The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1852-04-08

| oouy creates around !fselt an atmosphere
of warmth. The stiffness and ,Iryness OF
the atmosphere aud the vigorous health we
ENJOY, account for the comfortable enjoy
inent here, OF a degree Of cold that would
he intolerable in St. Louis. ln summer, we
have few days intensely hot; but with fire.
/ quent showers, from spring until harvest,
aud most of them in the short nights. AT
midsummer, the sun scarcely seems To go
down in the West to lave his golden axle
III the Pacific, before we behold agaln his
blazing chariot in The East. At nine O'Clock
in the evening, il is then scarcely too dark
f'r your wives aud daughters TO be sewing
Oar frequent showers, multiply musqui,ors.
hese insects, which at first we're a terrible
annoyance, have about ceased 10 he trouble.
some in ST. Paul. We male no use of
nusqu,to bars, last season. Autumn, in
deed often until The u,,l,ie Of December r, is
ii season Of delightful, sunny days, rising
10y degrees into the rigor Of winter; aud
winter in Minnesota, is the most social,
comfortable season Of the year We ex-
perience no chilling winds aud shivering,
dr'zZling ram storms, usually. 1t Is very
uncom'non 20 have n winter as open as the
past has been. Slcishing generally con'in-
ues good here, through all the winter
very litlc SNOW, but one hundred mics
further up the river, and every where north.
they have had from two to three feet of
snow. The river generally closes about the
l5th of November aud opens the last Of
March, nnd boat may generally be expect
ed early in April.
INDIAN PAYMENTS.
Supplies are brought up the river, for The
semi annual paymen, TO the Sioux, Chippe-
wa and Winnehago anuuiies. All these
Indians are paid in Minnesota. The aggre-
gate amount Of annuitics paid them. in cash
and goods, including what tho Sioux will
receive under the treaties 10 lie ratified, and
the cost Of transportation, amounts TO sew
eral hundred thousand dollars. These pay.
ments and the supplies furnished to Fort
Ripley and Fort Smelling, and the goods
and provisions aud the goods furnished by
the traders to the Inians, constitute mnch
the largest share Of the business heretofore
done by the steamboats,, at The port Of ST.
Paul. For many years past, immense sup
plies Of goods have been furnished to the
Sioux Iniiians, on credit, to meet their alb
solute necessities; for which supplies these
Indians are largely indebted. Traders wilh
he Chippewa lndiars and with the Winnie
btgo,s also credit those Indians with large
mounts, which are paid TO The trader, AZ
the .e u, unnual payments of annatles TO
those tribes-they being annuity Indians,
and thus living upon the proceeds OF The
snds which they have heretofore soil 10
the Guvernmeni; whereas, with the exccp-
ton Cf very small amount, paid 10 a few
Of the Sioux In,ians, the Sioux have no i,n-
nuities; although their necessity of heing
Supplied, is as great as the necessity The
ChippeWas an Ninnebagoes. The indiae
trade, is carried on chiefly by factors or II
gents OF few large establishments; which
have their outfits, or .lepols a, ST. Pau; these
agents al different points, in the Indian
country; bat mostly near where the pay
ments are made. They buy iurs ana peiiry
bat their chief business is, 10 sell goods to
the indians, at Il profit, in anticipation of
payments. An ln.iian hunter requires his
outfit Of ammunition, blankets, guns, and Il
variety Of necessaries for himself and his
family. When he returns from his hunt. he
generally sells hi, furs 10 the outfit that fur
ui>lied him. Ii any balance remains due
10 the outfit, he does not pay il; but il is
expected 10 stan as a charge against the
annuity, it there he an annuity; or If not,
then against the con,ingen"y Of an annuity
t. be paid as part of the public debt Of
The tribe, out "f The ultimate proceeds of
the sale Of their lands. This has been The
established mode of procedure, for many
years; and there has never been time
when the trader with the Sioux Indians,
could discontinue and refuse TO extend these
credits, without an absolute certainty Of for
tei,ing all former balances due to him, for
the supplies of previous years.
PINE LUMBER.
We might say something Of the ultnira-
lle oaks and rock naples and black walnuts
found in the Big Woods; which for various
purposes manufacture, will be Of immense
value To The trade Of Minneso,a; but we
will now write only of pine lumber. For
,nerly, we had our doubts as TO the great
extent OF our pineries. Now, we have no
doubt. AS yet, our inrubermen only 60 up
Rum river, Il tributary Of The Mississippi,
hut few miles above ST. Anthony, lying
hetwten the Mississippi and The St. Croix.
the St. Criox and Of the Mississippi. But,
! far above Ram river, are other tributaries
Of the Mississippi and 80 miles Of solid pine
! timber on the shores OF the Mi>sissip, IL
self, below pokegalnon Falls, in the Chip
/ p'Nh CputAtiS, dih i''"'f uutn i'h'C" ui'u-
tarn +, besides properly in the pine region
so that centuries, will hardly exhaust The
pnerIes above US. We are ashamed that
we ever d;stru-teI Providence, or suspect
ed that our munificent Maker, could have
/ IeIt two thousand miles Of fertile prairies
down the river, without an adequate sup
| ply OF pine lumber at the sources Of the
river, TO make those plains habitalie.
! There are many saw mills on the Saint
Croix-four saws at ST. Anthony propelled
/ hy waler-aui four at ST. Paul, propelled
ty steam. Saving is far the best business
doing in 81. Paul. The logs delivered here,
cost less than mere stu,npage in Maine; and
vet lumber sells very high and much beyond
what our mills can supply. Is RATED or
hauled from ST. Anthony. II would pay
,ceH, to put up 40 good steam saw-miIls,
no,c, in ST. Paul. lf any surplus Of lum-
Der were made. j, could lie taken to mar
ket below, in the form Of shingles, la,hng,
pancd flooring and siding. We want, here,
a patent wooden ware factory, large
enough to supply he trade Of the whole
river, down to New Orleans. Come what