Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1902 — TREKKING TO THE WEST. [ARTICLE]

TREKKING TO THE WEST.

Coloniata Flock to the Great Domain Beyond the Mississippi. A Chicago paper the other day contained an interesting story of a migration to the West. During the months of September and October between 40,000 and 60,000 colonists Imre departed for the grent domain beyond the Mississippi and the Missouri. Some of these people have •ought the Pacific coast, some the Southwest, others the Northwest. “The movement of homeseekers and settlers has neved been so great in the history o f western railroads.” It is due, of course, like the great migration of twenty years ago, to the opportunities which the West offers to the land hungry and also to encouraging reports on the profits from grain raising and cattle raising. Naturally, too, the hoom has bad the effect of enhanciug land values. In South Dakota, for example, there lias been a notable increase in the prices asked for fnrms, and owing to the new influx of people and the resulting general activity prices of town realty have an upward tendency also. There is an old-time rush and excitement in the market. Curiously enough there has been at the same time a considerable emigration into Canada over the Northwest border. Such glowing stories have been told of the possibilities in the Dominion's big wheat area that western farmers have sold ou'. with the idea of acquiring larger holdings across the line with the proceeds of the sale. The country seems to be possessor with a veritable trekking fever. During the prevalence of such a fever serious risks are always taken, and they are too often followed by disastrous consequences, but there can be no doubt that the whole of the invaded territory, from the habitable north to the extreme south, is ca(iable of—sustaining a population many times as large as that by which It Is now inhabited. The pity, the paper snys. Is that its attractions "do not check the insane trend toward great cities which comes from a worse fever than tho other and lends to a more hopeless disillusionment.