CLAY COUNTY ILLUSTRATED 



Alfalfa in Blossom Along State Road East of Glyndon 



Introduction 



AVhen the first settlers reached Clay 

 County they found a land of promise ; 

 but none of them ever dreamed that 

 it would become a land of plenty as 

 it is now. They built their homes near 

 the openings in the timber that bor- 

 dered the lakes and water courses in 

 what was then a wilderness. Their 

 houses were built of logs and roofed 

 with split shakes or sod. 



If these pioneers could see this coun- 

 try today they would not believe it to 

 be the same land upon which they 

 located in the late sixties or early sev- 

 enties. While there has been con- 

 tinued improvement during the half 

 century that has elapsed since the first 

 of the settlers came, the most wonder- 

 ful changes have been wrought dur- 

 ing the last two decades. About twen- 



ty years ago there came the first break 

 when the three state drainage ditches 

 were dug. At that time there were 

 vast tracts of unoccupied railroad 

 land-grant and state school lands in 

 all parts of the county. A law com- 

 pelling the railroads to pay taxes on 

 these lands was passed by the state 

 legislature, and the land was sold and 

 soon became productive. 



The first step from exclusive small 

 grain growing to diversified farming 

 came when a few of the farmers began 

 to raise potatoes for eastern and south- 

 ern seed houses. This industry start- 

 ed in a small way; but the demand 

 for Clay County seed potatoes in- 

 creased so rapidly that the potato rais- 

 ing industry has become one of the 

 most important in this section. Many 



Second Growth Clover Near Rustad, September 16, 1915 



