is always sure, say the farmers, the quality of the potatoe being the finest. Its superiority will get it good market in the east, so that the better price will pay the cost of transportation. Onions yield from 400 to 800 bushels an acre. Turnips, peas, beans, carrots, parsnips, lettuce, radishes, melons, cauliflower and beets are raised with good results. At the Territorial Fair, in Mitchell,in 1887,cabbages were exhibited which weighed between thirty and forty pounds. Pumpkins were exhibited which tipped the scales at 200 pounds. It would appear that the vegetables do not propose to be outdone by the vastness of the Territory. They will show the ambitious western spirit and excel the east after a fashion that matches the immensity of the Terri- torial field. The native grasses of Dakota are nutritious and abundant. Hay time does not signify to these people the same work that it does to the eastern farmer. The prairie supply of hay suffices for everybody, c 22 South Dakota : The hay crop of 1887 reached 2,500,000 tons. Large quantities were exported. The task of cuttinoj and stacking the hay is done whenever the farmer finds the time to turn from the harvest duties. Often the stand- ino" grass furnishes nourishment to cattle all through the winter. "Cattle come" out of the Bad Lands in the Spring," writes E. Y. Smalley, " as fat as though they had been stall-fed all winter." Timothy, millett, alfalfa flourish in the Territory. In fact, native grasses and imported grasses yield bountiful returns, and make Dakota a desirable land for dairy purposes. Sugar beets give admirable results. Scientific men propose to encourage that profitable industry. If sugar can be made from this product of Dakota soil, the sugar interests of the countrj^ may receive very important modification. Experiment will determine the matter. Fruit culture is in its infancy, but enough has been done to show the fine possibilities of soil and climate in the raising of numerous fruits. Dakota is destined to become a famous stock country. The lay of the land, the invigoration of the climate, the growth of succulent grasses, the general adapta- bility of the country to herds and dairies, indicate Dakota as a promiseful stock region. The cattle busi- ness is yet in the incipient state. People have been so controlled by the wheat interest that they have not adjusted themselves to the fact that stock will give good profits among them. The live stock that was reckoned for the year 1887 is valued at $43,195,229. Its Resources and its People. 2j This is no mean showing for an industry that has just made its beginning. The past seven years has in- creased the live stock of the Territory by an invest- ment of more than $36,000,000. Dakota already sur- passes thirty States and Territories in the extent and and largeness of her cattle industry. The great pork packing establishments of Omaha and Sioux City and Minneapolis draw immense supplies from Dakota Pork packing is a business that will soon employ thousands of men in the Territory itself. " I will challenge any man," a prosperous farmer of •Central Dakota writes us, " to show better horses, cat- tle, sheep, in the States than we have raised here in Spink county." And our observation sustains this farmer's statement. There are millions of acres of na- tive forage interspersed through the Territory. Hogs thrive upon it through the summer and autumn. The large corn harvests are easily converted into swine's flesh when the need of such food comes. Nearly 500,- 000 hogs were fattened in the Territory in 1886. Cattle are observed scattered all along the prai- ries. The dry and even weather of the summer favors the health and vigor of the animals. The luxuriant grasses afford fat nourishment. When it is time to sell the herd the beef packing establishments gather them into their sheds. The farmer's task is done and his cattle are converted into dollars. But not all cat- tle are disposed, of according to this summary fashion. Milk, butter and cheese are now staple commodities of 24 South Dakota : the Territory. Here and there you observe creameries and cheese factories. Every farmer has his company of animals (small or large as the case may be). It wit- nesses to the general character and diverse products of the farm work. The perils of failure are lessened to such degree that one now feels good assurance of live* lihood and profit whatever turn may be given to affairs by peculiarities of season. One is also pleased to see the frequent flocks of sheep that appear in various parts of the Territory. This is new business. There were few sheep in Dakota seven years ago. The brief experiment in raising sheep has been eminently successful. As the facts are scattered among the farmers there will result a notable increase in the number and size of the herds and the product of the wool. " I do not believe there is a better country in the world for sheep," remarked an enterprising farmer who had made good success with his flocks. As we travel through the Territory and observe the swift development of these various agricultural in- dustries, we are profoundly impressed by the great possibilities of the field. There are only 75,000 acres of the "Bad Lands" in all the Territory. These " Bad Lands " afford nutritious pasturage to great droves of cattle. Dakota, we learn, has less waste land iu proportion to its size than any other State or Territory in the Union. As we follow the trend of life, measure the force of work, reckon the opportunities for ex- Its Resources and its People. 2^ pansion, ponder the opulence of nature, we are in- spired with an indomitable faith in the future greatness of this majestic Territory. But the resources of Dakota are not confined to agriculture. Dakota is emphatically and preeminently an agriculiural land, yet there must inevitably come a development of other resources that shall prove helpful. Brick making, paper making, broom making, wagon making, flour mills, feed mills, iron mills, planing mills, woolen mills, saw mills, shingle mills, glass factories, paint factories, sash and door factories, foundries, marble works, packing houses, we observe all these industries, and although they are yet infant enterprises, they represent a capital of $11,000,000. Dakota will do a large part of her own shop work, give her time to develop the business. The home supply of raw material is so large and the home consumption reaches such enormous proportions that economy and thrift will force the Dakotaian into manufactures. There are the mines of the Territory. They signify work, population, trade, wealth. The country west of the Missouri as well as a good part of North Dakota contains a rich deposit of