The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-10-10
What They Say of tss

mas recently been on visit to our Territory.
On his return home he wrote for his paper
of the 9th ult., concerning us, as follows:
MINNESOTA TERRITORY.
The readers of the Union will quite natural
ly expect something from us about Minnesota.
We shall eudeavor to meet their expectations;
but not to that extent that some of them may
desire; for our raiud Just now is much cngross-
ed with political subjects, and will probably
remain so till after the November election.
We got aboard of one of the {. .. Mail
packets at the Aourishing city of Hannibal
That went as far as the foot of the Lower
Rapids, or Keokuck. These Rapids were then
impossible, except by boats of the smallest
class; and hard scratching for them to get
over. From Kcokuck to Montrose, which is
at the head of the Lower Rapids, the traveller
is conveyed by four-horsc post-coachcs- fare,
80 cents. Distance IA miles. Crops in that
part of Iowa are measurably killed by the
drought. U. S. Mail boats take passengers
aboard at Montrose, and go up us far as Rock
Island, a city of Illinois, at the foot of the
| Upper Rapids. A daily train of cars runs
between this place and Chicago. Rock Island
is thriving place.-IIere a bridge across the
Mississippi to Davenport is in process of con-
struction. Boats of the smaller class pass
up over the Rapids now, but it is somewhat
difficult and dangerous withal
Time would fail us to notice in detail all the
towns above the Rapids and between them and
the Falls of st. Anthony. Their name is lc-
gion. In general terms they all present
thrifty, hcalthful aspect.
| The scenery of the Upper Mississippi is
magnificent. The river is full of beautiful is
lands The banks often rise almost perpcndi-
cularly from 100 to 800 feet, and present a
most picturesque appearance. Then there are
places where the banks are Just high enough
to keep the river in its bed, and as far as one
can see stretches away rolling prairie.
Minnesota Territory lies on both sides of
the Mississippi River. The 49th parallel is
the northern boundary line: Iowa and Wiscon-
sin the southern. According to an official do
cument before us, there are 476, 1850 acres
of land in Minnesota. But a great portion of
it is yet owned by the Indians. Nearly the
whole Of it lies in the same atitude With Ore
gon- consequently it has albeit the same eli
mate. The soil is far different ard better than
we anticipated, being generally q rich, sandy
loam.-MOreover it produces we'll. We saw
fields of corn there which will average 80 bush.
to the acre; arsl theH, on the other hand, some
that will not produce 20, owing to slovcnlv
cultivation. as for Irish potatoes they yield
300 bushels per acre and they are large
mealy and the best favored that we ever tast-
ed. Wheat produces better there than here :;
the grain is larger and fuller. Same may be
said of oats.-Beans, of which large quaint
ties are raised, about Ii bushels per acre. AS
for garden products, we never saw better any
where. and it seemed to us that they were
more juicy, richer and sweeter tSan any raised
in more sOutherly attitudes.
The timber about Saltwater, ST. Paul. Point
Douglas, &C., is rather scarce and dwarfish,
but we were told that back Of those places a
short distance there is plenty. Pine lumber is
cheap and plentiful. All the houses in the
country arc either brick or frame, We did
not see a single log-cabin. Even the wood
choppers live in temporary buildings of pine
lumber. Many fields about Saltwater, and st.
Paul, and opposite Hudson, are enclosed with
pine lumber.-Indeed, pine lumber is every
where. Houses, barns, stables, corp-cribs and
fences are made of it. The river is full of it
and pine logs; and hence the numbering trade
: is a very prominent one in Minnesota, and
will continue to be 50 for several generations
as the pineries are very extensive, and some
say incxhaustible. Millions Of dollars worth
of lumber have been hoated down the Mississ-
ippi and its northern tributaries, this year, and
the business is still increasing.
: The population is of mixed character. We
saw men there from nearly every quarter Of
the Union bu: the Eastern element prevails
Il, has the ascendancy decidedly, and gives tone
and chara, "ter to society. From some cause
We know not ex. ,"t'v what-perhaps it is the
climate--there is an enc. -"' there winch one =.
may look in vain for in LATITUDE, Sou'h OF II
This energy exhibits itself everywhere, a.. "'e'
the entire country. Not only are private in
terests pushed forward with vigor but public
also. They have good roads, and when once
made they stay good y. because the soil, as we
have said, is sandy-in some parts gravelly.
They have as yet no railroads, we believe but
they soon will have for they are already talk
ing about them and projecting them. The
boat on which we went up to st. Paul, was in
part freighted with iron bolts, and bars, and
wire designed for Q suspension bridge across
the Mississippi above the Falls Of St. An
thony.
Towns and villages spring up as by magic.
We regard st. Paul as sort of wonder. Be-
tween five and six years ago there were no
houses in st. Paul. 1t was an untenanted
wilderness. Now, it is neat city of 1000
inhabitants. Some, indeed many of its build
ings would be an honor to any city in the
Union while the business done there is incredi-
bic. 1t is the centre of ON immense inland
trade. st. Paul furnishes goods to all the
country Immediately around and north of it as
far up as Pembina. Thousands of dollars
worth of goods are annually distributed, by