Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1853-01-12
MINNESOTA.


A gentleman who has been engaged in survey
ing Territorial road from Lake Pepin, to the
most Southern bend of the Minnesota, sends the
Minnesotian the following sketch of the coun-
try which he traversed;
The extreme length of the road is ll3 miles.
A tangent would make it about l05 thus losing
8 miles in avoiding swamps, &c.
The country near the lake is very broken, be-
ing cut up by ravines descending from the high
lands to the lake. In many of these ravines
may be found some Of the richest farming lands
ia Minnesota. Hardly a ravine but has its
"trout brook" shaded with a luxuriant grove of
all kinds of timber. At your near approach to
the highlands you continually encounter springs;
and it is not an unfrequent occurrence to find at
the rery height of some ridge, spring of limpid
water. We made it point to search the high
est lands for water
After you leave the lake, say five or six miles
back, YOU will find different country, the soil
of which would be hard to analyze. 1t is what
would call poor, or rather none of the best, be-
ing sand intermixed with numerous small fnts.
Timber is scarce and what there is, is scrubby
bur oak, of the leanest kind. But remember we
are on the dividing ridge between the Cannon
on the north, and the Waze Ozu, on the south,
SO that while barrenness presents itself in your
immediate vicinity, an hours travel either to the
right or left brings you to Eden-like Valleys
When some Is or 20 miles back, again there is
sudden change from sterility to rich praries,
Astounding in water and groves of fine timber;
such q country as would make farmers eyes
water, and if covetous, would make him wish to
own all that Joined his farm. The soil is loan,
slightly sandy, Astounding in small hazel brush.
The greatest enemy the farmer will find here
= 4Lo 10 llu MI bod
by them, so much so, that in many places their
excavations made it difficult for us to proceed
on horseback, as we were constantly breaking
through, even where the ground appeared
smoothest. We travelled about 40 miles over
this unduating prairie, when we struck the
woods that skirt the Cannon near its head, on
the east side" woods as is woods" too, con-
ssting of the largest kind Of oak, ash walnut,
elm, sugar maple, &C., many trees of which were
four and FIVE feet in diameter, sixty feet to
limb and straight as reed. The woods are
from two to five miles wide, and extend in length
/ know not how far
When you reach the Cannon, which here runs
north, you will find yourself in one Of the love-
liest of countres-an embryo Eden. The Can
non at the time we were there, was some 80
feet wide and about foot deep, with fall enough
for an immense water power. 1t does not over
flow its banks at this point, rising only some
five or six feet. This may be attributed to sew
eaal large lakes above, which act as reservoirs.
On the west side is prairie which extends some
four miles back, to Lake Tepe Tonka so level
is it that good sized dog might be seen on any
part of it.
Lake Tepe Tonka, more properly Tetonka is
a beautiful sheet of water, some four miles long
and two wide. Along its pebbly shores may be
found wagon loads of fish carcasses, portending
abundance Of the " live article" in the lake.
From this lake flows branch of the Cannon,
thus bounding the aforementioned water
The country west of this point is good, bad and
Indifferent, being alternately prairie, swamp and
marshes, till you reach the LIE Sueur, nine miles
from Mankato, when again dense woods greet
your eyes. These extend into the very incor-
poration of Mankato. We found abundance of.
game during our whole route, deer, bear, wolves,
fish and fowl. In fact, the most part of the
country, so far as my knowledge extends, was
made expressly for stirring, enterprsing farmers
to get rich upon.