coal. The soft variety is especially abundant. While inferior to anthracite, it nevertheless will supply the people with cheap, good fuel. In the neighborhood of the Black Hills there are immense deposits of coal. It is said that the Great Sioux reservation is especially rich in this mineral. The time will soon come when Dakota will heat herself 26 South Dakota : by her own treasured fires. The gold and silver pro- ducts of the Black Hills are important contributions to the resources of the Territory. The Homestake mine has paid dividends to the amount of $3,84:3,750 ; the Father de Sraet has paid dividends to the amount of $1,125,000 ; numerous other mines have yielded fair profits. Railroads will ^ive a tremendous im- pulse to the careful and profitable working of the various ores that are prodigally scattered through the Black Hills. Tin was discovered in 1883. Time will reveal the importance of this discovery. Other valua- ble ores are found. One is safe in prophesying a prosperous future for this part of Dakota. A country that will yield nearly $34,000,000 worth of gold and silver in a period of ten years, and that combines with her mining interests a fair share of agricultural and trade interests, gives unequivocal promise of greatness. We get a good interpretation of Dakota's substan- tial resources when we note the financial condition of the Territory. The wealth of Dakota exceeds $350,- 000,000. (Computed by Territorial ofiicials.) The past seven years has noted an annual increase of $40,000,- 000 in the real values of the Territory. Farm improve- ments, immigration, the building of houses, construc- tion of railroads, reveal the secret of such property ex- pansion. Railroads pierce the land at the rate of a thousand miles per year. This year the immigration is computed at one hundred thousand people. The various trade centres of the different counties show an Its Resources and its People. 2^ unprecedented activity and growth. The land itself promises a wealth of harvests that has stimulated the farmer into the larojest hopefulness. In 1875 Dakota school property was valued at $25,000. Twelve years expand these figures into $3,000,000. In May, 18S7, Dakota issued bonds to the amount of $400,000, bear- ing four and a half per cent, interest. These bonds were sold at a premium of more than half of one per cent. Dakota now places her securities at a rate of interest lower than that ever obtained by any other Territory. The financial soundness of Dakota com- mends her bonds, her character, her products, her people. DAKOTA PEOPLE. It IS a delicate matter when one has sojourned among the people of a new land, to speak candidly and judi- ciously concerning individuals and classes. But the people have made Dakota the prosperous land which we have seen. And the people deserve a share of study and remark in connection with such noble task. One is speedily impressed with the fact that the people are young. It is a land where all affairs seem conducted by men who are rugged with the strength of first man- hood. The west itself is exuberant and masterful through this sovereignty of stalwart and ambitious youth. The farms are pioneered by young men. The churches are builded by young men. The banks are managed by young men. The stores, the shops, the schools, the railroads, are run by young men. Law, politics, medicine, religion, they all centre in young men. And it is neither to the discredit of the young men nor to the discredit of work, trade, profession, that we say it. The nine hundred young men who faced Fred- erick Barbarossa on the plains beyond Milan, and won the day for Milanese independence, did a work that symbols the possible achievement of youth when their strength and enthusiasm centre upon life's tasks. Young men pursue the course of nature when Its Resources and its People. 2Q they join themselves to these western conquerors and go forth to subdue the land. There is something peculiarly stimulating in this association with invin- cible manhood. Imagination is a loyal servant through the days of youth. And one needs imagination to push one's way through some of the labors that appeal to the western settler. The old house was probably guaided by oaks and elms and maples. Their shade soothed the body when the summer days grew warm. But Dakota trees are largely objects of the imagination. Give them time and they will grace the new made home and sing their gentle monotones to the inmates. To- day, however, one must imagine their grace and music. And so with various creature comforts that administer to the contentment of age. Young men see these things in their mind's eye. A little tarrying upon time and the mighty prairies shall give the people ample shade, tempered breezes, refreshing showers, all the amenities of the former life. There is precious refreshment to the Dakota citizen in this subtle ministry of the im- agination. The traveler meets few men who have passed the age of fifty. The prime of life gives its unforgetable stamp to the development of the land. And it does not appear that these people lack wise counsel and good balance. They show sense, practicality, purpose- fulness, toned by the vastness of the landscape and the invigoration of the air. We note the courage of the Dakotaians. It may be JO South Dakota : that the ruggedness of the winters does something for them in the making of courage. The rough usage of a bh'zzard is undoubtedly conducive to a spirit of brave and stubborn resistance. A repetition of March 12th, 1888, in New York, may serve the same general end through the east. When one has withstood such an assault of the elements it sometimes quickens inta vigor certain qualities of mind that are essential to the successful life. These Dakota people manifest a cour* age that gives character to plans, labors, experiences. " Are you not timid, living away from neighbors here in the prairie," we say to the farmer's wife. And she replies, " we are only a mile or two miles from such a house. The school is near. Neighbors grow more common. We have nothing to fear. Harm never touches us. We are not annoyed by tramps. We scarce ever see an Indian. They stay upon their re- servations." Such is common testimony. But there are many transactions that require courage. Work, privation, econom}^, discomfort, it takes courage to face these things. So it occurs that the faint heart fails and returns to the narrowness and the discontent of the east. Dakota people are alert to the demands of the day. Their energy is attributable in some degree to the stimulation of the climate. They agree with Napo- leon that the dictionary does not contain the word " can't." The Dakotaian is always ready to say with Frederick of Prussia, " I dare to do the impossible.'