Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1886 — THE FAR WEST. [ARTICLE]

THE FAR WEST.

Dame Fortune Point* the Way. There is perhaps no place in America that offers to the energetic, industrious man a more sure reward for his labor than the country that has so recently sprung into prominence, and whose unparalleled resources have been quite unknown until within the last few months. There is a reason why the general world has not known of its existence, although it lies within a few days’ travel of populous centers of civilization. We speak of the country lying in Northwestern Nebraska and Southwestern Dakota, and it has seemed as though that rich and fertile farming section was to remain undeveloped on account of its geographical position and the difficulty with which travelers reached it. It has been known for years that the fertility of the North Platte country in Nebraska was unequaled by any soil in the world, and men who have ■had the moral courage to take their chances have availed themselves of the opportunity of a profitable investment, and have secured homes by homestead right and purchase, until nearly all the land lying near the railroads has been taken possession of by actual settlers, and, as a result, we see Northeastern Nebraska one of the most prosperous sections in the West. But lying just beyond is a country more fertile and possessing more natural advantages, fed ny mountain streams, and rich with mineral deposits. We know that it is a popular opinion that the best land has been taken, and that there only remain undesirable patches of arid soil unfit for cultivation. This may be true of certain sections of the Northwest, but cannot be said of a country that lies entirely open to settlers, and which will, before the ending of the present year, be in the possession of those vigilant business men who are always upon the alert to take advantage of the country opened up by the building of new lines of railway. Such opportunities do not often occur, and a man may live his life and not have such chances thrown iu his way as are now offered. The Black Hills country, now for the first time thrown open to the world by the extension of railway enterprise, has by its entire isolation from civilization existed iu the minds of many people only as a myth. The death of the brave Custer, which occurred some distance from there, brought that country into public notice, and the agitation of those times resulted in the opening of the Hills to white settlement, but the r extreme distance rendered it impossible for any but the most brave and adventurous to go there. All this has been changed, however, with the coming of the locomotive, and the Black Hills region to-day, without question, constitutes the richest district for its area in the world. Its gold, silver, tin, mica, iron, coal oil, its timber, its mountains of marble, and gypsum, show it to be the most prolific iu resources of any section of country on this continent. Lying toward the western limit of the more thickly populated portion of Nebraska is the town of Valentine, and seventy-five miles further west you reach what is known as the Antelope country, and beyond this it is simply magnificent, both in appearance, topography, and richness; and that condition obtains almost entirely to the State line between Nebraska and Wyoming, as does also a similar condition northward from the Dakota line to Bapid City and vicinity. A false idea has gained some credence that this portion of Dakota and Nebraska was only fit for grazing purposes, but this is a great mistake, for some of the finest wheat and oats ever grown in the States has been harvested in the immediate vicinity of what is now known as Buffalo Gap. There seems to be no limit to the depth or richness of the soil, and, besides this, the face of the country is beautiful, being just rolling enough to be picturesque, yet little of it that is not tillable. It has been quite reliably reported that during this year the Fremont, Elkhom and Missouri Valley Bailroad Company and the Sioux City and Pacific Bailroad, both being under control of the Northwestern Bailway, will extend their line to Fort Fetterman, Wyoming Territory. Another ex-'-elision will be made from Buffalo Gap to Bapid City, a distance of fifty miles, as will also a line be built from Fremont 'to Lincoln, a distance of nearly fifty miles. Still another branch will be constructed, starting westward from Scribner, in nearly a direct line, some sixty miles. It is possible, however, that the last named route may bear slightly to the northwest, the geographical surface of the country being more favorable to its construction. Too much praise cannot be awarded to the enterprise of these railway companies, in thus taking the risk of exploring a hitherto unsettled country, and to their exertion alone can be attributed the brilliant prospect now opened to those who wish to avail themselves of an opportunity to make a substantial start in life.

It is not out of place in this connection to give a brief description of Buffalo Gap and Rapid City, the two most important towns lying upon this railway line now pushing its way where others dared not go. Buffalo Gap is a village of 800 population, and lies midway between Chadron and Rapid City, fifty miles distant from each. The site upon which the city is situated is a beautiful second bottom, far above high water, three miles from the Gap proper, and at the base of beautiful hills which are about 1,800 feet high, while the far-reaching valley of the Beaver, touching the Cheyenne, and the Cheyenne River valley are plainly visible in the distance. It has a fine agricultural countiy around it, the stock ranges •of the Cheyenne River tributary to it, and plenty of fine timber within hauling distance. On the 10th of December of last year the railway was finished to the Gap. and it is reliably estimated that fully 140 houses were erected in the incredibly short space of ten days after the arrival of the first railway coach. Buffalo Gap is at the present time the terminus of the railway line, but the proposed route lies northward to Rapid City, which is the county seat of Pennington County, and its location is as beautiful as could be imagined. Lying on the banks of Rapid Creek, a clear, swift stream, it is surrounded by fertile valleys and picturesque hills, with the mountains and forests of the great mining region, but a miles away. The countiy tributary to Rapid City contains varied and inexhaustible ' wealth, and the farming countiy its, without exception, aB rich as in Central Bakota. The forests confain their stores of timber, and so great is the supply of pine that it is estimated that the timber will not be exhausted in half a century, and that lumber for export will ■shortly be made an important industry. The

quarrying of building stone, sandstone and slate will soon be begun, and already Eastern capitalists are purchasing land with a view of working the quarries. Although Bapid City has been a frontier town, society is in a state of the most refined culture, and its educational facilities are of the best. Large and commodious school buildings have been erected, and beautiful churches give evidence of a high state of intellectual advancement and cultivation. The Dakota Hot Springs, twelve miles west from Buffalo Gap, are unquestionably a specific for rheumatism and other diseases cured at the Arkansas Hot Springs; and situated, as they are, in the Hills, with the mountains all around them, with canons leading in all directions, each being in itself a natural road-bed, these springs are destined to become not only a sanitary but a pleasure resort, and the height being 3,500 feet above the sea level, renders it the most pleasant to live in of any altitude known. A large hotel is being built at the Springs, which will be completed in early spring, and a tally ho coach line will be run from Buffalo Gap to this hotel, in connection with the railway train; also, an ambulance will be provided for the carrying of those who are unable to ride in the coach. Already the tide of emigration has set In, and as soon as the frost leaves the ground in the spring active operations will be begun by the railroad company in the extension of their lines, and a new country will be opened up to settlers. Begarding the relative merits of the two cities, Buffalo Gap and Bapid City, eacii has advantages not possessed by the other, and it only remains to determine which of these two ambitious cities will be the metropolis of Western Dakota.