The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-01-09
The lfoneer Correspondence.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 3, 1855.

gon road through an unsettled portion of
country, may not be deemed of much i'm
portance to those who have their minds fix
ed for railroads, spiritual rappings and DR..
Townsends palace, but up here small mat
tiers are important, and we have long felt a
deep desire for the opening of thorough
fare on the north side of the river from St.
Paul to points on the Upper Minnesota, but
the expense attending the undertaking, has
heretofore presented an insurmountable bar
Pier to the attainment of this object.
Recently, however, the Sibley county peo-
pie with that characteristic go-ahead-itive-
ness, which has enabled them to build up a
town destined to become one of the most
important on the Minnesota Valley, on a
location which the early town-site seekers
passed without giving it AN examination and
against which all the other towns were ar
rayed in hostility, overcame all obstacles,
and first rate road has been completed
from Henderson to this place. Twelve men
and three yoke Of cattle have been employ
ed in the construction of this road for about
ten days, and at an outlay of about four
hundred dollars subscribed by the citizens
of Henderson and vicinity. The Walkers,
under whose direction the work has been
done, deserve much credit for their exertions
to make the road good, and they have sue
ceeded as far as success was possible at this
season of the year.
From Henderson to Walkers Landing,
the country is level, but the road passes
along the foot Of the bluffs, where that was
necessary to place it above high water mark
Near Walkers, the road by an easy grade,
ascends lower bench of the main bluff,
which it follows over level country, to Be-
wins Creek, the grade to and from which
presents no difficulty to the passage of a
team with full load,
From this place to St. Paul, passable
road has already been constructed and Mr.
Foster will Immediately build bridges and
make other repairs between here and Chas-
ka from which place the road is said to be
already excellent.
This road will be Of great advantage to
all the points north of the Minnesota, but
to Henderson it will be all important, and
the people had sagacity enough to see it,
and energy to secure the accomplishment of
the work. Heretofore, the only roads by
which the immigrant could penetrate the
valley of the Minnesota, were so located
that Henderson could with difficulty be
reached. BY opening this road, the immi-
grant will be, as it were, led right into the
heart Of the extensive aud valuable agricul-
tural lands in Sibley county, which surround
Henderson-and while on the subject, allow
me to say that no county in this Territory
possesses more of the necessary advantages
for becoming one Of the first agricultural
counties in the Territory, than this same
county Of Sibley. 1t embraces very large
tract of excellent timber land, which con-
meets with rich and highly fertile prairie af-
fording opportunities for the location of
farms, with portions of timber and prairie
land on each, to suit the wishes of those
making locations, while the supply of good
water and natural hay land is abundant
1t is my impression that the cultivation of
wheat will be much more successful in Sib-
ley and LIE Suer counties, than in any 9th
er counties of the Territory, owing to the
great extent of heavy timbered land they
contain, and timbered land being well known
to be far superior to prairie for the growth
of winter wheat
have written more than I at first con-
templated, but hope you will allow me to
state in relation to this new road, that it
passes over country which nature intended
for the location of good road, and scarce
" an acre of land can be found which is not
of first quality farming land with abundance
of good water, and timber for all practical
purposes, and there is no doubt that every
acre in the vicinity of the road will be ia
ken up by settlers during the coming spring.
Yours as ever, X. w.