Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1886 — THE FAR WEST. [ARTICLE]

THE FAR WEST.

Dome Fortune Point, the 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 whole 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 by mountain streams, and rich with mineral deposits. 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 in the minds of many people only as a myth. The death of the brave Custer, which occurred Some distanee from there, brought that country into public notice, aud the agitation of those times resulted in the opening of the Hills to white settlement, but their 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 in 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 Valentin#, 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 Rapid City and vicinity.

A false idea has gained some credence that this portion of Dakota and Nebraska was only fit for grazing purposes, bnt 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, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad Company and the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad, both being under control of the Northwestern Railway, will extend their line to Fort Fetterman, Wyoming Territory. Another extension will be made from Buffalo Gap to Rapid 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 themsel yes 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 ate 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 country 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 ana forests of the great mining region but a few miles away. The country tributary to Rapid City contains varied and inexhaustible wealth, and the farming country is, without exception,-as rich as any in. Central Dakota. The .forests contain their stdrbsof timber, and so great is the supply ofpine that it is, estimated that the timber will n<?t,.bfe exhausted in half a century, and thai lumber for export will shortly be made an important industry. The quarrying of building, fgone, sandstone and Blate will soon be begun, and already Eastern capitalists are purchasing land with a view of working the quarries. Although Rapid 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. 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. Regarding the relative merits of the two cities, Buffalo Gap and Rapid City, each has advantages not possessed by the other, and it only remains to determine which df these two ambitious cities will be' the metropolis of Western Dakota. T