The county seat and metropolis of Walsh County North Dakota: city of Grafton, illustrated

• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: North Dakota State Library 2014
• Subjects: Canada; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://cdm16921.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/ndsl-books/id/13840

GRAFTON ILLUSTRATED. ever since and now has 540 acres of as fine farming land as there is in the west, and is able to take life easy. The accompanying picture was taken during the past summer and is given to show what a good Walsh county farm looks like. Hon. Charles Lbbighausen, who came to Graf ton in 1880, and was one of the first to engage in business here, served the people of this district very acceptably for three terms in the legislature, and is now one of Grafton's leading merchants. Mr. Ebbighausen early secured some of the best farming land around Grafton and still owns 300 acres immediately adjoining the city on the north, and makes his home there. Edward Evausou located three miles north of Grafton in 1880, where he still lives. A view of his fine farm residence is given. During the years 1880, '81 and '82, settlers rushed into Walsh county in great numbers, and before the close of the year 1882 nearly every quarter section in the county had been taken. They came from nearly all of the states and Canada, from Norway, Sweden, France, Scotland, Poland, Bohemia, Iceland and other countries, the various nationalities generally forming-settlements. There was little crowding, as there was room for all. Probably there is not another county in the United States containing so varied a population. The building of the four lines of railroad which traverse the county has helped materially in its wonderful growth and prosperity. The twenty-one years which covers practically the growth of Walsh County in inhabitants and wealth, have seen the population increase from a small settlement to over twenty-five thousand people. Its wealth, which then consisted only in the fertile soil, is now indicated by a county assessment roll which aggregates nearly four million dollars. From a few hundred bushels of wheat raised in 1879, the aggregate yield has grown to four million bushels of wheat, a million and a quarter bushels of oats, half a million bushels of barley, a quarter of a million bushels of flax, besides other lesser crops. Twenty-one years ago the county EDWARD EVENSON S FARM RESIDENCE. live stock consisted of a few oxen. Last year the assessor's returns showed that the farmers of the county owned 12,070 horses, 11,819 cattle, 1,962 sheep and 5,616 hogs. The fertility of this county has been amply demonstrated and, as the population has increased in wealth, the claim shanty and the log house have given place to substantial and even elegant farm buildings, while the cities and towns have the modern improvements and advantages of the metropolitan cities of the east. 30 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.