The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-06-07
st. 11aul, tlllnllesota,
Thursday Morning, June !, 1919.
The tendency of Emigration from the
States.-California and Minnesota.

The tendency of Emigration from the
States.-California and Minnesota.
For years, the tendency Of emigration,
throughout the world, has been westward.
/ he discovery Of continent by COLUMBUS,
almost Inhabited, a continent Astounding
IN mineral wealth, soil of luxuriant fertil-
ity, forests stirring with game, vast lakes
and muititudes of rivers alive with fish,
opened natural avenue for the outflow of
the pent-up population Of Europe. But the
stream Of westward emigration has been
greatly widened, deepened and quickened,
since the establishment Oh this continent, of
free government; and especially since that
government has demonstrated its inherent
elasticity and power of self-ex tension, to the
turing into vigorous vitality, State after
State, where stood the ancient wilderness
and broad oceans of prairie. Within the
past year, a great gulf stream Of emf
grafton has set out westward across the
whole width OF our continent, flowing to
California on the Pacific. That broad
women and children, but has swept away
multitudes of cattle and wagons and every
description of property, to the value OF
millions of dollars. That stream is now
subsiding. The world has never before
witnessed, and probably never will again
witness, movement so vast, 50 expensive,
foolish, ruinous! In no possible event, c.n
this movement fail to rum most the partici-
pators in it. 1t is melancholy TO see old
men and young men yea, and delicate wo-
men and children, hurried into this miser-
able MISUNDERSTANDING health, life, all
comfort, all social and religious privileges
every thng-for the vague chance of stand
ing up to their arm-pits in the unwholesone
water of the Sacramento or It's tributaries,
and washing out few ounces of gold dust,
which when obtained will scarcely buy for
them the coinmonest comforts of life
Truly "'tis distance lends entertainment to
the view How else could it be, that SO
many persons in the pursuit of happiness,
could have passed by unnoticed, the wide
blooming plains and hills of Minnesota, of
rtrgsn Minnesota-with her lands as fertile
us the banks of the Nile-her forests of an
Gent pines, her noble rivers, Ieaping over
their rocky barriers in wild majesty-her
thousand lakes of crystal waters---and above
all her fresh, bracing climate, which fills
everything animate within her borders, with
youthful vigor-to wander away and die
upon the arid plains of California! Con-
trast the two regions. California, is on the
western verge of the continent, while Min
nesota is in the very heart of it. The for
mer, is afflicted with that lingering, living
death, the fever and ague; while TO the lat
ter, the whole family of bilious ailments is
unknown. To 60 to the former requires
the greater part of a year and much ex-
pense; while to reach the latter, you have
but to take pleasant, cheap and short ex-
cursiOn by steamboat, up the Mississippi, to
place you within the sound of the falls Of
ST. Anthony, the very roar of which is
enough to cure an invalid. In the former,
you cannot find what you want, 10 live COM
fortably, and what you do get, costs all you
have got; while in the latter, you can have
if you want it, at moderate charge for
freight, a parlor and even almost a house,
translated by steamboat from Galena, Saint
Louis or New Orleans, and landed for you
at Saltwater or Saint Paul. There you
may look for speculation, gambling, vice;
here, you will find industry, morality and
virtue. There you will find no government
and people too intent upon gain to estab-
fish government; here you will find gov
eminent as well organized as in any of the
States. California is in a latitude which
has never proved favorable to the highest
Development of human greatness while
Minnesota, embraces the latitude of those
nations of the earth which in all ages have
produced the most vigorous minds and the
greatest aggregate of intellectual and moral
force. We do not complain that Minneso-
tn is forgotten. Not at all. Our Govern
inent at Washington has not forgotten it,
The eyes Of half the Continent are turned
upon it--tLs weary emigrant or .a,s way to
California turns his Fearful eye back to the
North East, and curses the folly which in
duced hum to pass it by. The vigorous
growth of Saltwater, the busting stir up
the st. Croix, the noise and confusion" at
the falls of St. Anthony, the fresh opening
of farms in every direction around us, the