^ Its Resources and its People. ji And when you think of it, it appears that their achievements have been along that line. There are nearly five thousand miles of railroads in the Territory to-day. And the roads are pushing through the farm districts in all directions. The settlers are not obliged to caravan their way to their new homes. The cars distribute them along the very land that they propose to- till. The old time pioneer life is foreign to the present settlement of Dakota. It was the general opinion when the Territory was first advertised that wheat was the only crop congenial to the soil. This was a thing that demanded investigation. It was not long ere ex- periment proved the generous character of the soil and its adaptability to the interests of varied farming. The meagre water suppl}^ annoyed the settlers. They studied the nature of their farm grounds and learned that the moisture of summer and winter was retained with unexampled persistency, so that the bugbear drought was driven into exile. Still, the moisture of the deep soil did not signify precious streams of crys- tal water. They therefore pierced the earth with arte- sian wells until great strong volumes of the desired fluid pushed their way through the earth's surface and carried blessings to the land. But it does not matter what the demand ; these people show the enterprise to- meet it. There is nothing in the way of practicable achievement which they will not master, give them time to do it. And they pursue their course with such an air of quiet, equable self-confidence that the traveler J2 South Dakota : is shamed into faith. As you meet these people you feel the throb of a swift, earnest, aggressive, trium- phant life, and how cordial these lively people are! We made our first entrance into Dakota through Watertown. It was a gray and misty morning. The fields were wet with recent rains. The landscape presented a sobriety and melancholy that did not conduce to good cheer or light-heartedness. As the train drew near the depot we saw throngs of men. The city was a-throb with tumultuous life, and when the train stopped we were greeted with the resonant, exultant strains of a brass band. The grayness of the morning and the melancholy of the landscape were forgotten. We had read that when men visited this new west the people were bound to make favorable impression upon them. We had even read that when men sought this new west with an eye to business and development they were greeted by brass bands. But we had always thought such stories apocryphal, and here was the plain fact which our skeptical mind had disputed. The band played with all the expression and enthusiasm that it was possible for them to put into their interpretation of " Hail to the Chief." We were touched by the spontaneity and the cordiality of such unexpected greeting. And then just as the contagion had communicated itself to us and we were preparing to pass a vote of thanks, we discovered that it was a political convention that had been thrust upon us and we withdrew into the obscurity of our small company Its Resources and its People. JJ and again thought upon the grayness of the morning and the melancholy of the landscape. Nevertheless the people do greet one with a happy heartiness that is all their own. Can it be that the genial play of Dakota sunshine incarnates itself in the person of its people? Driving through the endless fields of wheat, corn and oats we hailed the farmer and discussed his work. That does not satisfy the man ; we must go into the house ; we must share his modest hospitality; we must measure the profit and the satisfaction of a 1,000 acre Dakota farm. It was the same spirit of good cheer, large fellowship, happy welcome, whether we journeyed in the cars or tarried at the hotels or mingled with the people in their houses. The newness, the largeness, the importance of their tasks give them a certain fine spirit of comradeship. They want to share their responsibilities with their fellows. They want to divide opportunities among their associates. Kivalry itself among them seems generous and true hearted. One necessarily finds a great deal of personal competition among the people who make these new communities. But the bitterness and harassment of feud and quarrel have not yet dimmed the youth of the fair land. The large productive charity that features the literature of the New Testament makes forceful appeal to the free life of the West. Its adaptability to the anomalous conditions of society is a very suggestive fact. Dakota is favored with a wealth. J4 South Dakota : of fair and cloudless days. Weather will thrust itself into the moods, features, enersjies and characters of men. It were a matter of course to remark the intelligence of these people. They publish 352 newspapers. This number exceeds the number published in twenty-four different States of the Union. Intelligence were palpa- ble in the very fact that these people have sought this fertile land and chosen it as the home-place. New York farms represent an average investment of $46 per acre. Dakota farms represent an average invest- ment of $6 per acre. The Dakota acre will surpass the New York acre in productiveness. And the New York markets, by the help of water-ways, serve the Dakota farmer when he sells his produce. These set- tlers of South Dakota, are predominantly American. They came from all the eastern States. They repre- sent the best families of the land. It is not frontier pandemonium that one finds in Dakota. The people bring books, pictures, pianos with them, — all the acces- sories of refinement and education. Their small homes are filled with the evidences of mental culture. The magazines, the reviews, the newspapers, are conven- iently at hand. Dakota life seems to sharpen the wits of these people. There is just enough adventure con- nected with a migration westward to spice the life, and give it a healthful invigoration. The mind becomes active, observant, efficient. And the innumerable 'questions that concern life when the community passes Its Resources and its People, jj* through its formative season, call into activity the faculties that might otherwise lie quiescent. One could not but notice the extent of general information and the accuracy of statement revealed through gen- eral conversation. People have the feeling that they must do their own thinking in Dakota. It may be that some of the pioneers chose the Territory for a home with that very purpose. The conservatism and the conventionality of the East depressed them and trammeled them. Here they have the freedom of the prairies. And they can put this thought into