38 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
that of the Red River valley. The silt where it is wet and compacted 
has much the character of clay, but it differs from clay in that it 
contains fine sand, powdered limestone, and carbonaceous matter, 
which make it less coherent. 
There are some tracts of very compact and heavy soil upon the 
level bottoms, ranging in area from a few square yards to a few square 
miles, that are known as ‘‘gumbo spots.’”’ On account of the imper- 
meable character of the clay, drainage is difficult and in places 
alkaline salts tend to accumulate. 
West of Maple River, which the railway crosses near the village of 
Mapleton, the land rises steadily westward, but the surface of the old 
lake bed is so smooth and the ascent so regular that it is scarcely 
perceptible to the eye. This is a region of great 
Mapleton, farms, and one of the largest and most noted of these 
Elevation 929 feet. 18 the Dalrymple farm, between Mapleton and Cassel- 
Soe ee, ton, which comprises 21,000 acres of cultivated land. 
As these big holdings were the pioneers in the Red 
River valley and led directly to its agricultural development, their 
history may prove to be interesting at this place. 
About 1870 the banking firm of Jay Cooke & Co. became the 
financial agent of the Northern Pacific Railroad Co. and advertised 
widely the great agricultural possibilities of the region to be traversed 
by the railway. Its glowing statements were attacked through the 
press and otherwise, and much skepticism was expressed as to whether 
or not the country was of any value for agriculture. In order to 
meet these criticisms, certain members of the Northern Pacific direc- 
torate determined that they themselves must furnish incontestable 
proof that the land could be farmed to advantage. T. H. Canfield 
purchased 5,500 acres at Lake Park, Minn.; Charlemagne Tower, 
3,000 acres at Glyndon, Minn.; and Benjamin P. Cheney and George 
W. Cass, 6,000 acres at Casselton, N. Dak. These farms were at once 
put under expert cultivation, and the result of the experiment showed 
the Lake Park region and the Red River valley to contain some of 
the finest wheat lands in the world. The demonstration of this fact 
caused a large and steady immigration to this region in the years 
immediately following. 
The town of Casselton is situated in the heart of the great wheat 
belt and was named for George W. Cass, a former president of the 
Northern Pacific Co. In the vicinity of Casselton and 
Casselton. westward for some distance many flowing water wells 
Elevation 961 feet. have been drilled. These wells derive their supply from 
Population 1,553. 
St.Paul 272 mites,  'Wo sources—the glacial drift and the underlying Cre- 
taceous rocks. The water obtained from the glacial 
drift is of fairly good quality and can be obtained at depths ranging 
from 40 to 200 feet, but the amount of water varies considerably 
