The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-11-08
Correspondence Of the Daily News.
Western Notes.-The. III.
ST. Paul, NJ. T., Sept. II, lS49.


now completed to point about Is miles
distant from the former city. At this
terminus the traveller finds q four horse
stage In waiting to convey him to the
lead depot of the North West. After
+ passing through the thriving villages OF
Elgin, on the Fox River, Rockford on
Rock River, and Freeport on the Peca-
tonica, you arrive in about 36 hours at
Galena. This of all cities is the queer
est. 1T is mostly built upon the north
side of little arm of the Mississippi,
called Fever River, and the streets run
ming around the rocky bluff gives it a
terraced appearance. An old sea cap
tain who is now looking out location in
Minnesota, told me yesterday, that it
bore a strong resemblance to Valparaiso.
In letter 10 his wife, he described it as
place where you can walk on the pave
ment of one street and look down the
chlmnles of the houses en- the street be-
low. and sec what they are cooking for
dinner.
The Odd Fellows Hall and some 9TH
er buildings are 40 feet above the level
Of the water. The City Cemetery 20l
feet SO that the inhabitants 90 up
rather than down TO their graves. Yet
II the Grocian conqueror found It profit
able to have a human skull suspended
before him to remind him that he was
mortal, we do not see why 1t is not a
good thing to have grave yard III some
elevated position, where men can look
nd l. m, e Il A
ing TO the rocky and ascending nature OF
the streets, all Of the business IS trans
acted on the river street. Here is Il
scene equal in variety and confusion to
ithe street Of Vanity Fair. Irishman,
German, Nelchman, Scotchman, John
Bull, and Brother Jonathan are all hud-
died together. The wharvcs filed with
lead piled up with all the regularity OF
wood on Philadelphia wharf, the steam
boats receiving and discharging their
freight, all evince that we are IN the GEN.
ire OF the lead mines.
! The mines of Illinois, Wisconsin and
Iowa have not Of late yielded so much
cad as III some previous years. The
rush of emigration being in the direction
prospecting Moreover the poor mi
ler who has no capital but that invested
IN w!ndlass, pick, CAD, and wheel-bar-
low, is not apt to raise lead in very great
Quantities, unless he Is SO fortunate as
strike a heavy lead or vein where
nc can work without the water coming
IN upon bin. In time capitalists will
ho IL. & .,
ut very great profit, but at present it
nay be safely said, that all Of the mi
GERS IN the lead region do not average
ach d cents per diem.
! While few live In ease upon the for
,lnes they have accumulated, the mass
ere poorly clad and reside IN log cabins,
! 'pon the side of some lead bearing ra-
| sine, No city OF the same size in the
West has so many good looking church
Offices as Gaena. On and near Bench
.treet the traveller will pass within ID min
ties walk no less than three Presbyterian
churches, one Catholic, Methodist, and
/ Episcopal church Besides these there
are two or three others in other parts Of
| the town.
Would that we could note the same
concerning the Hotels. But here the
opposite proves true, for no city in the
[ MON provides poorer accommodation
for the travelling public. Atthe wharves
YOU find no hacks in attendance, nor
p prter to guide you, and when you sue
coed in finding a public house, the first
II lag that attracts you is It's shabby ap-
| p"arance.
/ Unless the Galenians wake up on this
point, when the railroad is finished to
their city, the passengers will ask that it
may be continued to some point beyond
wrere they can find neat looking Ho-
te with porters waiting for baggage at
TIE wharf, and airy rooms. The scene
ry around this place is attractive, and no
orc can ride Oh the road between it and
a title mining village called Elizabeth,
without a desire to repeat the journey.
As one travels along, on every side
the gracefully rounded hills meet the
gaze, and below are viewed the green
valleys, sloping most gently and stretch
ing far away. Here and there, settlers
ia. may be seen, surrounded by sheaves
lptt anu LiS-LdS
enclosing the lone field like the stacked
guns Of an encampment. Still further
off may be seen an unharvested crop
the bearded grain ola golden yellow and
encircled by wide prairie waving with
gre en- as soft-looking as velvet, and in
quiet beauty, far outstripping the cele-
brated " field of the cloth of gold" upon
which Henry the Eighth and Francis
jousted in the presence of the fair ladies
of their respective courts, and "played
the fool" for gaping sycophants. The
limestone in the vicinity of Galena often
cleaves vertically and as it puts OH; from
the green turf almost leads one to sup
pose that he has stumbled upon some
ruined, moss-covered castle of Tourna-
ment days.
A Rich BED.-At Mormon Island on
Feather river, California, they are build
ing dam and digging canal, by which
the bed Of the river will be laid bare for
half or three quarters of a mile; it is