the plastic conditions of this fresh life. It not only gives men satisfaction, but it fosters mind-power, this taking share in the making of the State. Circumstances were important factors in determining the sturdy, indepen- dent, noble type of our Kew England ancestry. And circumstances contribute their strength to the worth and character of the Dakota people. The Territory is marked by a significant patriotism. Many thousands of our soldiers have chosen Dakota for their home-making. We meet them on everj^ side. And sometimes it is a pathetic sight. It is farming under difficulties when the man has only one arm to help him, or when infirmity makes the days uncertain and distressful. You see these people scattered through Dakota. They fought the country's battles, and they accept the country's dole of land and bread. There is no charity about this thing. It is meagre, petty pay- ment for a service that saved the integrity of the jd South Dakota : - Union. And these same soldiers, who braved death for their countrj^, who carry wound scars that stamp them with the honorable insignia of patriotism, are disfranchised. They take no part in the peaceful ad- ministration of this Government. They pay their taxes, submit to distant domination, and endure the shame and contumely of voiceless, helpless insignifi- cance. It speaks well for the loyalty of the Dakota peo- ple that they pursue a dignified, straightforward course. Hope is strong in the hearts of these citizens. They carry with them positive assurance that the future shall bring them unstinted prosperity. These people have observed the trend of events. They have measured the promises of the years. Disappointment may touch them ; circumstances may vex them, but their unfaltering faith in the country, and their indomitable reliance upon them- selves, make them triumphantly hopeful. Foreigners have not settled largely in South Dakota. The native American has impressed the country with his unique character. And as you move among these people, you confess to an atmosphere of prosperity that seems to brood above the very land and give its healthful impulse to the tiller of the soil as well as the citizen of the town. It is delightful to tarry with people who make per- petual distribution of ffood cheer, large faith, cordial spirit, happy zeal. It is worth the journey to this Dakota land — a few days' association with such large- ness of plan, enthusiasm of progress, magnitude of achievement. It was the saying of the old Greek poet, Its Resources and its People. j'jr Epaminondas, that " the gods sell for labor all good things." These modern Dakotaians give fine emphasis to the classic maxim. One does not look for many charitable, religious and educational institutions in a country that has just been subdued. These witnesses to advanced civilization are things of slow growth. Nevertheless, we found them in Dakota. The zeal of these people is especially noticeable when vou discuss reform, education, relior- ion. Various institutions for the amelioration of suf- fering and the reformation of the depraved have been founded and supported by the territory. Asylums, penitentiaries, prisons, are conducted on the plans that approve themselves to the intelligence of the people, and their work bears very favorable comparison with neighbor States. It is a suggestive fact, however, that the percentage of criminals confined in the peniten- tiaries is the smallest of any State in the Union, being only 1 to 2,263 inhabitants. Church work shows an energy, an aggressiveness, an enthusiasm that touch the observer to the quick. A great task is laid upon the various missionary socie- ties. The new towns demand church privileges. They have not had time to do much in the way of public improvement ; private affairs have occupied their first days. But the church necessity presses itself into the heart. The people ask the help of their Eastern friends. The Missionary Society sends its men. The field is canvassed, a loan is made to the young church, a jS South Dakota : modest edifice is erected and the town is strengthened by this compact and visible expression of the religious sentiment. The villages and the cities all have their churches. They are among the first signs of a genuine liome life. These modest beginnings contain the potency of great, vigorous organizations. Speedily growing into self-support, they operate with tremendous power in the shaping of the people into worthy character. And still the work does not keep pace with the demands of the day. It is the season of supreme opportunity. The church as a precious factor in the moulding of these new, sensitive conditions is welcomed and cherished. But the missionary societies seem blind to the magnifi- cent fields that stretch before them, or is it the people of the east who fail to measure the importance of the formative period, and so give small contributions to these societies that plant and foster young churches ? These western workmen who direct church affairs show a zeal, earnestness, self-denial, enterprise that fill the traveler with admiration and inspire him with hope ; nevertheless, their tasks expand with such speed and attain such vast proportions, that discouragement sometimes perils their devotion and threatens to stare them out of countenance. Men drive their thirty and forty miles on the Sabbath, preaching morning,afternoon and evening, ministering to three and sometimes four congregations, conducting Sunday schools, organizing neighborhood meetings, planning the prosperity of churches. And these herculean labors are performed f Its Resourses and its People. JQ with a good cheer and an enthusiasm that give happy witness to the worth and meaning of such labors. But it is something that must be dinned into the ears and pushed into the hearts of our eastern people, that now is the accepted time. This new west may be wrought into a strength, merii, beauty of Christian civilization that shall make it the very paradise of the Republic. Will the church do it ? Make generous, triumphant response, wise and loyal citizens of this great country ! Dakota's educational institutions are numerous and progressive. The public school system advantages the the Territory after a noble fashion. We observed three handsome district school houses a short distance from Redfield that cost some $4:,000 (the three buildings). Four thousand public schools are scattered through the prairies. Dakota surpasses eight States and all the Territories in school population. She employs a greater number of school teachers than sixteen of the States. She has more school days than eleven States. The value of her school property exceeds that of thirty- three