Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1852-03-18
OUR MINNESOTA CORRESPONDENCE.
ST. Paul, Min. TER.
March list, 1852.
NrgsRs. EDIToRs. :


here from Pembina and Selkirk's Settle
ment. on the Red River of the North.
from whom | have gathered several items
! that [ hope will interest your readers.
The 49th parallel of north latitude on
the Red River. divides our Minnesota
from the British possessions. and Selkirk's
settlement is still lower down the River.
Fort Garry is about the 50th latitude, and
the settlement extends to about ; l. The
! Governors residence is about 80 So
/ The British subjects number about i 600
and are chiefly Scotch and English. with
/ a few Germans. French ard half Breeds
7 They have a resident Catholic and Epis-
copal Bishop-several Catholic Priests
four Episcopal Clergvman-one Presby
terrain Minister. Mr. Backbone Catho-
lie Church, with Seminary attached
one Presbyterian Church-four Episco-
pal hurches-and they are building two
common or republican Churches.
The town of Pembina is located on the
Pembina River, at It's junction with Red
River There are a number of other
towns scattered along the various rivers
that water the numerous plains.
The population of the American settle
ments numbers about 1900; whites french
and half breeds Many Indians dwell a
mong them, as we'll as among the settlers
of Selkirk. They have no schools. nor
any except two Catholic Churches Mr.
/ Tanner is here for the purpose of getting
! some Protestant teachers TO 60 out there
! The soil is good-the country well wat
ered-but timber is very scarce-many Of
/ the settlers living off the Rivers have to
/ go so far for wood, as to make only one
/ load day All the Rivers of any size
/ have timber on both banks But there
are no evergreens there The most of the
/ timber is peculiar to that latitude Wat
I er in the winter all freezes up. except the
( large rivers and they have often to melt
| ice for cooking purposes, and dig wells In
the ice for stock water
/ They are so far ahead of civilization in
( pioneering as to get thirty years behind
the times in improvements. In their rich
harvests they use the old reap hook
| They say that they prefer it before the
cradle because their fathers used it in
the old country" A threshing machine
was taken from this place to Pembina
/ last spring, and perhaps it Will introduce
itself favorably to the British neighbors
below during this winter They make
/ all their own clothing. having abundance
of sheep. The wool is carded, spun, and
woven in the old style of our grandmoth-
| ers, by hand They have large herds of
cattle, sheep and horses They winter
them easily on their rich native hay-al-
! lowing them to brouse during the day. on
rushes and wood that grows above the
snow, being abundant and nutritious.
They raise abundance of spring wheat.
| oats, barley, corn, turnips, onions, cab
/ ba1e and all other good things. including
MELONS and cucumbers. They commence
sowing about the middle of May. Their
plows are from England, all of iron, no
wood about them their wagons are all
carts--except a few small four wheeled
ones without springs, used by the gentili-
ty as family coaches They have two
water mills, and above twenty wind mills
have lots of wind power there.
We frequently have a deputation from
/ that part of the world here during the
summer, of forty or more carts, with an
( Ok between the shafts of each
| In the winter they come with dog teams
/ Our three Honorable members of the
Legislature for Pembina county. came
/ over that way. The distance is fourteen
days travel Two dogs, harnessed Iudi-
an file to a board about fifteen inches wide
and eight or ten feet long turned up at
/ the toe, will draw provisions for them
selves and the captain. and all his bed
/ ding. The dogs are fed on Pemican -
/ Well, you need not ask me what that is |
will tell you. Pemican is coarse Buffalo
meet, boiled, dried and pounded fine. then
mixed with sufficient tallow or some kind
I Of grease to make it stick together when
/ it is put in leather bags to keep ont the
! air We have a similar diet sometimes
substituting cats, rats. or some other kind
/ of meat for that of the Buffalo and some
/ thing else for leather bags adding a little
pepper aud salt which we call sausage -
/ Our Pembinese take the better parts of
I the Buffalo. and the marrow. which they
manufacture into Pemican for themselves
1 The price current Of Selkirks settle
ment IS about fifty per cent lower than
/ that of St. Paul. and wages four hundred
/ or more per cent below An able bodied
man there can be had for twenty FIVE cents
a day. and first rate girls for two dollars
and fifty cents per month. Here the lat
ter ask. and many of them receive from
eight to fifteen dollars. while the former
want about fifty cents for looking at you,
and dollar and half or two dollars a
day for work
In coming from Pembina hither, the
travel r or SOS above thirty lakes. The
country generally, Is level, either lakes or
prairies. We predict that in about TWEEN
ty years you may leave orr place at sun
rise, dine at Selkirk's settlement or Penn
bina, and take tea on the Pacific This
Territory is bound to be great country
in spite of California and Oregon, aud the
nearest route from New York to China
VIII be Uia St Paul You and may not
see it, but our little boys of this years
crop will pass over to China, through
Minnesota, by rail road to the Pacific, and
thence perhaps by flying ship on electric
telegraph. As wonderful things as this
have taken place since the year 1900,
therefore do not say l am visionary.
Our T.eoiSlature have nassad hill ar