The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-12-11

One pair of wooden drawers is sufficient if your
pants are thick and heavy, though two would
be better. Over the pants, wear pair of over
alls or leggings. A good thick oyercoat as the
outside dress for the body is far preferable to a
cloak-in fact, a cloak is a thorough nuisance
Heavy "Indian." or fur mittens (not Gloves
for the hands; good cap throw your hat
away or put it in your trunk,) to come well
over the ears, and such other head, face and
neck rigging in the way of "helmets," "com-
forters," &C. as will suggest themselves toyou,
and then two Mackinaw blankets, which are
really indispensable for various uses. and you
are completely equipped to stand, with COM
fort, any degree the Thermometer ever reaches
along this road. We have been thus minute in
describing the body gear necessary for winter
trip to Minnesota, owing to the fact that some
of our young and ardent friends from many de-
grees south of here are going to undertake it in
few weeks, and being unused to such extra
preparations while travelling in comfortable
railroad cars at home, they might, unless thus
advised, start out from Galena some pleasant
winter morning, and find themselves awfully
used up by the time they reached here. Then
they would have dreadful poor opinion of
Minnesota which we wish to prevent, if posi-
Bile, and will prevent, if they but heed our ad-
vice.
The rapid settlement of the country during
the past two years, between Prairie du Chen
and the Falls Of Black river, has rendered the
travelling over that portion of the route, SO far
as accommodations are concerned, equal to any
stage route through Illinois or the older Dor
tons of Wisconsin. In fact, we can safel, say
that the fare, as general thing, is SUPERIOR
Accommodating travellers being 'new thing"
with the hardy pioneers Of the Bad Axe and
La Crosse valleys, perhaps induces them to do
their utmost for the comfort of the wayfarcr, and
spread before him. at the cheap rate of two bits
per meal, all that their luxurious fields and
prolific forests and streams afford At all
events. venison, fish and fowl was the order of
the day all the way through, seasoned with
such kindly acts of frontier hospitality as to
make one feel at home upon almost all occa-
slons. Before reaching Black river, We par
took at four stations where these remarks will
fully apply, viz: at Green's, Tsinter's, bro
Their and, living with him, the excellent old
mother of our butcher,) Smiths and Petite
But heaven preserve us from ever again sitting
at the board or sleeping in the beds of the pres
ent landlord Of the Black river hotel! For the
sake of brevity, however, in our remarks, and
good feeling toward the proprietors Of the line,
we will 'skip the hard places"-in fact, this is
the only one on the line and we hope the pro-
prietors will also be able to skip it in few
weeks At least. we advise them to- We will
only further remark, by way of advice to the
parties ofthe two grand divisions ofthe christian
church, who at this time appear to be so zeal
ously contending as to which shall have the
honor of saving the souls of the Winnebago In
dians, that there is a still greater and more de-
handing field now presenting itself for mission
airy lahcrs at the Falls of Black river, than the
one over which they are auarreling. Hadn't
one of these factions better draw off from Long
Prairie, and proceed down that way, where
there is more labor to be DONE and consequent
ly greater rewards to follow? We hope our
friends Foster and Pierson, as we'll as the other
party, will heed these suggestions.
Well, after twenty-four hours residence in
this sink-hole of filth and iniquity, it is not
necessary to aver, that Morton's cry of call
ready" from his seat behind his team at day
light on Tuesday morning, was not very I'M
welcome sound. Fifteen miles this side, we
strike the fertile valley of Mountain Island
river. eve, contrary to general custom, give
the English name for convenience.) But one
settler has, as yet pushed his way into this val
ley, and he Maine Yankee, You might swear
as soon as you see his establishment. His
name is Merrill, clever, whole-souled fellow.
He only commenced operations last spring, and
now has some thirty acres broken and under
fence, neat and comfortable frame cottage fin
ished, with barn and out-buildings attached
Although early in the day, we are to take din
ner here, and before we enter, high expecta-
tons are uppermost in our stomachs at the idea
ola good Yankee dinner, after four meals of
pine-bark soup, seasoned with saw-dust, at the
Falls. We enter the tidy dwelling and are
kindly greeted by the neat and pretty wife of
our good Maine friend, and induced almost to
dance for joy at the savory odors of the dinner
in process Of cooking. o, ye generation of sin
ners, who about St. Paul aud ST. Anthony, last
summer, were wont to sheer at, and deride the
people from Maine-calling them "Greybacks,"
and other opprobrious epithets-merely because
of their attachment to a certain law-O, that
ye could once be compelled, as we were, to live
at the Falls of Black river one day, and then
partakc Of one Of Mrs. Merrill's dinners! How
readily would you ':take back all you have
said, and swear that this whole northwestern
country were desert without an oasis. but for
the hardy, enterprising Yankees of Maine -
Let no one who may travel this road, ever pass
Mr.. and Mrs. Merrills without eating or Sleep
ing.
We tarried that night at the Company's sta
ton at Beef river-called in honor of our drl-
yer the "Morton House"--which is excellently