The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-08-01


after which we went on our way reioic-
ing: but by this time the heat was be-
coming intolerable.
BLUE EARTH RIVER.
What unrivalled beauty of landsc pc,
now we pass through dense forests; now
Through prairie, and anon stretches a.
way vast savanna of tall prairie grass,
thousands of acres in extent, with Wis
ia ofhigh prairie opening in the distance
between forests, as far as the sight can
extend. Approaching the mouth of the
Blue Earth river, never visited by any
exploring party before, since the days OF
LaCoeur, IN 1905, we saw high mound
almost mountain, looming up in the
distance, which we soon found was near
the angle of the confluence of the Blue
!. Earth and the Minnesota. Here our
company were startled by cry of butia-
10; which, however, proved to be moth
ing but a drove of moss covered boul-
ders, far away upon the sloplng prairie.
A log house became visible upon Blue
Earth mound, and person (some
French trader) was looking down the
river in mute astonishment no doubt, to
see the approach of steamboat. Now
we have reached the mouth of Blue
Earth, the first tributary of the MINES
ota from its mouth up. 1t is stream
apparently about half as large as the
Minnesota, and not nayigable for more
than mile or two, certainly, beng
small and rapid; but in looking up ITS
charming valley, there seemed to be
resting there a kind of poetic beauty
unlike the rivers of earth We stop
ped not, but plowed the waters OF the
Minnesota, still deep, and of width
but little diminished changing our course
now from the southwest to the north
west. Wood: On the south bank OF the
river, the shore now resounds with the
blows of faxes and all hands and the pas
scngers, are busy in cutting and carry
ing fuel for the boat Here, i'll the
woods, we found the red raspberry, and
the choke-cherry, and precisely such
growth of wood and of grasses, as we
used to see in the rich little intervals
of New Hampshire. With small sup
ply Of wood, we hurried on again, being
now in the Great Woods; that immense
body of timber, twenty or thirty miles
wide which commences at or near Crow
Wing on the Mississippi river, and runs
$50 miles south, here crossing the Min
nesota river like vast belt. Wonder
full stream, We still thread its deep,
crooked channel, measuring 8 or 9 feet
deep, with no difficulty except the too
great length of the boat. The face OF
the country everywhere denotes great
fertility. Here we see fresh tracks of
the buffalo, where they have crumbled
down the steep bank ofaluvion, in their
haste to drink at the river. Now, far
to the north of us, opens vista of wide
interval covered with grass reaching "a
way between the forests on each side of
the river, until the scene dissolves in
the hazy blue of the far off horizen.-.
Hot! Oh, how hot! We stop for more
wood; not breath of air Such heat,
we never before experienced; and as
for assisting to wood, it was wholly out
of the question. The least exercise,
produced violent throbbipg of the tenn
pies and darkness of vision We tho
of Calvin Edison and ''sighed for such
frame as his. That day,at Traverse
de Sioux, the Thermometer stood at l04
Fraenheit, in the shade.
COTTON WOOD RIvEB.
Sunset found us emerging from the
Great Woods, and all exhausted with
the intolerable heat. The Yankee stag
gered up against the north bank Of the
river, and there lay painting in the wa
ter like weary Newfoundland dog;
while the great sun with his furnaces
blazing, sunk behind the distant Missou-
ri That night, there was no dancing
upon the Yankee: but there were several
mosquitoes to combat, and there was no
sleep till morn. The ice was nearly
exhausted; much of the dry fuel was
exhausted, of which it was indispensable
to have a supply to make ful! head of
steam on our return down the river, in
order to run tie short bends and pass
the sn2gs with any sort Of safety. At
about 9 o'clock in the evening, some of
the ladies being almost sick, spirit of
mutiny which had been all day gathering,
came to head; and party was organ
lied to oppose the extension of our trip
300 miles further, TO Lac qui Parle.--
After discussing the subject, vote was
taken, however, and very large ma
jority were in favor of proceeding. We
were then near the mouth of the Cotton
Wood River - in a region becoming
more beautiful every mile we should
progress, and were approaching point
where the river widened into a sort of
lake, atfording very easy navigation for at
least so miles higher, and we had reach
ed within Is miles of Joseph Lafram-
boise s house, where we wished to leave
him and his family, and especially as he
promised to make US present when
there, of fresh slaughtered steer.
All were anxious to see the remainder
of this glorious country, of which Nj
collet says:
! ssThe whole country embraced by