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ing up and improving the land, furnish a handsome living for the settler 
while clearing same. 
The soil in the region is varied, but ranges from a sand-loam clay, black- 
loam soil to peat-loam soil, usually underlaid with clay, making it rich in 
plant life. We made repeated inquiries of the settlers as to the crops. Dent 
and Northwestern corn were said to mature. Wheat yielded well, as did 
rye and barley. Clover and grasses also yielded two to three tons per acre. 
There is no reason why people who go into this region for the purpose of 
making a living farming should not succeed. But too many men have taken 
up land with no other intention than to sell it to the timber people (or any 
other possible buyer) as soon as they could prove up on same. Improye- 
ments, therefore, are not what they should be and too few settlers have 
cows and chickens in a country where both do well and bring profitable 
returns. Furthermore, there is no reason why farmers who intend to farm 
and make a home should not go to this region. There are some home- 
steads yet to be had. In addition, land is cheap that is owned privately 
or by the state of Minnesota. 
In a mineral way nothing is known of this region. Float coal is said 
to have been found in the stream beds, but no veins have ever been located. 
Quartz rock formation, exposed both on the Little Fork river near the 
‘town of the same name and also on the Big Fork river near Big Falls, is 
often sprinkled with gold that is said to assay well. Placer deposits have 
also been found that run high in gold locally. Geologically speaking, the 
region seems to be underlaid with Lower and Middle Huronian rocks 
(Couchiching formation) plus Archaeon rocks. The Huronian rocks are 
likely to contain iron deposits. In fact iron boulders have been found in 
many places and all the streams are impregnated with iron. 
The region is crossed by the Minnesota and International Railroad, the 
terminal points being Bamidji and International Falls with the towns and 
railroad centers of Little Fork in Little Fork valley and Big Falls in the 
Big Fork region. Otherwise the region is practically in the virgin state. 
