The Dutton Farm, (now T. E. Alderman & Son,) is in Grant Township and probably when minutely considered is the most valuable farm in the county. There are about nine hundred and sixty acres in it, all in one body. It is being thoroughly drained by tiling. A very large and commodious brick building, standing on a beautiful elevation, was built some three or four years ago by Mr. Dutton which cost about $4,700, and the three barns, one of which is one of the good ones of the county, with other valuable improvements in the vicinity, will swell the amount to about $8,000. Then add to it the value of nine hundred and sixty acres of land at not less than twenty-five dollars per acre, and it sums up to about $32,000. This is a noble showing for Story County, and will be bard to beat.
Having already said something of Mr. Alderman's farm I must now say more about it. He has just finished a new barn, more valuable than the one burnt July 3,1886, and which occurred since my first description of the farm. This barn just completed, (December 1886,) cost about $1 600. It has a heavy stone basement story and will hold, it is claimed, forty horses placed in regular order. The barn is forty-two by seventy feet—covering 2,940 square feet of ground. Posts twenty-four feet and work well done; and still there are barns in the county covering more ground. He has another one twenty-four by one hundred feet with a stone basement sixteen feet post, covering 2,400 square feet. A third one thirty-six by sixty feet, but does not have a stone basement. He has yet two other barns on the premises. When viewing barns and a splendid brick residence, the view of the group is that of quite a village. Mr. Alderman expects to have a large well so as to furnish water, by pipes or otherwise, to all his barn yards for stock purposes. The water is to be raised by windmill power and thrown into the pipe or conductor so the water can reach the barn yard.
He has also a contract with a, party to tile-ditch nine thousand rods of tiling on this nine hundred and sixty acre farm, much of it is already done. When all are considered it is the most valuable farm in Story County.
Yet as good a barn as the new one is Mr. William Golden, of Indian Creek Township, can beat it, I now believe. Mr. Golden's is octagonel in shape-covering about 3,824 square feet of ground, with a magnificent stone basement. It has a nice spire started for the clouds. It is, however, described elsewhere. It is surely class one as is Mr. Alderman's. Mr. M. Erickson, near Roland, described in the history of Howard Township, has one of the fine barns of the county. It is thirty-two by one hundred and thirtytwo and covers 4,224 square feet, and is high No. 1.
I am aware there are many valuable barns, dwellings, etc., in Story County I could not get round to see—yes many.
But I must say good for T. E. Alderman—the old settler—he