The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-12-12
THE MINNESOTA PIONEER
st. PAUL, tillunesOta,
Wednesday Morning. Dec. II. 1919.
A Bridge at Saint Paul.

.
across the Mississippi river The COM
pletion Of the wire suspension bridge at
Wheeling, across the Ohio river, re-
minds us again Of the subject. When
we consider, that the Mississippi river is
not bridged at any point below Saint
Paul, and probably will not be for long
time, if ever-when we reflect that this
great river traverses through the heart
lof North America, from North to South,
interrupting the course of travel and
trade, already not inconsiderable, and
hourly increasing with the settlement
and growth of our territories on the Pa
cific, that it is directly in the line of
communication westward of the chain of
great lakes--that the bridgeis work easy
of construction commencing on the bluffs
near the middle of Saint Paul, one hun
dred feet high, spanning the river, here
divided into two channels of equal width,
and supported at the centre by piers
resting upon the midway island that it
is work of obvious Importance to the
Federal Government in military point
of view, to facilitate the transportation
of troops and munitions, not only to and
from the forts Of the Northwest, by way
Of the lakes, but also as the door of that
avenue of land communication with our
military posts on the northern Pacific
and along our northern British line, which
ought to be opened without deiay--that
northwest of US, nearly all the northern
Indian tribes Of this continent, are fast
becoming concentrated, by the policy Of
government there to be treated with
parental tenderness, to be fed if need
full, and to be taught, if possible, the
arts of civilized life and the blessings OF
Christianity, it seems to us, that the i'm
portance of such bridge, cannot well
be over-rated. 1t is the most southern
point probably on the river, where a
railroad can be carried over on bridge,
so as to make continuous line of iron
rails between the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. II would converge to this point,
all the main East and West roads--all
the avenues of trade, travel and bust
ness, extending East and West, from the
source of the Mississippi to as far south
as the natural radius of the business oil
ii. Louis. at least; making Saint Paul
the busy focus of con"erging roads and
railways, and free bridge mere, the
hot,ooo tho .,ro oco.,s Py
this means, excluding the possibility of
q rival town on the west shore of the
river, and with all those resources of
trade with that wide portion of the CONT
nent north of us; placed at the head OF
navigation on the Mississippi, sustained
by unrivalled agricultural resources,
and backed up by the manufa curing
power of Saint Anthony, Saint Paul
would possess advantages unequalled by
any town; and its growth would be ac-
celebrated beyond calculation. Can this
bridge be built? Why not9 One end OF
the bridge, if built, will terminate on the
Sioux lands. A treaty for those lands
will soon be made. Congress will make
money by donating enough of those
lands to construct the bridge. There
are plenty of precedents for such a grant
! The work is of national Importance. 1t is
/ in territory territory which has
not yet received one acre of land. There
will be no constitutional scruples about
it. What did Congress do to open the
navigation of the Fox and Wisconsin
rivers? That work will soon be COM
pleted. This bridge, would be, as it
were, but continuation of the same
Improvement into Territory further
west. With this bridge, we would con-
meet road with Green Bay--a road to
Lake Superior, a road to Fort Winnie
bago and the Missouri river: we should
have communication with the cast, with
cut being driven first down to Galena,
and with the west, without passing down
to the mouth of the Missouri, and then
up that everlasting river.
We feel anxiety on this subject. We
deem it one of vital Importance. The
opening Of navigation in the Spring, will
bring hither an Immense throng of i'm
migration. Let them come. There is
room for all; nay, we want to see more
than can come up the river. We want
to see the farmers of Iowa and Missouri,
moving in here by land, with their
wagons and their herds of cattle, sheep