States and Territories. She enrolls a larger per- centage of the children in her schools than any other State or Territory, with the exception of Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire and Ehode Island. Each township has 1,280 acres set apart by the United States Government for the sup- port of public schools. These lands are available when the Territory attains statehood. As the lands are 40 South Dakota : valued approximately at $5,000,000 according to the Commissioner of Immigration, the sale of these lands would give the largest school fund belonging to any State. At the present time the nearly $2,000,- 000 devoted to school work is annually raised by tax- ation and the people bear the burden without com- plaint. These public schools keep abreast of the times. The methods of instruction and the class of text books denote that teachers are well trained and thoroughly posted. Special instruction is here given concerning the nature and effects of alcoholic drinks and narcotics, although nearly sixty counties have banished the saloon and illustrate local prohibition. Higher institutions of learning are established in dif- ferent parts of the Territory. The various sections will soon have their own academies and colleges, so that a thorough education is possible to any industri- ous, ambitious youth. There are seven Territorial in- stitutions and fourteen other colleges and academies. Handsome buildings have been erected by many of these schools. We could not visit them, but we met a number of the men who have the leadership in educa- tional affaire, and the reports which they gave us showed the usefulness and the influence of the insti- tutions. Yankton College has done an excellent work. The President, Doctor Ward, is a man of rare ability, one who does not restrict labor to academic halls, but shares loyally in all public enterprises. President Ward has invested a large amount of personal labor in Its Resources and its People. 4.1 the numerous affairs that concern the prosperity and character of South Dakota. The University at Vermil- lion enters heartily into the work of the day. The in- stitution gives fine promise of State service under the leadership of its popular, energetic President. Red- field College is a school that has recently been founded in Redfield, Spink county. The location is good and the opportunities of service are numerous. Its Presi- dent shows great zeal in his task of organiza- tion. The building recentl}^ erected for the use of the institution is one of the handsomest edifices that we saw in Dakota. Like other new schools established in the Territory it illustrates the thrift, en- terprise, self-sacrifice, intelligence of its loyal founders and benefactors. Men make no happier or profitabler investment of their money than in the solid construc- tion and thorough organization of such institutions. Redfield College, Grotan College, Sioux Falls Univer- sity, Pierre University, Dakota University, Yankton College — they all deserve the large bounty and the cordial support of eastern and western friends. These institutions are vital to the mental vigor and moral health of the Territory. College graduates are numer- ous in Dakota. They are alive to the significance of higher education. They propose that this broad com- monwealth shall source its future greatness in the large intelligence and the regal merit of its people. DAKOTA CITIES. An eastern man uses the word city with diffidence when he refers to the larger towns of the Territory. People who are accustomed to villages of 10,000 in- habitants, like Stamford, Ct., or 15,000 inhabitants like Saratoga Springs, do not easily adjust their speech to the western conditions. But the matter rights itself after one gets familiar with the situation. A man must visit Duluth, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Omaha, Sioux City, and other places that have made their history during the last five or fifteen years. He must glean statistics, study territory, measure trade possibilities, remark the ultimate centre of immigration. When this has been done with faithfulness, he has data for judgment in respect to cities. The slow^ staid, ancient, monotonous movements of the New England farm districts are not characteristic of western life. Dakota abounds in " rustlers." And we are prepared to say " city " when we describe these busy^ workful, energetic, thriving, wonderful towns. The thing that first impresses us when we get good understanding of the thing is the reasonableness of the claim to cityhood. Dakota is an immense Territory. It is rapidly passing under the sway of the farmer. Well nigh seven hundred thousand people make Dakota their Its Resources and its People. 43 home. Such tremendous influx of settlers necessitates the building of cities. There are fifteen or eighteen towns that lay just claim to that name in the Ter- ritory. And that is a small number for a great State con- taining 150,000 square miles of land. Now, these cities are all small. They are young. They have not had time to gain a large population. They have never been marked by sporadic, high-pressure, abnormal develop- ment. Mining towns spring into existence in a day, and then die almost as quickly. Mining districts do not conduce to health and vigor of city growth. The fever and uncertainty connected with the business im- part their own peculiar features to the towns. But these Dakota cities are the inevitable results of agri- cultural prosperity. In the first place, we observe that the rapid development of the country necessitated trade centres. The farmer must have a convenient post where he can obtain supplies, transact the necessary business of food, clothes, implements, stock. As the districts became settled, the trade centres grew in im- portance. Five years make these trade centres verita- ble cities, although their population may not have attained great numbers The character of the place is civic. Its relations to the country are civic. The at- mosphere is civic. Banks, stores, hotels, factories, of- fices, shops, newspapers, activities and enterprises, all tend to give the trade centre a city worth and promi- nence. The territory which these places drain is enor- mous. Counties that exceed some of the eastern States 44 South Dakota : in size contribute all their business to a city such as we have described. The amount of business transacted as- tonishes the traveler. Two dry goods stores situated in one of the newest of these places (a town that does not yet call itself a city,) did a business last year that a mounted to $40,000 each. These figures indicate the trade possibilities of the Dakota trade centres. It is a matter of necessity