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


basia of the Minneseaa--the lovelisse view oil
broad, fair, yoluptuo0s Nature, ID all her uncon-
ceaed beauty, that ever A4shsd upou mortal wis.,
ion. TO
TaAvERsE DEs Sioux.
/ Here, il Is generally thought, vii be the priu-
cipal town in the valley Of the Minnesota river.
Here the Upper Treaty was made; ard foG many
weeks, hundreds Of Dakota lodges. stood every
where scattered about ON the slopng hill side,
shaped Ike lonves Of sugar, taken possession OF
by The ants, that hurry 10 and out. and seem busy
to purpose at Traverse des Sioux (the cro"sin /,
of the Sioux there has always been and still il,
Il we'll worn trail, crossing from the east TO the
west side--ccnnecliDg Lake Pepin on the Missis-
sipp' and all that region, with Lac qui Purie and
the regions watered By the head waters OF the
Minnesota, and the high lands in which rise and
and flow of TO different seas, all the principal
rivers ives. of the chain Of great Lakes About
20 miles above the Traverse, is the mouth Of the
Blue Earih--as delightful, fertile, and desirable a
region, as ever ran wild-so indeed is the whole
river valley, Gar beyond there, Us far up ms the
steamboat Yankee ventured in 1850. Coming
down tbs crooked river, in a canoe, if YOU miss
Of siea niboat. you will End, II miles below the
Traverse, at the head Of the Big Woods,
LIE SUEuR.
On the south side Of the river. a place which
The energy, capital and enterprise Of some { the
merchants in ST. Paul, have already made the
most attractive poat on the river. lie Sueur, is
! on slope rising from the shore, gradually, like
| The site Of Peoria. Ills 1t is not only in the
midst OF one Of the richest and most inv itns re-
gIOns, for all sorts Of human enterprise and IN
dusiry, but east of it, within days drive across
region Of groves and rraires which Nature has
already made road over, lies the rich valley OF
Cunuon (iha 1 of I.ul Hon.
tan) which will have its easiest and most natural
avenue Of river trade. through lie Sueur and down
the Minnesota river 10 ST. Paul. Now If you ge;
back with your pony to the Fort, you can send
him back by boy TO St. Anthony, take a boat
at the Fort, and directly you arc back again at
SAINT PAUL.
This is lbe hub. round which the Northwest,
from Lac qu Parle to the Missouri. from the Mis-
souri,, TO the Red River Of The North, aud from,
Red river TO Lake Superior, and from Lake Su-
prrlor to the Mississippi, does and will rsvolye,
turn il rs you may--the capital Of the Territory.
which from IA bali dozen nuts and $50 inhaba nts
aud little log Catholic chapel, in The Spring OF
1919, now numbers hundreds Of new buildings.
many Of them elegant, half dozen sup.ib
churches, with bells in their s,eeples, inha b,ants
, numbered by thousands, surpassed by none in
Shire wd foresight and activity, and business talent
Will corporation, su III as u is-sueets DelnS
graded, d mile and half If new side walk. ex-
tending the whole length Of own, sawed, built
and paid for, by voluntary contribution, IN little
| more than week-churches filed on Sunday
1.-Two new churches to be erected (ano,her
PRESBYTERIAN and German Me:hodist,) two no.
tells built, and two more, very large ones now
building, one at each end Of the tswn--saw mills,
fopndries. and all sorts o enterprises put in ope-
ration in Il iwnking, an Academy Of the highest
grade for young ladies', projected this season, and
the thing now uctuall. comIneDced-a steamboat
business and trade now actually greater than
that Of any ether town but Galena, above St.
Louis.--these are only some Of the changes in
The fortunes Of this vigorous town, which we have
Witnessed, since we landed in St. Paul or the
lsih Of April, 1919. from the old Senator, - the
prompt, honest. faithful old Senator, Capt. Orrin
Smith, who now runs the Nominee, and whose
insidcs- eng inc and boilers. is good enough to
wear out half dozen new bodies.
GEOLOGY OF MrNNEsorA
This is .ubjsci, TO which we have paid but
little attention. The portion Of Minnesota how
ever, south of a line extending cast and west
through Sauk Rapids OF the Mississippi river, and
Patterson Rapids Of the Minnesota river, appears
10 be Of the usual limestone and sandstone for
nation, Of the valley Of The Mississippi below :;
while above that line, the granite crops out and
the formation is chiefly Of the primitive rock.
Transformation must be much modified however,
as you approach Lake Superior. which has been
the theatre Of tho most gigantic volcanic move
men's that Natu,e ever exhibited; 10 which we
are indebted for our rich
COPPER REGIONS
West Of Lake Superior, where chaos seems
tumbied into worse confusion, amid sorges and
hills and chas,ns, which Art alone can make pas
sable or even Jacknssable. in the land of the Chip
pewas, lies the copper mines Of Minnesota, yet
unwrought 10 any extent, hut known 10 he as rich
The riches, Of those mines tina, are wrought
further east, along the southern shore Of Lake
Superior
We hear Of iron orc being found in various
parts Of Minnesota; but have never thought the
discovery Of ii, Of any particular importance.
COAL.
Relying perhaps too much upon the dogmqs OF
biologists. we were Cor long time incredulous
about the existence of coal in Minnesota; but we
can doubt il longer. We have in our posses
sion, specimens of The finest quality of biiuminous
coal, free from sulphur, and burning with far less
cnder than the coal Of Rock Island, which we
know, was found within DAYS drive above ST.
Paul. We can no longer doubt, that the coal
HOioS Va A""d, passing d'ohS idI up tue NaHcy Of
the Des Mones, cross over and make deposits in
the valley Of the Blue Earth and the Minnesota
NAVIGATION ABOVE ST. ANTHONY.
The Mississippi river above the Falls, is
stream about like The Connecticut river. 1t is full
Of wooded islands, and sand bars; and the wafer
is very swift. in some places. For the two or three
Seasons past however, the onlv boat above the
Falls, small boat named the Gov. Ramsey, has
found water enough for regular trips, TO Sank
Rapids, about 20 miles. Sank Rapids is white,
foamng, ,uubling fall Of the river, over bed OF
granite bouders, for distance Of two miles
wholly impossible FOR steamboats,, but easy to be
canaled, If it were ever worth the expense, for
the sake Of running little siea rnboats, a, heavy
cost. With the exception Of two places in the
river, above Sank Rapids, there is nothing TO i'm
pede small steamboat, 20 the Falls Ct Pokego-
ma, S or GOO miles. 1t is n fine river for ra fling
all the way--can drive logs RICH, along, like
cattle.
A TRIP FROM ST.. PAUL TO SAUK RAPIDS,
IN JUNE.
We cannot present a more lively picture Of the
region above us, TO Sank Rapids than The follow
ing. copied from the Pioneer Of the 18th Of June
last; which will be new 10 at least some of our