The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Abraham Lincoln's greatest influence on North Dakota was his signing of the Homestead Act in 1862, which brought thousands of settlers to the state with the promise of free land. The Railroads and the US Government were also selling land in North Dakota in the late 1800s, for as little as a dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, but there was still plenty of land available, even after the Great Dakota Boom of 1878-1890. However, it was getting more expensive.
In the March 1907 editions of the Dickinson Press, the Spring Valley Land Company described Dunn County land they were selling as "gently rolling, with here and there a hill or peak. The soil is rich, dark loam with a clay subsoil and very productive" with good water to be had at a depth from 10 to 40 feet. The price? $10.00 to $15.00 dollars per acre.
Dakota Datebook written by Merrill Piepkorn.
"Dakota Datebook" is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from Humanities North Dakota. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org, subscribe to the "Dakota Datebook" podcast, or buy the Dakota Datebook book at shopprairiepublic.org.