that each section of the country build such a town to centralize its interests. The railroad corporations are swift to interpret this need. When they pierce the land they plan these oc- casional centres. With an eye to their own prosperity they establish a town, making large grants of land to it, encouraging the settlement of the place, giving gener- ously to the erection of public buildings and doing many things to multiply the attractions of the centre. The railroad corporations have transformed the great west into an industrious, energetic, profitable country. These corporations enhance the value of their own property and enlarge their business at the same time that they prove allies of the tradesmen and farmers in the great task of making a rich and prosperous com- monwealth. These cities become railroad centres. Take such a place as Aberdeen. The Milwaukee, St. Paul, Chicago road, the Northwestern road, the Mani- toba road, the Aberdeen & Bismarck road meet each other here. This illustrates the condition. When one road has entered a thriving central town other roads are compelled to push for the same place. These Its Resources and its People. 4.J €orporations show remarkable shrewdness and fore- sight in such matters. And the men who direct their affairs have impregnable confidence in the future im- portance of these elected cities. In frequent conversa- tions with railroad officials, we were profoundly im- pressed by their mighty faith in Dakota's greatness. Pivotal points — -that is what the railroads make these cities. The roads diverge from them in all directions. They are rapidly cutting the landscape into small sec- tions. They transport the commodities of life to the very door of the farmers, and then take in exchange his wheat, oats, potatoes, corn, cattle and butter. These central cities are also county seats. The public offices and buildings must be located where they are convenient to the people. Trade centres and railroad centres have decided the question of con- venience. The county business therefore adds its strength to the prosperity of the favored cities. Pro- fessional men are naturally attracted to these places. They observe opportunities such as are rare and promiseful. Education gets an impulse that signifies thorough work and broad culture. The various advantages that pertain to the life of aggressive cities are common to these nascent Dakota towns. We recognize their right to sisterhood among the cities of the land. " How large are your city limits? " we said to a citizen who spoke enthusiastically concerning the 'growth of his town. " Three miles square," was the reply. " Is not that pretty large territory for you ?" 4^ South Dakota : '^Noj" he said. " We have well nigh spread over all that space, and in a short time we shall be obliged to- stretch the city limits." The truth of it is, these cities grow with such vigorous rapidity that a stranger is- incompetent to discuss the merits of their case. Dakota is an agricultural Territory. It is farm work that explains her marvellous prosperity. Nev- ertheless, there are splendid opportunities for the de- velopment of manufacturing interests. Such a vast country must do a good share of its own shop work if it proposes to manage its affairs with economy. Mill- ing is a business that will grow into good proportions in these cities. There are already one hundred and fourteen flouring mills in the Territory. Farm work is done by machinery. The amount of farm machinery sent annually into Dakota is enormous. It represents- a great amount of money that is sent out of Dakota. A fair share of such implements will be made in the Territory itself ere many years pass. Kailroad shops give employment to many men in the cities. The brick yards, the broom factories, the feed mills, the tow mills, the carriage shops, the wood shops and other manufacturing establishments are making good begin- nings. But mechanical and factory industries are not thoroughly established. The cities are alive to the demands of the hour. They will now give special en- couragement to these enterprises, but the immediate necessities of the farmers and the task of building up trade have so engrossed the people that manufacturing Its Resources and its People. 41 interests have not received the support and gained the impetus that shall be given to them in the future. As we pass from town to town we remark the next step in the regal prosperity of Dakota. The cities must foster manufactures. Such a course will fill them with industrious, intelligent artisans, give strength and stability to the city institutions, supply the home con- sumption of many valuable products, enlarge and stimu- late the circulation of money and share very generously in the prosperity of the commonwealth. Aberdeen is well located for purposes of manufacture. We do not mean that it has water power. These Dakota cities — the most of them — must depend upon steam or elec- tricity or artesian wells for motive in machine work. But Aberdeen commands a wide section of country, and the railroads make it a centre. Trade flows easily to it, the influx of people is large and continuous. The city shows a liveliness, an enterprise, a persistency, a de- cision that commend it to men of like instincts and pur- poses. The activity among the builders is remarkable. Private houses, business blocks, railroad shops, public edifices, they are all in process of erection and still the demand outstrips the supply. Watertown, near the eastern boarder of the Territory, has a location that is especially attractive. The monotony of a level country is avoided by the gentle rise of low hills on the one side and an undulating, elevated landscape on the other. There is just enough diversity of surface to rest and please the eye. The city gathers into its 48 South Dakota : limits the central plain and the neighboring elevations. The broad, straight streets press their way into the prairies or run their course down to the low shores of the modest Big Sioux river. Here one notes the same air of brisk trade and enthusiastic enterprise. Hand- some residences rise in various parts of the city. The lawns will be neat and trim and shaded when time gives full encouragement to man's workmanship. But people feel that they can afford to wait, and one for- gives the crudeness and the freshness of the work when we measure the promise of the future. Shaded streets and beautiful lawns — they are the precious fruition of«years. Watertown is less than ten years old. Yet it has reached proportions that give perfect assurance of its permanent character. The finest bank building in the Territory adorns one of the streets of the city. And we were surprised to see many hand- some stores, offices, blocks, buildings, giving the place an appearance of worth, stability, progress that might well be the envy of eastern cities. It will not be long ere the wholesale trade will gain a foothold in this energetic town. A vast country is tributary to Water- town. Its growth will necessarily be rapid during the next decade. One of the attractions here is Lake Kampeska. A beautiful piece of landscape stretches between the city and the lake. As one stands upon the elevation north- ward one observes the gleaming waters in the distance. We drive through three miles of undulating verdure, Its Resources and its People. 