Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-07-11
ROAD FROM 81. PAUL TO TnR
IOWA LINE. iinatget4sf8 a. ~,
Mesms. Editors of the St. Paul Press: .e vs. 81.

Ik1eSSTS' EOttOTS q WS os' run 15eSS .fi 2it
Will you allow the following report Of our OK
pedition-to locate Territorial Road from the
Mississippi River opposite st. Paul to the Iowa
line, through the valley of Straight Rivers
place in your columns, for the benefit of many of
your distant readers, who are wishing to emigrate
to our Territory. 1s'asi'@
Mr.. A. R. French and myself, with the Messrs.
Fredericks as assistants, left ST. Paul June 18th,
for the residence of Mr.. Farribeault, on the Owo-
tonna or Straight River, which is the South fork
of the Cannon. Between the upper crossing Of
the Cannon and Mr.. Farribeaults, distance of
Is miles, we found several houses in process of
erection and IL emigrant wagons, that had just
come on to the trail from the south having been
as many ueeks as they need to have been days, had
they come by the road whichwe have now marked.
Wandering through prairies and belts of timber,
crossing streams and sloughs, without any guide
or definite marks, is rather slow and discouraging
business to the emigrant. They all, however,
seemed to be in good spirits, well satisfied with
the country, and are no doubt before this time
building houses, ploughing the rich prairie, and
making butter and cheese. All the emigrants we
saw on the route, had good cattle and horses,
abundance of cows, agricultural implements, &c.
Many of them were from Wisconsin, with their
whole stock of cattle, sheep, poultry, hogs, &c.,
&c. We found Mr.. Farribeault unable to accom-
pany us, on account of recent injury, and con-
cluded to return, butt on reflection, we decided to
go through and mark road from the settlement
on Straight River to the Cedar River settlement,
leaving the measurement and definite location of
the road for future time. We passed up Straight
River, then across (east of south) to the Cedar
River, then down the Cedar, 10 miles, to the first
house, which is IA miles this side of Iowa, then
2 miles, to the upper falls Of the Cedar, where
Messrs. Leverichs & Nichols are erecting a saw
mill. The last house which we left on Straight
River, Mr.. Sanborn's, is in sec. l6, town. lOS,
range 90; and the first house on the Cedar, j.
Miller's, is in sec. q, town. l03, range l8; max
ing Mller's 80 miles south and IL east of San
born's, fraction over "a miles in straight line
and about 40 by the road which we marked on
our return. The country between the settlements
is first rate, well timbered and watered, and all
except about 25 miles Of the route already claimed
the claimants leaving notice on their stakes that
they should be on their claims in July. The &C.
dar River settlement built its first house in Minnie
sofa less than one year since and now numbers Is
or 20 families, all in comfortable and prosper
GUS condition. They gave us hearty welcome
as brother Mnnesotians, and with true Minnesota
spirit, left their own work to assist us in our ex-
ploratons. During our stay the infant town was
christened Austin. From Austin down the Cedar
to Iowa line there is a good plain road, with set
re- fbo rhn1o frnr tba tot
line good roads diverge in different directions, to
Fort Atkinson. Dubuque. and all tile points Oh the
Mississippi. This we learned from the settlers
and from Mr.. l.. W. Watrous, who had just come
through, and gave us the following schedule of
distances from Dubuque to the terminus of our
road, at the point where the Big Cedar leaves our
Territory on its long journey through Iowa to the
M;ssissinni