49 and then we rest on the pleasant shores of Kampeska. Jutting cliffs, ample fields, fringes of trees, occasional cottages, such is the narrow bordering of the lake, but great broad lands of living green give the ampler fram- ing to the beautiful retreat. Kampeska is destined to give delightful prominence to Watertown. The motor line in process of construction, which will connect the city and the lake, promises to make a summer resort of large proportions and wide fame. Add trade activities, railroad facilities, manufacturing interests, and Kam- peska enjoyments, and the sum will be a large, flour- ishing, important, attractive city named Watertown. Some sixty miles west the traveler finds Redfield, the county seat of Spink county. Several railroads make the place a centre. The usual elevators are constructed at the stations. The trade of a large section of country locates itself here. Stores, banks, offices, hotels, churches, county buildings, good schools, water works, flour mills, creamery, wood-working establishment, they all serve the town and give it the pleasant appear- ance of prosperity. We visited many farms in the neighborhood of Redfield. As we discussed lands, harvests, investments we gained fresh knowledge con- cerning the matchless advancement of this country. It is one of those things that cannot be obstructed, the ultimate pre-eminence of Dakota as the agricultural autocrat among the States. The record of bank transac- tions through the autumn astounds the unsophisticated New Englander. Money channels itself through these ^O South Dakota : institutions with such a continuity and largeness of flow that one gets the impression that it is minted in the very fields. Eastern capital wedded to western indus- try yields its splendid harvest. The amount of bank- ing business transacted by one National bank in Eed- field would be creditable and noteworthy for many cities of the east. One observes similar characteristics as Huron, Mitchell, Pierre, Madison, Chamberlain are visited. Business moves with briskness and enthusiasm. It is not speculation. Agricultural and trade sections are not favorable for speculative purposes. Values are even and reliable, with a healthful movement in the way of appreciation. People who buy land here testify unani- mously to the profit of the investment, since lands are rising in value. And people who buy city property with discretion are equally secure in respect to ample profits. City real estate has doubled in price during the last two or three or five years. It is matter of necessity. South Dakota is bound to grow. Immigration besieges the Territory. The impulse of development is irresistible. Improve- ment, industry, expansion, settlement — they all en- hance the worth of property, and contribute their share to security and stability. Huron has many substantial buildings, and considerable wealth is located in the city. Many handsome private residences give a cer- tain home appearance to the place that commends it to the traveler. Streets are lighted by electricity, as are Its Resources and its People, ^i the streets of Aberdeen and Watertown. Water is ?upplied by a strong-pressure artesian well. Street railway, railroad shops, pork-packing house, flour mills, oil storage tanks, and various industrial establish- ments, give the city a prosperous business appearance. The schools and the churches of Huron are doing ad- mirable work. In fact, this is characteristic of Dakota towns. One notes the same thing in Yankton. Peo- ple are alert to material prosperity, yet they put strong emphasis upon school and church. Yankton has an appearance of age as compared with her city competitors. Numerous shops and public institutions give employment to a large company of men. The streets — many of them — are adorned with shade trees. One has the feeling that Yankton may be further east than some other Dakota cities. And yet age will modify the temper and appearance of all these impul- sive, palpitant cities. One ought not to say one word to their disparagement. Sioux Falls is one of the live- liest towns in the West. Its trade has developed with marvelous rapidity. And it is forcible illustration of the manufacturing possibilities of the Territory. Flour mills, stove works, packing houses, wood shops, crack- er factory, foundries, broom factory, bottling works, cooper shops, carriage shops, creamery, cheese factory, brick yards, cigar factories, and various other factories are all in successful operation here. The city has the telephone system, street railways, gas works, water works, electric light plant, some fourteen or fifteen ^2 South Dakota : churches, several educational and Territorial institu- tions, an opera house, fire department, and county buildings. The people themselves are thoroughly alive to the interests of the city. They propose to en- large their enterprises, to increase their trade facilities. And their zeal will bring them rich reward. Sioux Falls will soon attain the proportions of a robust city. Men and opportunities are the two prime factors in the making of great cities. Dakota has the men — men of faith, spirit, sagacity, perseverance. Dakota has the opportunities — opportunities that history scarcely para- lels. Dakota will have large cities — prosperous, opu- lent, well-governed, progressive. And these cities will bear close, intimate relations to the development and importance of Dakota. STATEHOOD. Dakota is majestic in its proportions. It spaces one hundred and fifty thousand square miles. As we cut it into acres, it takes eight figures to denote the result. Dakota gives us 96,596,480 acre lots. The landscape seems illimitable. Such vast dimensions tax the mind unto weariness. AVe want to think of Delaware or Connecticut for a moment, in order to rest us in our fatigue. It takes ten Denmarks to make one Dakota. We will think of little Denmark as a brief and happy respite. The productiveness of this land matches its magni- tude. The harvests seem limited only by man's capac- ity to till the acres and garner the increase. Wheat, rye, oats, flax, corn, barley, vegetables, flourish after a regal fashion, while flocks of sheep and herds of cattle add their precious contributions to the prosperit}'^ of the land. These level, fertile, mighty acres invite the sover- eignty of man. The rightful masters take possession. It is a large company that is distributed through Dakota The statisticians bade us write that the round num- ber to-day was nearly seven hundred thousand people. It is a population which exceeds the population of any other Territory. It is a population that exceeds the ^4 South Dakota : population of Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Khode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Nebraska, and probably West Virginia, Connecticut and Maine. We may count Dakota number twenty- two among the States and Territories, in respect to population. We visited these Dakota workmen. We met them in the field, in the home, in the shop, in the store. We traveled with them through the Territory. We examined their schools and institutions. We went into their churches. We used every opportunity to study the people and measure their worth. These people impressed us with their manliness, their intelligence, their energy, their thrift, their adaptability, their patriotism. It is an Anglo-Saxon host which greets us in South Dakota. When these young people get some infusion of other life, it is swiftly assimilated, so that the Anglo-Saxon spirit remains characteristic. And we Anglo-Saxon men are great sticklers for independency, right of representation, self-government, home rule. Is it a strange thing, is it a presumptuous thing, that these hundreds of thousands of educated, enterprising, patriotic men meet in general convocation and demand just recognition ? For five years have these people pressed their suit. Nevada, with her dwindling popu- lation of some 60,000 people, sends her representatives to Congress. Dakota, with her more than ten times larger population, knocks importunately at the door of Its Resources audits People. j'j' •Congress, and gets a gruff answer to her appeal. The people of the Territory we found terribly in earnest concerning this important matter. It is the supreme question of the hour. They meet in frequent assembly to discuss their course of action. Tradesmen meet. The learned professions meet. Farmers, bankers meet. They agitate this question of inalienable rights. We were profoundly moved by the intensity of feeling manifested. First it is one section of the Territory, then it is another section of the Territory, then it is the whole Territory convening with this same just end in view — the achievement of Statehood. All classes ■chorus a great desire, urgency, passion, for Statehood. These people represent the thrift, the spirit, the man- hood, the worth of New England, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Indiana, and other States. These people pushed westward moved by that impulse of empire that seems native to the American heart. And the nation says to each loyal, ambitious citizen of this Territory, *' Thou shalt not vote." Do these people live in the great Republic ? Put that question to them when the tax- gatherer visits them. " Thou shalt not vote," says the nation, "but thou shalt pay thy taxes or be put up at auction." This is the condition in which a great host of Anglo-Saxon people, born freemen and suf fragists, live and suffer and struggle. We were quickened into sympathy with these peo- ple. They are peaceful, law-abiding citizens. They hold the interests of the Republic as most precious. S^ South Dakota : They flame with enthusiasm when national holidays remind them of great achievements. But they have a practical, personal waj of interpreting their own inter- ests. The continuance of Territorial rule signifies op- pression. Public affairs are conducted after a fashion that does scant justice to various sections and industries and interests. The people have no voice in deter- mining certain questions that pertain to their prosperity. When individuals are defrauded and when their rights are denied, we were told that any appeal to the courts was a matter of infinite patience and uncertain issue. There are six judges given to the whole Territory. Civil cases await trial 3^ear after year, so that men have learned that it was more profitable to suffer in silence than put their cause into court. The continuance of Territorial rule signifies misgov- ernment. Ofiicials are not responsible to the people. They do not represent the thought, purpose, spirit of the people. A citizen of Connecticut suddenly trans- ferred to California would not be competent to take charge of that great State and conduct its affairs ac- cording to the will and mind of its citizens. It requires residence, observation, experience to fit men for posi- tions of public trust. With the best intentions, men who are strangers to these Territorial conditions often make such mistakes that irreparable injury is done. That is the claim made by the citizens of Dakota — a claim that appears substantiated by their strong array of facts. Its Resources and its People. 57 Continuance of Territorial rule signifies retardation. The Territory is hampered. What action the local Legislature may take is so restricted and curtailed by national law or official veto that the citizens have small opportunity to shape public affairs. The formative condition of Dakota suggests many matters that require wise delibcation and judicious adjustment. The citi- zens are compelled to adjourn the settlement of such matters. They have not the power or the opportunity to legislate for them. Any local expression of wish or purpose is quite likely to get faint recognition when it reaches the "powers that be." When we think how the innumerable details of self-government are left in this inchoate state, we are forced to confess that these people are miserably cramped by circumstances. The people first demand a division of the Territory. They are very strenuous concerning this matter. Divis- ion will gain them better government. The present capital is Bismarck. It is a long and tedious way from Yankton, Chamberlain, the Black Hills and other parts of the Territory. The business that is transacted at Bismark seems quite foreign to these distant sections. If any local matter presents itself, the people say that they are likely to fail in getting a just hearing. Their local interests are forgotten by the time they are trans- ported to the distant capital. There is a certain un- likeness between North Dakota and South Dakota which helps to jeopard each other's interests. Legisla- tion which favors the upper tier of counties may prove j